Where's Blues? I want to register a complaint against US Customs.

Shipment before last two knives were missing. The parcel had the yellow tape which said "inspected by US Customs". Today I received another shipment with same yellow tape -- one knife missing and to add insult to injury get this.

One scabbard had been split open for inspection, totally destroyed, and this was a special order for James Liu. I'll get a pix up later.

This is going too far.



------------------
Blessings from the computer shack in Reno.

Uncle Bill
Himalayan Imports Website
Khukuri FAQ
Himalayan Imports Archives (33,000 + posts)
Himalayan Imports Shopping Site
 
J

jim_l_clifton

Joined
Mar 31, 2000
Messages
2,981
Bill,
Edited for Jim by Uncle Bill. Hope this helps!
JIM

[This message has been edited by Bill Martino (edited 04-04-2001).]
 
Sir I hope you intend to pursue some legal
recourse here. The parcel carrier you use
must have a inventory list of the items in the shipment (if only for thier own use and protection). So I'd imagine you know exactly
which items were confiscated? It would
certainly be worth your time to call the US
customs service and fill out the appropriate
forms to discover why these items were removed and how to go about getting them back. Your initial efforts shouldn't require
the cost of an attorney. In retrospect of my
own dealings with gov. agencies this whole
ordeal will probably take months to year to
resolve, but it will have been worth it. You
are a reputable businessman, have no fear or hesitation to take these steps. I feel it is
important to let this agency know they will
be held accountable for thier actions. And
that they cannot randomly 'take' without a
valid reason.
...Either that or some little fiend at the
customs service has HIKV and is trying to
supply his habit at your expense.
 
:
I really don't know what to say except it's a damned shame.
I personally believe that government employees who do such things as this should be held in the fullest accountability.
And I hope they can be caught and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law they themselves are supposed to protect.

I do hope Blues is able to help get to the bottom of this and see that justice is done.


------------------
>>>>---Yvsa-G@WebTV.net---->®

"VEGETARIAN".............
Indin word for lousy hunter.
 
Oh now Jim, I rememer that story and although I never met FP...I remember the trouble that came of it for Blues' personal career hopes. But I'm sure Blues can get some wheels turning concerning in the very least some type of compensation.
 
Bill,
This "is called theft"!There may be another explanation but I can't see it! Blues as you know is a great guy,if anyone
can help he can!My previous post was out of line!
jim
 
I agree with all that this matter must be pursued. If the knives have been confiscated by customs then they owe you an explination for an unjustified act. And if it's theft:MAD:, then the perp. knows what he's looking for and not pursuing it would only lead this person to believe they can get away with it. That would cause one or more of we forumites to snap and hunt them down. And then we have all those legal troubles ourselves and it's just a bad scene. Confiscation or theft it is a robbery of you Uncle Bill, the Kamis, and all who are associated with HI.
 
View


Here's how the rig looked when it arrived.

View


You can see where the scabbard leather has been cleanly cut just below the frog.

View


The back of the scabbard. You can see where the leather has been slit.

View


If you look closely at the black arrow just above the joint of the front and back pieces of the wood you'll see where the blade cut through not only the leather but into the wood.

View


You can see where some tool was used to split open the wood joint.

Is this kind of inspection really necessary?


------------------
Blessings from the computer shack in Reno.

Uncle Bill
Himalayan Imports Website
Khukuri FAQ
Himalayan Imports Archives (33,000 + posts)
Himalayan Imports Shopping Site
 
Bill,

I've already given you my thoughts via email so I'll limit myself for the most part to the images.

There is a tremendous amount of pressure from Washington to interdict drugs (and other contraband) at our borders before they can enter the mainstream. In the zeal to effect this mandate there are many casualties amongst commercial shipments. That MAY have been what was at hand here. (That does not explain the loss or theft of the other piece, which is a separate issue.)

Suffice it to say that shipments from known "source" or suspect countries (and those are rapidly becoming more numerous as smugglers investigate new routes and methodologies) receive very high scrutiny. However, since I wasn't involved in this matter I cannot say further with any certainty, nor would it be appropriate of me to do so.

As I mentioned to you via email, the theft, if it was an intentional theft and not an error of some sort, could've been accomplished by anyone from the shipper to Customs to UPS. Seeing US Customs tape on a shipment could give a less than honest delivery-person an "excuse" to open a previously opened parcel. You can use your imagination from there. Still, I would pursue some of the remedies I suggested via the aforementioned email.


Blues

------------------
Live Free or Die

Blues' Knife Pix

[This message has been edited by Blues (edited 04-04-2001).]
 
Thanks for help, Blues.

I'm sure Nepal is on the suspect countries list and if it's not it should be.

But, with all the machines and animals for detection is it really necessary to destroy a scabbard?

What is very bothersome to me is some parcels pass thru customs without being inspected and these shipment are always complete and almost always undamaged. When customs open the parcels we find missing items and since the agents choose not to repack the items they inspect we often encounter damage and missing kardas and chakmas and the like.

I think Jim is gone for the day so I took the liberty of editing the post myself. I'm sure he would do the same if he were present right now.

------------------
Blessings from the computer shack in Reno.

Uncle Bill
Himalayan Imports Website
Khukuri FAQ
Himalayan Imports Archives (33,000 + posts)
Himalayan Imports Shopping Site
 
Uncle,

I understand your frustration and I don't believe it is at all unwarranted. I am not being an apologist, trust me, just trying to shed some light.

Frankly, there aren't nearly enough "machines", canines or Customs Inspectors to deal with the volume of cargo and passengers coming through the ports on a daily basis.

Routinely these type cases are worked by Inspectors who locate contraband via manual means and old fashioned hard work. These manual searches often require disassembling and otherwise damaging items selected for inspection/examination before the discovery of the contraband is made.

It is true that too often (post search) the goods are not cared for as lovingly as they should be. I think it is the nature of the beast due to the time constraints and pressure put on the Inspectors to get to the next shipment.

Anyway, that still doesn't address the missing items and as I noted to you privately, all this should and must be reported to the various points of contact I suggested in your attempt to get satisfaction in this matter.

Blues

------------------
Live Free or Die

Blues' Knife Pix
 
Blues, "if it was an intentional theft and not an error of some sort, could've been accomplished by anyone from the shipper to Customs to UPS. Seeing US Customs tape on a shipment could give a less than honest
delivery-person an "excuse" to open a previously opened parcel." Yes. I absolutely
agree this could very well also be the case. My perspective is too narrow at times.
BTW, your 18 1/2" GS (carved handle) is
something special!
 
Thanks, Bill. You're welcome to see it in person next time we have a khukuri konvention down this way.

As for the "whodunit", well let's just say I've had near twenty years of experience at trying to find out just who the culprit is in any given matter. 'Bout time I made some sense.
wink.gif


Blues

------------------
Live Free or Die

Blues' Knife Pix
 
This is all a damm shame!! Those pix are heartbreaking! Let us know what happens Uncle Bill and good luck!!

------------------
Chris B.
 
:
Bro I believe all of us would like to know the outcome of this situation.
Please keep us posted if you can.

There's a thread in the general forum about UPS and its policy of checking each package sent. There's also some comments about some of the UPS workers possibley retapeing or marking the package in such a way so to let someone further down the line know that there's something worth taking in the package.
It seems that firearms are only allowed to be sent blue or red delivery now since those systems are mostly automated and the employees
that work in those depts are the best and have been with UPS the longest.
I will just go retrieve the thread URL and y'all can read it for yourself.
I found it pretty interesting.
Here it is.....
http://www.bladeforums.com/ubb/Forum64/HTML/003235.html

Looks like some different opinions have been posted since I read it last night. There is now a post from someone who worked for for sometime in the past.
Just goes to show that when things ge in a sort of public domain they are subject to thievery by the few that always seem to be present.
frown.gif

I always like to think the best of people and it usually works for me, just like it does Uncle Bill.
smile.gif


------------------
>>>>---Yvsa-G@WebTV.net---->®

"VEGETARIAN".............
Indin word for lousy hunter.



[This message has been edited by Yvsa (edited 04-05-2001).]
 
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