[:en]“Could we use one of your phones for a lingerie photo shoot with Doutzen Kroes?”
I immediately wondered if anything would come of this. I was apprehensive, because contacts with show biz people in the past lead nowhere.
So this time it was a lingerie photo shoot. Not only that, in was for Hunkemöller. Hunkemöller is a large undergarment manufacturer, with many stores throughout the low countries, Europe and Asia. On top of that, the model in question was Doutzen Kroes, a world famous supermodel from the Netherlands. How could I say no?
What was the deal?
Floor Knaapen, photographer and stylist, contacted me and wanted to rent or borrow a certain kind of telephone. She had found my website, which she thought was great and sent me an email. She included a picture of the kind of phone she had in mind. It turned out to be a Siemens telephone of which I had a version, similar to the one in the photograph, I would gladly lend to her.
Fortunately I happened to have a little time on my hands to find the phone, and to check it out and give it a quick clean and polish.
I had a pleasant telephone conversation with Floor, talking through the details. She said she wanted to borrow a D30 too, but unfortunately that one was not readily available as it was in the back of my storage area, and missing it’s handset.
So we settled on an ZBSA 19 which is somewhat similar and readily available. She promised me to send me some pictures of the photo shoot, which I could use for my website and I explained that that was exactly what I hoped to get. After all this would make a great subject for a blog.
A courier picked the phones up a couple of hours later, to my surprise.
My first experience with glamour land
Through the years I have had many requests from people from the entertainment world. People from the theater, movie and music industry ask me for various things, often requesting to borrow or rent a phone.
The first time was from a rekwisiteur, somebody providing props for movie and theater. She wanted to borrow phone, for a movie scene in the study of our late prince Bernhard. I happened to have the exact same phone he used to have on his desk. So after a couple of emails and a phone call I cleaned it, polished it. Spent my whole Friday evening on it. She was going to contact me the next day. She was going to make arrangements to have it picked up.
Well, Saturday came and went and I heard nothing. After a couple of days I sent her an email explaining that I did not think that was a very nice thing to do. After all, she promised to have it picked up and I had done my best to have a good telephone ready for her. For free!
Well, as a reply I got an empty email. That was all.
What is wrong with these people?
That was not the end of it. I always respond positively, willing to cooperate and make one or more telephones available to them, if that is the request. It’s not that I get bombarded with these requests, but once or twice a year somebody approaches me. And every time it ends hearing no more from the other party. Usually at some point they stop answering emails or returning calls. Why? I really do not understand.
Exception to that was that one rapper dude. He wanted to borrow half a dozen telephones. So I emailed him my telephone number and he called me that evening. We were going through various details when he suddenly said something came up and he would call me back later that evening. And you probably guessed it, he didn’t. So the next day I sent an email to the production company explaining what happened. He emailed me back himself, stating that he had lost my number and that is why he hadn’t contact me. Well, that is just bs. After all I emailed him my number and he called me on his mobile. Yes, that device that logs your calls.
Just the other week I was contacted was by an video production company right here in Leiden, where I live. They wanted to borrow a T65 for a music video and could they pick it up that evening. I emailed back stating that they could and that I lived in Leiden too. I asked at what time they wanted to pick it up. No reply.
After a couple of days I sent another email, asking if they had changed their mind. No reply.
Other people are nice
I get request, questions, inquiries et cetera from all kinds of people from all over the world. In the autumn and winter I get an email every other day. From artists, technicians, writers, museum people, collectors, but mostly from non-collectors with just one telephone and I try to accommodate and help them as best as I can. And most of the time it ends with them thanking me for a part, some information or indeed a telephone.
A happy end?
Well, this time something actually got picked up. That was a first. I had never gotten to that stage with somebody from the world of glitter and glamour. And sure enough after a couple of days Floor called back to ask when it was convenient for the courier to return the phones.
I sent her an email, thanking her for arranging the return of the telephones and reminding her of her promise to send me a picture I could use for my blog.
Last Monday, after the telephones arrived safely, I sent her a reminder and stated my disappointment that she had not replied, after I let her use my phones for free.
You probably guessed by now that Floor had more important things on her mind. Too important to thank me or keep her promise. Just like the rest of them.
Next time somebody from the entertainment industry wants something, I’ll give them a link to this blog. And demand a payment of 50 euros in advance before I give them my telephone number. That will leave me more time for answering emails from normal people.[:]
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