Rip off Britain

[Ryk Loske]

Trevor .. please accept my best wishes to you and your family.

As an American who was married to a Brit for WAY too long and who has lived in England (Norfolk between Kings Lynn and Downham Market) i have often been asked "What's the difference?" by folks on both side of the pond. The quickest and simplest explanation i came up with was that in the US we have a higher standard of living. (Materially richer.) In the UK there is a higher quality of life.

Knowing suppliers in the US for the bits and bobs needed as a musician and shuddering at the cost of same in East Anglia i had stuff sent over with mail. (Would that i had known about Trevor's shop when i was there.)

With extensive experience with health services in both countries ... my old NHS card has pride of place on the top of my dresser. Would that my BC/BS card were as magical.

Plus you're closer to Scotland where God's own water is made.

Ryk

[Ray(T)]

I'm also sorry to hear about your daughter Trevor but it seems that she is likely to make a full recovery. From my point of view, if I'd been taken ill a week or so later, I'd have been somewhere in the Arizona desert and the consequences don't bear thinking about!

Whilst I can appreciate your method of pricing Trevor (and you've always been up-front with regards to this) I get the impression that that this doesn't necessarily hold for most shops. In the rest ofthe UK, where quality second hand instruments are in short supply, my impression is that the dealer tends to think of a number and adds a significant "rarity" percentage.

[Dagger Gordon]

Trevor .. please accept my best wishes to you and your family.

As an American who was married to a Brit for WAY too long and who has lived in England (Norfolk between Kings Lynn and Downham Market) i have often been asked "What's the difference?" by folks on both side of the pond. The quickest and simplest explanation i came up with was that in the US we have a higher standard of living. (Materially richer.) In the UK there is a higher quality of life.

Knowing suppliers in the US for the bits and bobs needed as a musician and shuddering at the cost of same in East Anglia i had stuff sent over with mail. (Would that i had known about Trevor's shop when i was there.)

With extensive experience with health services in both countries ... my old NHS card has pride of place on the top of my dresser. Would that my BC/BS card were as magical.

Plus you're closer to Scotland where God's own water is made.

Ryk

I appreciate what you have to say, though I don't doubt that there are plenty of Americans who have a very high quality of life! Incidentally, I am married to an American girl who has now lived in Scotland for nearly 34 years!

[Lord of the Badgers]

Every country has its downsides grass is greener/browner etc. If you want to be political, the way it's going of late upsets me greatly. But I digress.

Personally speaking I really don't feel the rip off thing in our world as I feel it's a nice to have really. There are other recurring costs we face in the UK that are far more annoying (the cost of living etc); I take it that my hobby is a luxury, so if I want to buy into it, then that's how it is.

Personally for all its downtrodden quirkiness, I love my daft country (in a positive way). I love the ever changing weather. I love the history.

And yes, US, we do have some great luthiers(!) and my preference is to support them; some already mentioned, some not. It's probably proportional...

[Bertram Henze]

Plus you're closer to Scotland where God's own water is made.

No stronger point has been made in this thread yet

[Dagger Gordon]

Indeed, But I have to admit to drinking French wine as I type!

[Ivan Kelsall]

From David Gordon - "Indeed, But I have to admit to drinking French wine as I type! ". French / German / Italian / Spanish wines used to be another item where we were 'ripped off'' in the UK. That was until our liqour stores & supermarkets brought their prices down.The main reason for that, was the number of Brits.travelling to the continent to bring back large quantities of wine for 'their own' consumption. (read into 'own consumption' what you may !).The stores & supermarkets realised that they were loosing out & reduced their prices. Thanks to that,i can now (ocassionally) buy a bottle of my favourite German white wines at a very reasonable cost,
Ivan

[Bertram Henze]

my favourite German white wines

[nickster60]

All the best Trevor.

[trevor]

Thanks everyone for your best wishes. She sat up today for the first time and is doing well. Expected home in a week to 10 days.

[JeffD]

I take it that my hobby is a luxury, so if I want to buy into it, then that's how it is.

Badger you are a wise man. When buying necessities I obsess over the prices, but hobby expenditure is discretionary, and while I look for the best deal, I don't stress over the prices. I either buy it or I don't.

[Bertram Henze]

...total bill to the insurers to be over £100000! If this had happened in the UK there would have been no charges for her care
.....
I think this kind of free service is often not appreciated.

Apart from hoping for a full recovery and wishing all the best, I think this example demonstrates a lot. A system like that heavily depends on
- health being the rule, illness being the exception,
- a community bearing that in mind and displaying a common discipline that prevents misuse of the system.
If either fail, the system fails. So, the system is not good or bad absolutely, and one size won't fit all. A comparison across cultures is bound to be misleading unless all circumstances are taken into account (and who can do that).
I am aware that Dagger said the same and hereby second it.

[ukrobbiej]

Thanks everyone for your best wishes. She sat up today for the first time and is doing well. Expected home in a week to 10 days.

Just catching up with this thread. Sorry to hear about your daughter Trevor. Hope she makes a swift and full recovery,

Robbie

[mandroid]

<political content, violates forum posting guidelines>

[Pete Jenner]

Well this is a fun thread.
Sorry about your daughter Trevor.

[allenhopkins]

Trevor, as someone who's recently come through an automobile accident -- though nowhere near as serious -- my thoughts are with your daughter.

And with you -- if you have to pick up the entire bill for her medical care in China. We sometimes need to realize we exist on a thin edge, with not a great deal between us and severe hardship, whether physical, emotional or financial.

Great deal of uncertainty, working in the out-of-the-mainstream music biz. Never had to depend on it for a living myself, thankfully -- though maybe I'd practice more if I did.

[Ellen T]

Trevor, adding my good thoughts for your daughter and your family.