4th December 2018 Arse over tit!

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Tuesday 4th 38F, clear with light winds. What a difference an hour makes! It became very windy with lots of racing cloud and short showers. Half an hour later the cloud cleared again to bright sunshine. I was lucky and enjoyed only a brief sprinkle of rain.

The beck is flowing again. Perhaps the recent rain has set a spring going after a lull due to last year's drought? Denmark enjoyed its sunniest year on record. The previous record being 71 years ago in 1947. Several individual months beat previous records.

After yesterday's news of an end to Geo-blocking of EU online sales there is talk now about direct Chinese online purchases. No VAT is being charged by the seller and safety and quality standards probably aren't worth the virtual paper they are written on. Often the goods are downright fakes or rip-off copies of Western items. Often using copyrighted images stolen from Western business websites.

The value is written down to well below the threshold for Danish taxation. So everyone loses except the Chinese. The customer gets shoddy and potentially dangerous, or toxic, goods. Without being able to use EU laws on refunds. The taxpayer loses out big time. While PostNord is snowed under with parcels which cannot be properly processed at economic rates.

Direct, online, Chinese sales have quadrupled in the last couple of years. eBay[UK] is riddled with Chinese, directly sourced goods at very low prices. Does, or can eBay provide the same customer service for Chinese sourced goods as fully as EU sales?

Not all Chinese goods are trash, of course. It is simply the lack of remote control and policing of sales, safety and quality which may be missing. Leaving the field wide open to untouchable, online crooks.

Besliste.be dealers are still Geo-blocking EU online sales by offering only Belgium in its drop down, buyer details, address box. They have had 10 months to comply with the new rules. The 3rd of December 2018 was when the change to a fully open market became law throughout the EU.

 Geo-blocking | Digital Single Market | Digital Single Market

I had a lengthy "Chat" with a Belgian customer service rep who was adamant that I have misunderstood the Geo-blocking Law because he had "been on a course." There was no answer to my question: Why would the EU bother to change the law if the customer had to physically collect the item from a "foreign" country? Which was his interpretation.

How would that change or increase cross border sales and purchases in any meaningful way? It is absolute nonsense to suggest that is the meaning of the new law! If I found a cheaper bicycle saddle at an online sales website in Belgium he would still refuse to sell to me UNLESS I collected it myself. Or arranged collection and delivery.

Following further research: This "new" EU anti-Geo-blocking law is complete bullshit! The online trader is NOT required to deliver any goods. You have to make your own delivery arrangements. In a foreign country with their own courier and freight services in a foreign language? Yeah right! There are so many damned exceptions that it sounds more like an election promise by a populist political party.

Forget everything I have said so far on this subject. The law change isn't worth the used, EU toilet paper it is written on! Cross border purchase freedom? Bullshit. Increased cross border sales? Bullshit. Opening up the markets right across the EU? Total bullshit! EU countries haven't even passed their own legislation on the subject. Lies, damned lies and the unnelected, EU dictatorship.   

Finally, I was able to get out on the trike for a short shopping trip in bright sunshine. Four items out of stock. Cruising at 19mph going. Struggling to hold 10mph into a hard wind coming back. Only 7 miles.

Wednesday 5th, 34-40F, variable cloud with clear sky in between. It must have been colder during the night because there was ice on the puddles in the drive. There was also black ice on the road at the inclined junction to the lanes. I had just managed to stay upright on the climb.

Then went down with a crash on my return a quarter of an hour later. By which time I had completely forgotten about the ice thanks to trying to capture a glorious sunrise. Fortunately I had the presence of mind to utter an anti-gravity expletive as my feet shot out from under me and was able to walk on without serious injury. I have a few more aches and pains today but nothing specific to gravity's hard lesson on zero friction.

Click on any image for an enlargement.

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