A tale for us europeans about Sperzel

[Logrinn]

So the whole world is watching in disbelief when some americans display their ignorance about geography.
This little story will further cement the fact that some americans seem to be completely unaware that there are other countries on this planet.

I wanted to buy some Sperzel tuners, but the ones I wanted didn't seem to be available anywhere except from Sperzel themselves.
These are the ones (SoundLoks) I ordered on november 5:th, and payed for a few days later:

After a little more than a month, on the 13:th december, I emailed and asked about the shipment.
I got the reply that they shipped the 15:th of nvember and "... here's a tracking number".

Now the fun really begins.
I eventually found out that the tracking number belonged to USPS (you know - the company with the most knowledgable people in the world. Especially knowledgable about geography.)
So it turns out that the package was sent to Canada!
And then back to the US!!
So, naturally, it got sent to Canada again!!!

And then - I can't remember if it was sent back to the US or if it went directly to - wait for it - Jamaica!

Woohoo!

Contacted Sperzel and tried contacting USPS (what a joke that was) and eventually, when I checked the tracking history again, all evidence of the wonderful journey of my Sperzel tuners had been erased.
Now the package was back in Chicago. Waiting for something. Probably someone there couldn't find an atlas of the world. "Let's see ... Sweden, Sweden, nah, never heard of it. Just let it be where it is". So... more waiting.

Contacted Sperzel, who contacted USPS.
Checked the tracking of the package again and - finally - it seemed to be on it's way. And on it's way ... and on it's way ...

To make a long story short(ish); the package arrived today, almost 3 months later.

If the package had been sent by sailboat over the Atlantic (should have asked Greta), and then by horse and carriage from western/southern Europe, I still would have hade it in my hands a month or so ago.

So, there you have it. The wonderful journeys of the Sperzel tuners.

 

[bagman67]

Many Americans hold it as a matter of pride to not really care about world geography, but good lord, yes, you would expect the US Postal Service to have a clue.

 

[Logrinn]

Many Americans hold it as a matter of pride to not really care about world geography, but good lord, yes, you would expect the US Postal Service to have a clue.

:toothy12:

 

[mayfly]

Sorry it took so long.  I had them on my bench in Ottawa for several weeks deciding if I should do a build with them or just send them back. 

 

[Logrinn]

Sorry it took so long.  I had them on my bench in Ottawa for several weeks deciding if I should do a build with them or just send them back. 

:toothy12: :toothy12: :toothy12:

Exactly what I thought!

 

[stratamania]

Apparently people do searches for "Is Sweden in Canada?" according to Google which led me to this.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swedish_Canadians

I remember once having breakfast in America (really not the Supertramp song) and was asked "Oh The Netherlands, is it in Germany?"

 

[Logrinn]

... I remember once having breakfast in America (really not the Supertramp song) and was asked "Oh The Netherlands, is it in Germany?"

:toothy12: :toothy12: :toothy12:

And, also, thanks for the link about the svenskkanadensarna. I knew of course about the, quite substantial emigration of swedes to the US in the eighteen hundreds, but never really knew or thought about them also going to Canada.
I was in fact, as a toddler, on my way to become one of the many swedes that emigrated, but my parents had their sights set on Australia instead, in the beginning of the sixties. Alas, it never happened.

 

[PhilHill]

I believe these problems result, not so much from American attitude, as from the deplorable condition of the American educational system. But there are other factors too. My sister has an iPhone, she once asked Siri the distance between Apopka Fl. and the Atlantic Ocean, Siri replied that it could find no information on "Atlantic Ocean"  :dontknow:

 

[Logrinn]

... My sister has an iPhone, she once asked Siri the distance between Apopka Fl. and the Atlantic Ocean, Siri replied that it could find no information on "Atlantic Ocean"  :dontknow:

:toothy12: Hilarious!

 

[Rick]

That's awesome, and I love that it went Jamaica, it could've gone anywhere in Canada, I'll pick Montreal and the Yukon.  Those tuners are going to bring you serious mojo. 

I've had that happen to me to Singapore, Japan and Brunei. What happens is the people who process the package are looking for numbers, and if they interpret the number as being a North American zip code it zings around North America, going back to the point of origin, continuously processed by a computer until a human figures it out.  It sucks.  It's also funny, but it sucks.

 

[Logrinn]

That's so true, Rick. It sucks, but mostly, it's just really funny. Especially as it all turned out for the best in the end.

 

[BigSteve22]

...people who process the package are looking for numbers, and if they interpret the number as being a North American zip code it zings around North America....

Or to be more precise, the automated sorting equipment only understands the numbers. Unfortunately, the information is input by humans who are trying to get to the next package so they can be done for the day and go home. One wrong keystroke, and anything can happen. My wife bought a toaster oven, on Amazon, for my son  who lives in New Hampshire. It was started out in New Jersey, and should have gone north about 450 miles to get to its intended destination. The last place the package was scanned was near the Everglades National Park, in Florida. About 1500 miles south. At least the tuners finally arrived, the toaster oven never did.

And don't forget pre-set routings. The service is selected, and where an item is injected into the carriers normal flow, can have a huge impact on how it's routed. I had a UPS package coming from Connecticut and going to my place in New York, about a 100 mile trip. Because I selected "Expedited Shipping", it ended up getting sent via air. So it first went to Newark airport in New Jersey, (you have to drive past my house to get there from Connecticut), flew to Nashville Tennessee, back to Newark, and then to the local facility. So many things can go wrong. But then again, I've had many shipments between New York and a guitar dealer in Stockholm. and never had a problem in either direction.

And just bye-the-bye, not all Americans are ignorant of global geography. (No offense taken! ) I remember tests in grammar school, where I was handed an outline of Europe, or Asia, or what ever, and we were expected to be able to not only label the countries, but their capitals as well. Though I'm thinking that's probably a thing of the past. General education is no longer stressed, just give the kid a participation award and send him/her on their way. Of more concern to me, is the way mathematics is taught, too many people these days need a calculator just to make change at the grocery store...  :tard:

Almost forgot: Nice tuners!

 

[Logrinn]

...
Almost forgot: Nice tuners!

Which is the most important thing, of course. Thanks, Steve!

 

[BigSteve22]

...
Almost forgot: Nice tuners!

Which is the most important thing, of course. Thanks, Steve!

:headbang:

 

[mayfly]

Hey Logrinn!  Where in Sweden are you at?  I've got friends in Malmo and Stockholm.  I say 'friends' although they've never managed to get us into the Malmo festival...  :headbang:

 

[Cagey]

What happens is the people who process the package are looking for numbers, and if they interpret the number as being a North American zip code it zings around North America, going back to the point of origin, continuously processed by a computer until a human figures it out.  It sucks.  It's also funny, but it sucks.

Back when I used to write machine control software, one of the most dreaded jobs we'd get would be in what's generally referred to as "Materials Handling", which is a catch-all term that usually involves readers, sorters, conveyors, elevators, etc. to move stuff around warehouses, airports, hospitals, factories, etc.  The problem often was the humans. Any time people got involved, things went to hell. I'm often amazed that the mail/parcel systems of the world work as well as they do.

 

[Rick]

We did an analysis at my office of humans taking complicated information, forming a decision and inputting data and determined that they make a mistake 3% of the time.

It's just people being people.  Whenever humans are involved stuff happens.

 

[Cagey]

What we generally found was that there was no malicious intent; quite the opposite. Usually, people were trying to help. Machines rarely understand intent, though.

 

[rgand]

Very nice tuners. Glat they (finally) arrived.  :icon_thumright:

 

[Logrinn]

Hey Logrinn!  Where in Sweden are you at?  I've got friends in Malmo and Stockholm.  I say 'friends' although they've never managed to get us into the Malmo festival...  :headbang:

I’m from Malmö actually, but live in a smaller village outside of Malmö nowadays.
Definitely let me know if and when you get to play at the festival. Or some festival/gig in Copenhagen, which is really close and so much bigger.