# Discriminated against for residing in the Isle of Man. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [September 2, 2007, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discriminated-against-for-residing-in-the-isle-of-man/417818 "2007-09-02T17:23:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2007, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discriminated-against-for-residing-in-the-isle-of-man/417818/1 "2007-09-02T17:23:50Z")
Apparently I can’t buy a Dell on Dell Finance because I don’t live on the UK Mainland. I have been oggling the core2 quadcore 2.44ghz, 4 gig of ram, 640gb raid (2x 320gb) hd, dual geforce 8600 gts 256mb (or single 8800 gtx 750mb, whichever is better) I am beginning a hoby in 3d rendering (3ds max 9) and that baby needs serious processing power (and memory) ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2007, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discriminated-against-for-residing-in-the-isle-of-man/417818/2 "2007-09-02T17:40:18Z")
Why not? How about having someone on the “mainland” buy it for you, and then you bring it back to the Isle of Man. I also think you should’ve included at least a few words of Manx in your OP… 😉 ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2007, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discriminated-against-for-residing-in-the-isle-of-man/417818/3 "2007-09-02T17:47:56Z")
Most insurance companies that advertise on British TV have the disclaimer “Offer not available in Northern Ireland.” ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2007, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discriminated-against-for-residing-in-the-isle-of-man/417818/4 "2007-09-02T17:52:15Z")
Dell Finance presumably operates as a financial service under English law, not Manx law. So it’s no more discrimatory than them refusing services to somebody in Azerbaijan? ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2007, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discriminated-against-for-residing-in-the-isle-of-man/417818/5 "2007-09-02T18:24:36Z")
I had no idea the Isle of Man wasn’t a part of the UK. You have a [cool flag](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Flag_of_the_Isle_of_Man.svg) though. ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2007, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discriminated-against-for-residing-in-the-isle-of-man/417818/6 "2007-09-02T18:34:06Z")
Prices for services and goods are often much higher in Alaska and Hawaii and it’s not uncommon for national sweepstakes to exclude the residents from any winnings and they’re actual US states. I’m betting it’s much the same and probably worse for the territories of American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, which, from my limited understanding, is much more similar to the relationship between the UK and the Isle of Man. Such is life in an outlying region of a country. ---
**Author:** ![Alive\_At\_Both\_Ends](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/73ab20/32.png) [@Alive\_At\_Both\_Ends](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alive_At_Both_Ends)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2007, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discriminated-against-for-residing-in-the-isle-of-man/417818/7 "2007-09-02T18:47:15Z")
[QUOTE=Fear Itself] I had no idea the Isle of Man wasn’t a part of the UK. You have a [cool flag](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Flag_of_the_Isle_of_Man.svg) though. [/QUOTE] The Isle of Man has the same sort of status as, say, the Falkland Islands. It’s just closer. But it has its own government and legal system. There’s no real reason why a company which deals with UK customers should deal in the same way with people based in the IOM. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2007, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discriminated-against-for-residing-in-the-isle-of-man/417818/8 "2007-09-02T20:33:15Z")
Huh. Someone on the Isle of Man losing out because of a de-tail? I thought that’s what they were famous for. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2007, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discriminated-against-for-residing-in-the-isle-of-man/417818/9 "2007-09-02T20:38:29Z")
[QUOTE=Fear Itself] I had no idea the Isle of Man wasn’t a part of the UK. You have a [cool flag](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Flag_of_the_Isle_of_Man.svg) though. [/QUOTE] Never get into an asskicking contest with a hedgehog, a draft horse, or the flag of the Isle of Manx. It’s also a handy thing to point to whenever someone claims a swastika must always be evil. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2007, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discriminated-against-for-residing-in-the-isle-of-man/417818/10 "2007-09-02T21:48:57Z")
I thought a swastika always had four arms. The Manx flag is _definitely_ cool, though. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2007, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discriminated-against-for-residing-in-the-isle-of-man/417818/11 "2007-09-02T21:52:11Z")
That’s a [triskelion](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triskelion), apparently. And the Sicilian flag, on that page, looks like the Manx one after the Manx Tourist Board have done some rebranding. [QUOTE=Bryan Ekers] Huh. Someone on the Isle of Man losing out because of a de-tail? I thought that’s what they were famous for. [/QUOTE] This one is whooshing me 😕 ---
**Author:** ![pool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pool/32/4152_2.png) [@pool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pool)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2007, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discriminated-against-for-residing-in-the-isle-of-man/417818/12 "2007-09-02T21:55:41Z")
Someone had to pay for The Bee Gees. ---
**Author:** ![fachverwirrt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/94ad74/32.png) [@fachverwirrt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fachverwirrt)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2007, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discriminated-against-for-residing-in-the-isle-of-man/417818/13 "2007-09-02T22:02:18Z")
[QUOTE=GorillaMan] This one is whooshing me 😕 [/QUOTE] [Manx cat.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manx_cat) ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2007, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discriminated-against-for-residing-in-the-isle-of-man/417818/14 "2007-09-02T22:16:23Z")
> [@](#): > > The Isle of Man has the same sort of status as, say, the Falkland Islands. It’s just closer. But it has its own government and legal system. There’s no real reason why a company which deals with UK customers should deal in the same way with people based in the IOM. Man, Jersey, and Guernsey are Crown dependencies. The Falkland Islands are an overseas territory like Gibraltar, Bermuda, or the Cayman Islands. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2007, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discriminated-against-for-residing-in-the-isle-of-man/417818/15 "2007-09-02T22:28:43Z")
[QUOTE=fachverwirrt] [Manx cat.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manx_cat) [/QUOTE] Thank you. [QUOTE=Little Nemo] Man, Jersey, and Guernsey are Crown dependencies. The Falkland Islands are an overseas territory like Gibraltar, Bermuda, or the Cayman Islands. [/QUOTE] Although quite correct, the differences between the constitutional meaning of the two terms is small when compared to the differences between the various overseas territories, ranging from the almost-independent Bermuda to the plain weirdness of Pitcairn. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2007, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discriminated-against-for-residing-in-the-isle-of-man/417818/16 "2007-09-02T23:19:00Z")
The three Crown dependencies and the fourteen overseas territories all seem to have different forms of government. From my perspective (being a non-British non-expert) it appears that the difference is that the Crown dependencies are “owned” directly by the British Monarch while the overseas territories are owned by the United Kingdom which is in turn “owned” by the Monarch. So the Monarch’s title to Jersey, Guernsey, and Man are independent of his or her title to England, Scotland, etc. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2007, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discriminated-against-for-residing-in-the-isle-of-man/417818/17 "2007-09-02T23:27:32Z")
Yep, that’s pretty much it, which is why the difference is a constitutional one rather than having any other direct implications. I suppose I should have been clearer: you’re right in the earlier post to say that the Isle of Man has a similar status to Jersey etc. However, for most legal and governmental issues, Bermuda and Gibraltar have a very similar status. (Bermuda’s the one I know most about - the Governor, the British appointee, has no everyday powers at all, and the running of the island is entirely in the hands of the Parliament and the Premier.) ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2007, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discriminated-against-for-residing-in-the-isle-of-man/417818/18 "2007-09-03T00:02:54Z")
Finance for my alienware was valid for Manx residents. For most things the IOM is counted as part of the UK. It has a post code, an area code. It tends to copy the laws of the UK, Digital terestrial and radio will soon be available here. Sky digital has been available here for (as far as I am aware) as long as it has been available on the Mainland. (or what native Manx like to refer to as, ‘the other island’) Yep, in many respects the IOM is just another county of the UK. ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2007, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discriminated-against-for-residing-in-the-isle-of-man/417818/19 "2007-09-03T00:09:27Z")
Just like to mention: I’m not saying dell finance _should_ cater for manx residents. I am just pitting the fact that they don’t and therefore I am annoyed by this. I was all set to buy that damn dell! Now I have to contemplate… og forbid… _saving up!!!_ ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2007, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discriminated-against-for-residing-in-the-isle-of-man/417818/20 "2007-09-03T00:16:22Z")
edit too late for edit window: Me and ‘saving up’ do not go. I have througout my life been a mortal enemy of ‘saving up’. I have never ‘saved up’ for anything ever. I am incapable of it. My brain would trigger the cessation of the universe if it processed the phrase “I will save up to buy this” [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discriminated-against-for-residing-in-the-isle-of-man/417818.md?page=2)