| thomasquinn 32989 12.08.2008 07:10 |
A wise man once said "when the world ends, I'll move to Holland. Everything tends to happen 50 years later there." [RANT] Well, I'll tell you, that goes for the customs service! Having ordered some guitar effects from the US, they were swiftly shipped. It took USPS four days to get them to Holland. Then, at 9:10a.m. on the 4th of August this year, they reached Dutch customs...where they have been ever since. So, the major question is: does a distortion pedal pose so grave a threat to national security? Are they afraid I'm an Iranian attempting to build a thermo-nuclear device with it? [/RANT] |
| Mr Mercury 12.08.2008 08:31 |
Welcome to the wonderful world of the Customs People. They are Gods in their own world, only they taketh and..... well..... take again. |
| Garfield I. Uberson 12.08.2008 09:57 |
It is indeed dangerous... Just imagine you could actually push it and kaboooooooom. :-) I wonder if they're not busy installing surveillance equipment to end your evil plan to pimp the guitar and ... take over the world!! |
| thomasquinn 32989 12.08.2008 09:59 |
Damn, I should've known they'd get on to me when I ordered those Wilkinson PAF's a year ago :P The SAS will be on my doorstep if I ever order one of those Artec tone-pots... |
| Garfield I. Uberson 12.08.2008 10:10 |
That's indeed quite risky... Though, you could buy yourself an empty island and work there... I would suggest Antarctica, but I've heart you can't get a good tan there... |
| thomasquinn 32989 12.08.2008 10:12 |
My complexion is one shade darker than albino, so I'd be fine. Though I must say I was hoping for somewhere in the Caribbean. I mean, if you're working on a diabolical plot to lay waste to the world, you might as well do so from a pleasant locale. |
| Garfield I. Uberson 12.08.2008 10:25 |
Indeed, but wouldn't that be a bit ... predictable? |
| Sergei. 12.08.2008 10:37 |
ThomasQuinn wrote: My complexion is one shade darker than albino, so I'd be fine. Though I must say I was hoping for somewhere in the Caribbean. I mean, if you're working on a diabolical plot to lay waste to the world, you might as well do so from a pleasant locale.You could work in a fake volcano crater like Blofeld in "You Only Live Twice". |
| its_a_hard_life 26994 12.08.2008 10:42 |
This thread scares me.... ;) |
| Poo, again 12.08.2008 11:17 |
You are not the real Thomas. |
| Lady Nyx 12.08.2008 12:06 |
ive been usuing it >.> ...ill give it back :( XD *edit* i just read that title ad f*cking douche condoms XD |
| thomasquinn 32989 12.08.2008 12:17 |
wrote: You are not the real Thomas.I so am! I'm not always a mean bastard, you know. Only when provoked. |
| The Fairy King 12.08.2008 14:08 |
Why Iranian and not Persian? Freddie was. + It's always shitty to wait for stuff you're eagerly awaiting TQ. ;) |
| thomasquinn 32989 12.08.2008 15:21 |
The Fairy King = RickRolling all of you wrote: Why Iranian and not Persian? Freddie was. + It's always shitty to wait for stuff you're eagerly awaiting TQ. ;)Because he wasn't Persian but Parsi. Despite the fact that Treasure Moment sees no difference, Parsi is an ethnic term, while Persian means "a citizen of the Persian nation", which no longer exists; when the Shah was kicked out, they called it "Iran", so "Iranian". And in case anyone missed it, the Netherlands are now the only country in the world to refuse Iranian students enrollment in a number of physics-related subjects, because we are afraid they'll build bombs. Pakistani, Israeli, American, South African, etc. students, whose countries we *know* produce nuclear weapons, however, are welcome. + Yeah, it'll come though. But wouldn't you be eager for any distortion box that looks like this: link The photo doesn't do it justice, but the casing is mirror-polished stainless steel. Full analog, true passive bypass :) EDIT: slightly better pic: link |
| Poo, again 12.08.2008 15:40 |
ThomasQuinn wrote:Ethnic Iranians or strictly Iranian citizens?The Fairy King = RickRolling all of you wrote: Why Iranian and not Persian? Freddie was. + It's always shitty to wait for stuff you're eagerly awaiting TQ. ;)Because he wasn't Persian but Parsi. Despite the fact that Treasure Moment sees no difference, Parsi is an ethnic term, while Persian means "a citizen of the Persian nation", which no longer exists; when the Shah was kicked out, they called it "Iran", so "Iranian". And in case anyone missed it, the Netherlands are now the only country in the world to refuse Iranian students enrollment in a number of physics-related subjects, because we are afraid they'll build bombs. Pakistani, Israeli, American, South African, etc. students, whose countries we *know* produce nuclear weapons, however, are welcome. + Yeah, it'll come though. But wouldn't you be eager for any distortion box that looks like this: link The photo doesn't do it justice, but the casing is mirror-polished stainless steel. Full analog, true passive bypass :) EDIT: slightly better pic: link |
| thomasquinn 32989 13.08.2008 03:52 |
wrote:Considering the way the Dutch government has acted lately, anyone who looks vaguely Iranian.ThomasQuinn wrote:Ethnic Iranians or strictly Iranian citizens?The Fairy King = RickRolling all of you wrote: Why Iranian and not Persian? Freddie was. + It's always shitty to wait for stuff you're eagerly awaiting TQ. ;)Because he wasn't Persian but Parsi. Despite the fact that Treasure Moment sees no difference, Parsi is an ethnic term, while Persian means "a citizen of the Persian nation", which no longer exists; when the Shah was kicked out, they called it "Iran", so "Iranian". And in case anyone missed it, the Netherlands are now the only country in the world to refuse Iranian students enrollment in a number of physics-related subjects, because we are afraid they'll build bombs. Pakistani, Israeli, American, South African, etc. students, whose countries we *know* produce nuclear weapons, however, are welcome. + Yeah, it'll come though. But wouldn't you be eager for any distortion box that looks like this: link The photo doesn't do it justice, but the casing is mirror-polished stainless steel. Full analog, true passive bypass :) EDIT: slightly better pic: link |
| Mr. Scully 13.08.2008 11:55 |
Same situation in the Czech Republic. They unpack every package, check the content/value, charge the VAT, delay the package by two weeks. I'm still waiting for my new WAV recorder that I ordered in late July from the US. |
| Raf 13.08.2008 14:25 |
ThomasQuinn wrote: Damn, I should've known they'd get on to me when I ordered those Wilkinson PAF's a year ago :P The SAS will be on my doorstep if I ever order one of those Artec tone-pots...Why the fuck would Spike's All Star band stop by your house just because of some guitar effects? I'm pretty sure they got enough money to buy their own. ;) |
| thomasquinn 32989 14.08.2008 05:24 |
Raf wrote:SAS-Band = Spike's All-Star BandThomasQuinn wrote: Damn, I should've known they'd get on to me when I ordered those Wilkinson PAF's a year ago :P The SAS will be on my doorstep if I ever order one of those Artec tone-pots...Why the fuck would Spike's All Star band stop by your house just because of some guitar effects? I'm pretty sure they got enough money to buy their own. ;) SAS = Special Air Service Though I'm not quite sure which of the two is more dangerous to one's health... |
| Garfield I. Uberson 14.08.2008 05:50 |
Well it's quite normal in ex-communist countries. I mean before 1989 every package was checked thoroughly by the customs people and you had nothing to do against it, just hope some stuff will seem unimportant for those guys and actually receive some of the things in there... With letters it was more complicated... Well, anyway, at least in Romania we still have that problem and if we want to send packages (especially abroad) or receive them and we know they might contain valuable things, we wrap them like you can't see the paper because of the scotch sometimes, but they still find ways to unwrap them... |
| thomasquinn 32989 14.08.2008 11:24 |
Yeah, but I'm not from an ex-communist country. I am from an ex-civilized country, called The Netherlands. |
| Rick 14.08.2008 13:31 |
The large country next to Germany. |
| Garfield I. Uberson 14.08.2008 16:44 |
It's never to late to see the light, u know... |
| Mr. Scully 15.08.2008 03:20 |
Garfield I. Uberson - no, nothing to do with being an ex-communistic country (at least here). It's just that after we entered the Schengen and cancelled all the borders, suddenly there were thousands of custom officers who (unfortunately) couldn't have been fired (f*cking trade unions) so their job is now to check incoming packages and charge VAT. |
| thomasquinn 32989 15.08.2008 04:54 |
Mr. Scully wrote: Garfield I. Uberson - no, nothing to do with being an ex-communistic country (at least here). It's just that after we entered the Schengen and cancelled all the borders, suddenly there were thousands of custom officers who (unfortunately) couldn't have been fired (f*cking trade unions) so their job is now to check incoming packages and charge VAT.Over here in Holland, the answer is probably slightly simpler: they're just plain lazy. Since they conveniently stopped having a complaints-line, they haven't had any complaints, which they consider to mean that they are performing well. |
| Micrówave 15.08.2008 12:17 |
I ordered a Vox Wah pedal on Monday and it arrived today in the mail!!! It's good to be King. |
| thomasquinn 32989 16.08.2008 11:40 |
Yay, they're in! Yesterday afternoon! And if anyone is considering buying a new distortion pedal, I can highly recommend the Biyang Metal End. Great tone, and lots of ways to tweak it. Not very expensive, either: link link (2 1/2 hours left on that last one) |
| The Mir@cle 18.08.2008 03:16 |
Even thought that the problem might have been in the US and not in our "ex-civilized" country? |
| thomasquinn 32989 18.08.2008 08:21 |
The Mir@cle wrote: Even thought that the problem might have been in the US and not in our "ex-civilized" country?If Dutch customs hold the package for ten days, it's Dutch customs that is to blame. I'd love to pin this on the Americans, believe me, but I can't credibly do that. |
| The Mir@cle 18.08.2008 09:13 |
ThomasQuinn wrote:Well... true. Still I blame Bush. ;-)The Mir@cle wrote: Even thought that the problem might have been in the US and not in our "ex-civilized" country?If Dutch customs hold the package for ten days, it's Dutch customs that is to blame. I'd love to pin this on the Americans, believe me, but I can't credibly do that. |
| thomasquinn 32989 18.08.2008 11:52 |
The Mir@cle wrote:He'd be capable of sending an angry (having an angry letter sent, not in the last place because he can't spell "subversive") letter to Dutch customs, telling them to check carefully any items sent to my address, because I am a dangerous terrorist suspected of harboring no fewer than 45 Libyan, Palestinian, Iranian and IRA terrorists in my humble abode.ThomasQuinn wrote:Well... true. Still I blame Bush. ;-)The Mir@cle wrote: Even thought that the problem might have been in the US and not in our "ex-civilized" country?If Dutch customs hold the package for ten days, it's Dutch customs that is to blame. I'd love to pin this on the Americans, believe me, but I can't credibly do that. |
