rosienoo

[quote user="Devon"]I am relatively new to France, only been sorting out my place for a year or so. In that year I have met some really weird, unpleasant, anti-English Brits and one or two indifferent French. If my 4x4 was damaged I would suspect some of the creepy Brit expats before I would consider a Native. Luckily, this forum seems to be mostly free of said weird, unpleasant anti-English Brits [:D][/quote] Ha ha ha very good.  Have met some creepy Brit expats too in the past but recently only nice ones [:D]

[quote user="suein56"][quote user="Jon"] We were recently in Cannes, and parked our car in the street directly outside our hotel.  On the morning of our departure we discovered that someone had placed a lit cigarette on our wiper blade and cracked the windscreen.  We notice that as soon as most Frenchmen spy our right hand drive, they then fix on the number plate.  It really attracts attention. The French depress me with their anti Anglo Saxon attitude. [/quote] Have you thought about flying to France and then hiring a car? Might solve the problem of the damage incidences. Sue [/quote] You shouldn't have to though should you Sue?  You should be able to drive your car in any country without the fear of it being maliciously damaged.

Hi Jon Yes, malicious damage makes me sick where ever it is carried out [:@] Sorry to hear about your bad experience.

[quote user="Pickles"] [quote user="rosienoo"]Hi Pickles As I promised, here is the quote taken from the directive. (17) Some insurance undertakings insert into insurance policies clauses to the effect that the contract will be cancelled if the vehicle remains outside the Member State of registration for longer than a specified period. This practice is in conflict with the principle set out in Directive 90/232/EEC, according to which the compulsory motor insurance should cover, on the basis of a single premium, the entire territory of the Community. It should therefore be specified that the insurance cover is to remain valid during the whole term of the contract, irrespective of whether the vehicle remains in another Member State for a particular period, without prejudice to the obligations under Member States’ national legislation with respect to the registration of vehicles.[/quote] Yes, but what this is saying is only that if your car is outside (eg) the UK for (eg) 3 months then that on its own cannot be used as a reason to cancel the contract, even if there is a term to cancel the contract on those ground in the policy. It does NOT mean that you will be covered comprehensively beyond the term that is written in the contract. The cover provided by the insurance company will reduce to the minimum required by the law in whatever state you are in once you have exceeded the term beyond which your insurer is prepared to provide fully comprehensive cover. So yes, you will still have cover if you exceed the contracted duration outside the UK, but it will not be comprehensive cover unless the EU state that you are in requires it. None do IIRC. Hence you would thus be down to the minimum legally required cover: third party. Regards Pickles [/quote] Yup, but that's not what my Insurance Company told me when I was first thinking of moving out here.  They said that if I was outside the UK for more than 3 months I'd would not have ANY insurance.  This is the contravension of the directive.  They also said if I told them that I was going to be out of the country for longer than 6 months they would automatically cancel my insurance.  This seems to be something that other people have experienced too.  Again I understand that if they have agreed a policy for a year, this is another contravension of the directive.  I've read many threads on it out of interest, so it's lucky I am back in the UK more often than that.  I even said to them "so if I for example wanted to travel around europe for more than 6 months how could I ensure I was covered" and was told, travel back to the uk every 3 months, phone them, tell them and tell them you will be going again for another 3 months [8-)]  You see my point?  Apparently they are bound by the directive although they deny they are

[quote user="Âme"]Very bad news rosienoo, absolutely horrible thing to happen to you. I think Pickles makes a very good point, that has always been my understanding.  In addition I didn't think that UK insurance generally covered prangs in car parks (off the public road) even in the UK... but I may be out of date/confused/just plain wrong. I presume though, that this is the case in France, which is why there was no point in the driver who felt he was wronged, waiting to discuss the affair with you... maybe this explains the spleen-venting note.  That said, nothing excuses the scratching and xenophobia in the note. [/quote] Hi Âme, yes that's our confusion.  If they thought we had damaged their car in any way, they should have stuck around and asked us.  I don't agree with this taking revenge into one's own hands.  I can't imagine that damage to their car was anything like has been done to mine.

Oh Sweet, You haven't seen it, it's gonna need filling before it can be resprayed the scores are so deep.  Oh and btw when I say completely totalled, I don't refer to the whole car Very sad I love my car[:'(]

[quote user="Weedon"] Look on the bright side though Rosienoo.  The forum has been so short of something to get steamed up about, that those who have to point out your failings to toe the legal line have already enjoyed 4 pages worth about registering your car. Just as well da doo ron ron isn't here or else he would, even as we speak, be looking into where you declare your earnings from your gite complex.  Just for a bit of fun what is your position on hunting? Oh! and I see you have a 4X4. There is a few weeks worth with that little lot.[:-))][/quote] Thanks Weedon, you've made me laugh [:D] Yes it certainly has gotten some people stirred up.  Yes a 4x4, oh and ban hunting LOL Gite business is owned by my other half who is registered out here [B]

[quote user="rosienoo"][quote user="Pickles"][quote user="rosienoo"][quote user="baypond"]Re the car, you can't win this one, because as I found out on this forum to my amazement, once you have registered in France, you can't legally drive it back in the UK![/quote] Oh!! that would render my car useless in the UK then, is that right??  are you sure.[/quote] ONLY if you are UK-resident. If you reside in France then of course you can drive your French-registered car in the UK. [quote user="rosienoo"]Apparently there is an EEC agreement that if you are in any of the EU countries you are covered for the whole period of your insurance policy in which ever Member State your car is covered.  Even if your UK insurer says you aren't covered for longer than 3 months at one time, they are contrivening the EEC agreement.[/quote] Be careful here: your insurer is required to provide the statutory minimum level of cover (as set out by each individual EU state) for your car in the EU, for any length of time. HOWEVER, in most cases this is generally equivalent to Third Party cover only: thus your insurance company can impose restrictions on the time out of the UK for which to is prepared to provide comprehensive cover. Regards Pickles [/quote]   Oh ok, gotta find it, maybe I didn't understand it properly then.  I understand the minimum business but there is some legal requirement by the EEC.  Will try to rake it out [/quote] Hi Pickles As I promised, here is the quote taken from the directive. (17) Some insurance undertakings insert into insurance policies clauses to the effect that the contract will be cancelled if the vehicle remains outside the Member State of registration for longer than a specified period. This practice is in con- flict with the principle set out in Directive 90/232/EEC, according to which the compulsory motor insurance should cover, on the basis of a single premium, the entire territory of the Community. It should therefore be speci- fied that the insurance cover is to remain valid during the whole term of the contract, irrespective of whether the vehicle remains in another Member State for a particular period, without prejudice to the obligations under Mem- ber States’ national legislation with respect to the registra- tion of vehicles.

[quote user="Pickles"][quote user="rosienoo"][quote user="baypond"]Re the car, you can't win this one, because as I found out on this forum to my amazement, once you have registered in France, you can't legally drive it back in the UK![/quote] Oh!! that would render my car useless in the UK then, is that right??  are you sure.[/quote] ONLY if you are UK-resident. If you reside in France then of course you can drive your French-registered car in the UK. [quote user="rosienoo"]Apparently there is an EEC agreement that if you are in any of the EU countries you are covered for the whole period of your insurance policy in which ever Member State your car is covered.  Even if your UK insurer says you aren't covered for longer than 3 months at one time, they are contrivening the EEC agreement.[/quote] Be careful here: your insurer is required to provide the statutory minimum level of cover (as set out by each individual EU state) for your car in the EU, for any length of time. HOWEVER, in most cases this is generally equivalent to Third Party cover only: thus your insurance company can impose restrictions on the time out of the UK for which to is prepared to provide comprehensive cover. Regards Pickles [/quote]   Oh ok, gotta find it, maybe I didn't understand it properly then.  I understand the minimum business but there is some legal requirement by the EEC.  Will try to rake it out

[quote user="baypond"]........ Seriously, though, rosienoo you might want to clear up at least in your own mind where you are actually living. If you have a look at: http://www.completefrance.com/cs/forums/1839257/ShowPost.aspx it will provide some guidance as to your actual situation. Regards Pickles [/quote] Hey Pickles, ok that's good information. Should be 'officially' moving lock stock to France in December as I am apparently going to be made redundant.  So will do everything official with car etc. then.  However there is a rumour I could be sent to Malaysia on a project [8-)]  Confused, yes I certainly am !!  Hence my reluctance to register everything I have here because if I do end up in Malaysia I'll keep my car registered in the UK for when I travel back there for meetings.

[quote user="Benjamin"]Where's RA when you need him?  [6] [/quote]   What pearls of wisdom does RA know then ??

[quote user="Quillan"] [quote user="Bob T"]Strange that your car is UK registered but French insured, do the DVLA accept the French insurance for road tax purposes? [/quote] She didn't actually say that Bob, what she did was ask a question "So now I will have to have the whole side of my car resprayed and I guess you will too.  Is that type of damage covered on French insurance out of interest?". That does not mean she has French insurance, she was simply asking Gastines whos car is on French plates with French insurance if he was covered. I understand your concern but you could be in danger of jumping to the wrong conclusion just like the person who 'keyed' her car. [/quote] Thanks Quillan, Yes you are correct and obviously a 'detail' kinda guy/gal.  Good spot, I was just going to reply to Bob T in the same vain.  No my car is still officially registered and insured and taxed and Mot'd in the UK.   I was just interested to know whether this kind of damage was covered under French insurance for future notice, just in case anything like this happens again, god forbid.[:-))]

[quote user="baypond"] I assume the note was written in French ! Was it good french? or franglais? Seems strange to key the car and then leave a note as evidence! Clearly they know tehre is no chance of getting caught. Re the car, you can't win this one, because as I found out on this forum to my amazement, once you have registered in France, you can't legally drive it back in the UK! [/quote] Oh!! that would render my car useless in the UK then, is that right??  are you sure.  Oh and definitely very good french, but the writing left alot to be desired [:D] Apparently there is an EEC agreement that if you are in any of the EU countries you are covered for the whole period of your insurance policy in which ever Member State your car is covered.  Even if your UK insurer says you aren't covered for longer than 3 months at one time, they are contrivening the EEC agreement.

[quote] Firstly I would do what was suggested, contact the Gendarmes. This may make it easier to deal with the UK insurance as its classed as criminal damage. I think you are right, how do they know if your car is here for most of the time and that you are not a holiday maker. I must admit I have not heard of this sort of thing (targeting UK cars) down my neck of the woods but I do know that the French can take matters in to their own hands at times and can deal out a bit of rough justice, not always picking on the right culprit as well. I wonder why they didn't hang around till you came back to your car and deal with the issue? Just one last point as you seem to be badly informed. From the time you become resident in France you have 30 days in which to register your car. That said I have no idea if you are officially resident in France or not. There is loads of helpful stuff which deals with this and how to register your car in France in our motoring section HERE. [/quote] Thanks Quillan Very helpful information and I'll look at the link you recomend.  I'm not currently a permanent resident in France as of yet as I am still living between the two countries hence my car still being registered in the UK.  And yes I agree with you, if this person though we'd damaged their car then they should have hung around not completely totalled mine in retaliation.  It is sad that we bore the brunt of someone elses actions if the note was to believed !  

Ok fair enough, bit emotional about it right now apologies if I've offended. But this doesn't detract from the fact that I will decide when to register my car not some nut who doesn't know me and will never have seen my car around before.  Because I don't live anywhere near where I was shopping at the time !!   So this was not anything to do with me registering or not registering my car.

Hi Gastines Sorry to hear about your car too, it's all so expensive when people do this.  Anyone who does criminal damage like that is unhinged in my opinion and a drain on society. So now I will have to have the whole side of my car resprayed and I guess you will too.  Is that type of damage covered on French insurance out of interest?

Thanks Tony F Dordogne for your "interesting" input.  Which ever way you sugar candy coat it, this has been a criminal act against my property. Officially I have 6 months in which to re register my car so as I say, when I'm good and ready !!!   I also have two houses, one here and one in the UK and live between the two so am I now supposed to have a French car and a UK car? Oh and the plonker I'm referring to was the one who keyed my car and noone on this site.  

Hi Benjamin Get where you are going with that but don't think anything else will happen.  If this person genuinely thought we'd damaged his car (although in a huge car park !!! what a moron) could have been the person before us for that matter but clearly we got the brunt of it [:@] but I can't see him/her staking us out.  Might start a new sport, "Shooting Morons"  10cent joining fee ???  I'd be a millionnaire in a week [I] [;-)]

Hi, thanks for response But since they were complete strangers they'd not know about the car situation.  I could have just been a holiday maker.  I'm rather disgusted. My car is still registered in the UK because I still travel back there on a very regular basis for my work, being employed by a UK company still and staying over for a week or two, so it's gonna stay registered there until I'm good and ready and not when some plonker thinks it should be registered here. It's a sad day when you have to share oxygen with these types of morons

Hi, think I posted on this forum nearly a year ago now prior to moving out here to set up a Gite holiday complex.  Well we have been here since May and have loved it.  Even had 2 lots of guests.  Now for the shocking news....... and not about the gites!!! Yesterday we went to Trellisac shopping and when we returned to our car there was a note on it which implied that we'd damaged someones car and that we should have left our phone number and an apology. At no time did we make contact with another car so we were perplexed   Then I went round to the passenger side to get in our car and saw that someone, obviously this person, has keyed the whole length of my Landcruiser. Not just 1 scratch but 2 on each door and side panel right down to the metal. So we are assuming we were either targeted because we have an English plate on our car still, or that this person's car was damaged by someone else and we got the blame because we were English. The note had a definite anti-English slur to it. So now this is going to cost me god knows how much for something we didn't do and didn't deserve. So beware, I thought the French vs English had long gone but clearly not !!! Very Disappointed and extremely upset. Has anyone else experienced anything like this???  I even asked at the shopping centre whether they had cameras in the carpark and they said no, and the security guys there were not interested and wouldn't even come out to look at the damage.