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Caine

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This is not how the customs office operates. They know better than to drill holes into something that could contain lithium batteries or other devices that could set them on fire or poison them. I suspect someone is not telling the full truth here.

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Actually I just checked the packaging and the only customs evidence I can see is that it was opened by the US Customs, Their sticky tape says US Dept of Homeland Security, for US Customs and Border Security. The package went via Memphis. So may not have been the South American country thats done it.

As if we needed more proof that DHS was employed by idiots...

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Actually I just checked the packaging and the only customs evidence I can see is that it was opened by the US Customs, Their sticky tape says US Dept of Homeland Security, for US Customs and Border Security. The package went via Memphis. So may not have been the South American country thats done it.

It's almost certainly US CUstoms. When I moved to the US from the UK, they cut up a brand new sofa, looking for drugs. They have no respect for any property. It almost looks like they get a kick out of destroying other people's property. I speak from experience.

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In punta di penna.....

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Not sure why they checked it though... they were just a stop off point, its not like the item was being sent to someone in their country.

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Not sure why they checked it though... they were just a stop off point, its not like the item was being sent to someone in their country.

I guess somebody was bored. Or it was complete random.

#Nope

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At the very least, if you find that, indeed, US Customs is responsible for the damage, you should send a letter and photgraphs to the US Embassy in London or the the local consul if there is a consular office nearer to you. In fact, if it's practica, you could take the damaged items to the embassy or consular office for a bit of show and tell. Speak to the highest ranking officer you can gt access to. If no one complains nothing changes.

Grace and Peace are already yours because God is the Creator of all of life and Jesus Christ the Redeemer of each and every life.

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Must be someone with 0 integrity for other people's properties. I understand that they just do their jobs, and perhaps, I kinda get the bit about wood box drilling but this bit bothered me: "...They've even checked the pens piston filler area and have managed to damage that.." Seriously, just rolling up and piston up and down can they can already tell if something is in it or not. The pen even comes with window. Obviously, someone with IQ of 5 was working at the custom office and was trying to get that promotion a bit too hard. :angry: :(

I'm glad that you got a refund. Thank you for sharing this. From now on, for my valuable foreign purchases, I'll make sure I do insurance shipping.

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This is not how the customs office operates. They know better than to drill holes into something that could contain lithium batteries or other devices that could set them on fire or poison them. I suspect someone is not telling the full truth here.

 

Consider that statement again. If you stick to it you are calling me, personally, a liar.

 

This is my personal observation. I have seen a large slab of wood with lots of holes drilled in it with my own two eyes. I have seen lumber of rosewood, cocobolo, and other exotic timbers drilled in multiple places in the middle of the boards. I have seen news articles where they have drilled holes in precious items, instruments, even sporting equipment. More than once I have heard or read of surfboards having lots of holes drilled in them. And they will destroy things other ways, as well, without a second thought.

 

Here are links to the first two google articles on such abuses, including drilling a famous cricketer's bat and destroying a musician's instruments.

http://thebiglead.com/2014/08/09/u-s-customs-drilled-holes-in-a-new-zealand-cricketers-bat-to-check-for-drugs/

 

http://www.bostonglobe.com/lifestyle/names/2014/01/01/customs-officials-destroys-flute-virtuoso-instruments/HRnFgh1FwIqY5n2FdoKlMN/story.html

Edited by Moose22
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This is pretty old (2000, prior to 9/11 and all), but it's some experiments of sending various items thru the postal service.

 

http://www.improbable.com/airchives/paperair/volume6/v6i4/postal-6-4.html

 

One thing in particular:

 

Wrapped brick. Wrapped in brown paper; posted in street corner box with same amount of postage as was strapped to unwrapped brick. Extreme weight for size made package seem suspicious. Notice of attempted delivery received, 16 days. Upon pickup at station, our mailing specialist received a plastic bag containing broken and pulverized remnants of brick. Inside was a small piece of paper with a number code on it. Our research indicates that this was some type of US Drug Enforcement Agency release slip. The clerk made our mailing specialist sign a form for receipt.

 

I'm curious what the delivery rate would be and the state of the items upon receipt in this day and age, and if any of them would have prompted a visit from the FBI for questioning/suspicion.
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You won't get any compensation. Nothing. HMRC once destroyed an air compressor my father imported, pretty much cut it in half. Not only that, but he had to pay duty and VAT on the thing. A nasty bunch of bureaucrats.

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I have had various pens and other things sent to me from other countries; none of them have been even inspected by Customs, as far as I can tell, and all have arrived intact. I have also sent pens and headphones, etc., to folks in other countries and everything was received intact. I feel now that we were just lucky! And I thought we only had to worry about the rough treatment that some packages get from UPS, Fed Ex and the postal service.

 

After reading this thread and other horror stories of what Custom agents are allowed to do with impunity since they have no fear that either the sender or receiver of the package can do anything about the goods destroyed by their invasive tactics, I begin to feel hesitant about buying from or selling to anyone outside of the USA. Rather limits one, doesn't it? :( :angry:

 

Holly

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Illegal immigrants, weapons, and drugs swarm over our borders like locusts, but - God Bless America - our nation is safe from fountain pens. :headsmack:

"Don't be humble, you're not that great." Golda Meir

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I've been reading some of the posts in this thread to my husband. He said his brother (who is active with the Sea Scouts, which I gather is like a maritime version of Boy Scouts) told him a story about someone having found a hole drilled in the mast of a 40' yacht, making the boat unsafe to sail, since the mast was apparently integral to the design and construction.

I've gotten a few things from Europe on Ebay (pens, a rocker blotter) and had absolutely no problems. I did have a bottle crack on shipment in an order a couple of years ago of some of FPN member Pharmacist's iron gall inks (which then leaked through the padded envelope all over the counter at the post office), but I had assumed at the time that was the fault of USPS, not US Customs (the other two bottles were fine, but of course the labels were completely unreadable as to which ink was which because the labels were covered with Turkish Night... :crybaby:). Pharmacist, being the good guy he is, replaced the entire order, not just the one bottle, but I was still pretty upset when it happened.

But I'm with Oakiris on this one -- I think I will be even more wary in future about non-US origin listings on Ebay.... In addition to crooked sellers and huge shipping rates, I'm now going to have to be worrying about deliberate sabotage/destruction in the name of "Homeland Security"? :yikes:

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

"It's very nice, but frankly, when I signed that list for a P-51, what I had in mind was a fountain pen."

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I'm really sad and shocked that this sort of thing happens! I'm so sorry you've had to deal with this Caine. It's vandalism, pure and simple :(

UK-based pen fan. I love beautiful ink bottles, sealing wax, scented inks, and sending mail art. Also, thanks to a wonderful custom-ground nib by forum member Bardiir, I'm currently attempting calligraphy after years of not being able to do so due to having an odd pen-grip :D

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Wow... That even goes far beyond Dutch customs, that dismantled an Esterbrook down t its components and then throwing them back into the envelope... (I've posted about this in the Esterbrook forum).

 

Fortunately I could reassemble the pen, replacing the sac in the process, but in your case, I'd file a damage claim.

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This is not how the customs office operates. They know better than to drill holes into something that could contain lithium batteries or other devices that could set them on fire or poison them. I suspect someone is not telling the full truth here.

 

Canadian custom officials are probably more tolerant and level-headed than our U.S. counterparts. You can easily google US custom officials ruining people's personal property.

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I got something similar once (but far less important) i ordered 2 books in France (I'm Belgian). When it arrived the box had been opened with a cutter and one corner of one of the books was completely bent for something like 10 cm. Evidently with a pen it's worse...

A people can be great withouth a great pen but a people who love great pens is surely a great people too...

Pens owned actually: MB 146 EF;Pelikan M200 SE Clear Demonstrator 2012 B;Parker 17 EF;Parker 51 EF;Waterman Expert II M,Waterman Hemisphere M;Waterman Carene F and Stub;Pilot Justus 95 F.

 

Nearly owned: MB 149 B(Circa 2002);Conway Stewart Belliver LE bracket Brown IB.

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