The amusing (and random) personal anecdote thread

[OsCKilO]

Like something out of a comic book!!!!!

Imagination Rules...!!!!!

[Blooby]

I've been scarce lately but wanted to put this out there to see if I'm being unreasonable.

So G.A.S. hits me a couple days ago when I start to think about how I can have more control over my tone for the live jams at my house. I have some of modeling units but none that facilitate patch switching easily by foot.

Any-hoo, I decide to look into the Line 6 Floor Pod Plus, which is basically a Pod 2.0 with volume/wah and updated effects. I want immediate gratification, so instead of ordering one, I call ahead and explain to The GUITAR CENTER in Jacksonville, FL that I'm coming from Gainesville. They had this to say: "Yeah, I'm staring at the box as we speak.  I'll put your name on it and hold it."

The following day, I am making the two-hour trip to Jax in the throes of gassy excitement.  I get to the GUITAR CENTER, and they start looking for it.  Half an hour I wait, helping them look in all manner of nook and cranny.  Finally, somebody checks the used section, and in a glass case of the GUITAR CENTER, they find a unit (without any "hold for..." note) covered in a layer of dust.  There are no manuals or warranty information, no power supply, no packaging. I am that told that this is the only Line 6 Floor Pod Plus in this particular GUITAR CENTER.

The manager of the GUITAR CENTER walks away at this point, leaving a young, one-month veteran to deal with the customer. I'm a tad put out as I fingerpaint a design into the dust of the unit.  I inquire whether the price is firm. The newbie calls the manager who makes us wait another 6-7 minutes, which I find odd because there was only one other customer...and that was in the keyboard section of the GUITAR CENTER.

After pulling a power supply from another unit, they offer to knock off five percent. In a calm voice, I say, "I realize you're put in the middle, so I'm not upset with you.  I actually feel bad that you're in this situation as I know it's not your fault. However, I called ahead and was told that the box with the new unit would be waiting for me with my name on it. I drove two hours to get here, and after failing to find it for over half an hour, a unit in "newish" condition with missing items is found. I have now been offered a compensation of a five percent bone. I'm a little more than pissed off at this point, and I would like you to convey this to the manager who skulked off and is dealing with me through you, a new employee. Can you do that for me?"

I am now in the parking lot, and as I call around Jacksonville, unable to find another unit, there is a car accident two feet off my back bumper. Thankfully, nothing serious happens to drivers or vehicles, but the incident does manage to add to the already surreal timbre of the day.

I start the two-hour trip back from the GUITAR CENTER and am seething. I try to rationalize this as providence...money I had no business spending, but the agnostic in me can't fully form these thoughts.

I wake up this morning in a better headspace.  Sure, I'm still ticked off at the manager's actions and the overall arc of the evening, but it is what it is.  I got the manager's and district manager's names, and depending how people respond either in this thread or by p.m., I'll perhaps write a letter, explaining my distaste for the whole sordid affair.

And now I'm almost late for work. Must do the three S's and scoot (a fourth S?).

Peace.

Blooby

[launched]

And now I'm almost late for work. Must do the three S's and scoot (a fourth S?).

That was a great pissed-off customer story - Please write a letter to the managers.

I had the same issue with Hot Pockets. I love them. However, they came out with a new flavor that had a particularly spongy processed chicken in it. So I complained with an online comment card - I stated that while I understand all the products have industrial strength meats, this particular one was fit to be put in a bag of 'Ol Roy.

They denied that the chicken was any less tasty and industrial than their other products, and shut me up with $20 worth of coupons, $10 worth of half-off, $10 worth of free sandwiches. I was happy with the coupons, but Jeez!!

Oh, and I hate the fourth S after taking shower. That sucks...

Mark

[Bluesberry]

Hot pockets HaHaHa, thats great Mark.  Blooby, I think this was one of those Providence moments.  If I were you I would investigate other similar products that may be redily available.  The Vox Tone lab is getting rave reviews for example.  Digitec have some really nice units in their RP line that are fully updated (all new models this year) and are also getting rave reviews (apparently they sound dynamite now).  There is also the Boss floor units.  I would do a serious research on all available units and figure out just what exactly you want and what is available.  I love Pod stuff (I have a pocket pod) but if it were me I probably would get the Vox tonelab.  Check it out, and all the other products out there.  Thats my opinion, the Pod was not meant to be for some reason, you were wise to walk away at that time, it just didn't feel right.

I just saw in a post that AndyR has the Vox Tonelab, you could ask him what the thinks of thinks.

[64Guitars]

So G.A.S. hits me a couple days ago when I start to think about how I can have more control over my tone for the live jams at my house. I have some of modeling units but none that facilitate patch switching easily by foot.

Do any of your existing effects units have midi? If so, why don't you get a midi foot controller like the Roland FC-300?



I've also heard that the Behringer FCB-1010 is pretty good for the price ($149).



Line 6 has their FBV Shortboard MKII footswitch but I don't think it has midi, so it probably only works with Line 6 products. The nice thing about a midi controller is that it will work with any midi devices you currently own, and midi devices that you might buy in the future. And you can control multiple midi devices simultaneously from one controller. So, if you have a POD now, for example, and later buy a GT-PRO, you should be able to create patches for both effects units, selectable from a single floor controller. And you can get your effects units off the floor so that you can easily adjust the controls.

Re Guitar Center: Yes, I'd write to their head office and complain. You never know - they might just offer you a great deal as compensation. If they don't offer to compensate you in some way for the ridiculous treatment you received, I wouldn't ever shop at Guitar Center again.

[henwrench]

Saw a spider looking at this thread...love it...

      A while ago in a rather posh Deli, the assistant was enthusing to Mrs henwrench and myself about a particularly good Ewe's cheese they had in stock, and we both tried a small sample and decided to buy some. Delicious. As we were leaving the shop, Mrs h said to me 'Yeah, very nice...', but then added worriedly '...what's used cheese?'

                                                                 henwrench

[Oldrottenhead]

nice bump henny. i have a ton of anecdotes i should really put them all in a book.

one i often tell....

years ago i worked in sales. and as we had a particularly good year, at xmas the director booked us all into a hotel near prestwick airport for the night, was a free bar, food, bed for the night and breakfast. our sales manager was a bit of a dipso and made straight for the bar, as the evening progressed he bumped into two of his old army pals, who where over from germany with the naafi. so he got them some drinks at the free bar and went over old times with them.

next morning he was nowhere to be seen, as i said he liked a drink, so we assumed he was still in bed nursing a hangover.

anyway, he woke up in a strange room, and not the hotel we where booked into, he heard a maid hoovering the hall outside his room. so asked her which hotel he was in.
"Ich spreche kein Englisch" she replied.

it transpired his "buddies" had bundled him on their hercules aircraft and took him to Bielefeld in germany.

took him days to get back , no passport or nothing, his wife had to fax all his details to the british consulate, cost him a fortune.

another time the same guy turned up at my door at 6am on the day of a big sales meeting he was supposed to be chairing, he was in his barefeet, had lost his shoes and socks and also lost his full set of false teeth, i loaned him a pair of slippers about 4 sizes too small and his taxi home, next time i saw him his wife had given him a black eye.

[bruno]

Okay - Henny's cheese story prompted this..... and I apologise for this in advance, but this is a true story

When I was 7 or 8, we had a family holiday in Italy, staying with my grandfather in the hills in a village outside of Parma (Ham & parmesan cheese). So we go and see one of his mates, up in the hills who "makes great cheese". Called "Formagio Marzu". Anyway, its pecorino cheese with live maggots in it - you eat it, maggots and all. As a child, I'm used to eating bugs, so no great leap of faith to eat. The strongest cheese ever, the justification is that these are maggots that live on the cheese anyway, so are nearly 100% cheese themselves, it just that they will crawl around a bit. The trouble is, nobody ever believed me - until it was shown by Gordon Ramsey on TV. Anyway, I've eaten it - and wasn't sick, not sure that I'd eat it now though.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GfzPzPkSX3s

:-)
B

[Oldrottenhead]

had to look out this thread to add an anecdote.


back about 1981, my friend Robert King used to publish a fanzine about british indie music, he would sell it with a free cassette. Bands would send him songs demos etc. and i don't mean unsigned bands, folk like the cocteau twins, the birthday party, bauhaus etc.
anyway as a result of this Robert would get on the guestlist for tons of gigs and i would often tag along.
one band was TV Smith's explorers. we went to every gig in Scotland and got to know the band. a few years back I met Tim(TV) Smith as a friends band was supporting him in Glasgow. and he remembered me.
anyway reason for all the info, is today on facebook as part of some request to pick your fave songs from the eighties i posted a song by the band https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3LkhPuBWJQQ and i friend a few of the band members so tagged them in the post.
one of the band , the guitarist Erik Russell (Robert Russell) commented on it. and this memory came back

Erik had his eyebrows practically shaved off maybe only a third remaining, and during their tour i would rib him about it. so one night he said "i bet you wouldn't have the balls to shave your eyebrows off Jim" i drunkenly replied "i bet you i will" shall we wager a pint of lager. Erik said no a half pint i only get paid a tenner a week and cant afford a whole pint. so i said for a half pint i will only shave half my eyebrows off. so we shook hands on it.

i then went home steaming drunk climbed into bed, then at about 3am i got up for a pee, remembered the bet and shaved half my eyebrows off, went back to bed and forgot all about it. at this point in the tour the band had a day or two off. i went about my business with no recall of shaving my eyebrows, my mum asking if i had had a haircut et al.

anyway at the next gig, we arrived to see the band, and Erik disappeared to the bar, he returned with a half pint of lager and gave it to me saying well done. i said well done for what. the bet he said. what bet...............................................................then it all came flooding back, took about 6 years for my eyebrows to grow back.

bugger.

anyway have now added Erik (Robert) as a facebook friend.

[Hilary]

I don't think I've got any funny stories . . . but my friend went for a full body tan. When she gets there she is handed a garment and asked to disrobe and put it on and say when she's ready. So she calls out she's ready and the woman comes in to give her the tan and she's stood there with the paper knickers on her head.