Mrs Trellis

Progress! Possibly. 21st attempt got us to the Orange English speaking line which for the first time told us to hold instead of call again.  After only 15 minutes we did indeed speak to someone.  Having explained the whole thing again, she wanted the phone number of the previous occupant.  By some miracle I found a bill among the stuff from the vendor, dated 2008, with a number.  Apparently that did not help after all. So we have to start again, but they will not send a man out to the house because we have no French mobile (see OP).   The man from Orange might be late or get lost!  What ever did they do before mobiles? So I was given an email address, told to go and buy a mobile and send the number.  A kind friend never uses hers (in spite of paying 9.90 a month) and lent it to us.  I sent the email and await developments. Also the nth attempt to order a Free simcard at 2 euros a month succeeded.  We await the post. At least the Orange English speaking person was helpful - but she was Polish, not French.

But the average paid for someone's pension isn't necessarily the actual exchange rate?   Does anyone know what rate the tax office has recommended?  1.22 seems a bit high to me.

!  We've been here 5 years, and had the house for 10.  Each step: carte vitale, re-registering car, tax form, is an achievement but then something comes along to do my head in. I do like a lot of things about being here of course and feel more relaxed than in UK - but then I lived near a biggish city.  The new house is a boring 2 bed 30 yr old one but compensated by having a great view and parking, which we don't have at the moment.  Life is pretty good.  A Brit acquaintance recently said he was bored and moving on but 'well, could be worse, I could be in Syria'.  There's a lot to be thankful for.  Including the nightingales and orchids.

We changed from France Telecom fixed  line/Orange Internet last July to phone via Livebox, all Orange.  I said we'd be moving within the year - it was a 12 month contract - and they said no prob, you can transfer to the new house. I phoned Orange today, spoke to a very unhelpful woman who said there would be a transfer fee and it would take 15 days from cutting off the phone in the old house, to getting it (and therefore the Internet).  How can it possibly take so long?  It's just switching to another address in the same village!  What if we ran a business and had no phone for 2 weeks?  We have more or less moved but come back to the old house for phone/Internet TV as we haven't sold it yet. Well, I thought at least we can get a 2 euro a month Free mobile and simcard.  We tried before, putting in all the bank info but they insisted on a bank card.  We now have a bank card but have tried 4 times, putting in all the info.  The phone rings and we are asked for a code - but we haven't got one to put in! So we will be hard to contact for some time!   Why are things so difficult in France?   The Orange 'advisor' asked us for the name of neighbours - we haven't met them yet - then who lived there before the previous occupant.  I had explained he has been in the Maison de Retraite, the house empty for 2 year but I have no idea who lived there previously as he lived there 30 year. Stress levels high......  

Yesterday I went off with my friend, got the quittus fiscal at the tax office in Moissac then on to Castelsarrasin.  It was about 10.45, we took a number and there were 16 ahead of us.  After 2 people were seen in the first quarter of an hour, we began to wonder if we'd get served before the midi closure.  The office would then be closed until Monday.  Finally got to the counter at 12.05, handed over the form and were asked for the CoC.  I said that section K had a number, which if put into the system would bring up all the info.  'Well, that might be so in Angleterre, but this is Castelsarrasin!'  But it worked!  The woman behind the counter was quite pleasant in the end - even wrote the cheque out.   We got out at 12.15 - maybe she was helpful, and relatively quick, because it was lunch time! So I felt happy for my friend and somewhat fed up that I paid 170 euros for a CoC last year. 

As I said originally, that's what I've been doing.  However, the phone ringing is always a disturbance especially late evening (to be fair on one occasion but 4 calls) and I would rather not have these calls.  I agree they never leave a message but I feel I have to wait by the phone in case it's a genuine call and I will snatch up the phone as soon as they start leaving a message!

Ah yes, I see that once you have a Carte Grise, you don't need the CoC - in fact it's kept by the Prefecture anyway!  I was looking for it recently and realised that. In the end I didn't bother to try and get the CG without a CoC, decided might as well do it once rather than be told to come back with the right docs!  I feel a bit awkward having to explain on behalf of a friend that he doesn't need the CoC.  I fear a bit of official distain!

The friend mentioned in my original post is now about to attempt to get a carte grise without the CoC - and wants me to go along as he doesn't speak French!   By the way, in the FAQs for this topic, it says that all cars come with a CoC these days.  Not our Citroen bought in UK last year when it was 2 years old.  When I asked the salesman at Bristol Street Motors about the CoC he told me it was issued by DVLC  - obviously nonsense as nothing to do with them!  

Well, I was asked to phone and now a technician is going to visit next Wednesday. I would think the cost of sending someone, probably quite a distance, would go a long way towards the cost of the ladder! Not sure if it's the model that has been recalled by screwfix as we've not noticed any marking.  

So far, I got an email reply saying they were very sorry etc. and telling me to email another Lapeyre address, which emailed saying they were passing my request for a refund to the supplier.  Nothing more so far and with 2 Bank Holidays, the weekend......

I don't know because when I clicked on the link it said 'We are unable to ship Loft Ladders outside of Mainland UK' Yesterday we went to Leroy Merlin and the ladders had a different brand but looked very similar.  Maybe they are all made the same way these days - it's a few years since we bought one in England and that lasted years. 

Well, yes, just because I haven't seen them using the phone... He was a lost dog so age unknown - but safe to say fairly old.  Has a cataract covering one eye and one forming on the other, heart murmur, dodgy back legs.  He is quite a sparky little dog considering.  Has snapped at us when we held him back from the other dog's food or to stop him getting out.   Very thin when he arrived so I can understand his greed. Although our other dog was also lost, thin and very obviously used to being hit but she has never been greedy. He arrived with worms, having had first tablet, and I gave him the second and as far as I'm aware no longer has them.  The interval between pees is up to 5 hours.  I thought I'd try for an early night and so he went out before 11 but got us up at 4.00.  He doesn't cringe when we stroke him, as our other dog did but yes, I think was probably badly treated. Otherwise he is sort of sweet - tho not pretty - and it will be heartbreaking if we have to give up on him.  But I haven't had such disturbed sleep since my son was a baby and I was 35 years younger! My OH doesn't like the idea of making him an outside dog, but then he'd be one if kept in a long term rescue kennels I suppose.  

Not quite sure how that helps WB!

Thanks Hester, I did wonder about medical problems but his kidneys were OK.  It is puzzling.  Perhaps, like many older people, he gets to the point when he just can't hold on.  So the crate wouldn't help.  It's always a lot of wee so I guess the bladder is full.   This morning he was taken out, did a poo, then came in and did a wee!  We take up the water bowl during the evening to reduce his intake. We needed to go out today and were gone about 4 hours - no problem in the house on our return. Still not sure we can carry on....

That sounds interesting.  It sounds as tho there is a cost as it says stopping the Stop doesn't cance the subscription.

When we had the phone connected (France Telecom) sales calls started the next day so I put us on Liste Rouge and that worked pretty well.  Last summer we changed to Orange internet phone and now get a lot of irritating nuisance calls. I realised our phone displays the caller's number so I now don't answer if it says 'witheld' or 'calling' or is an out of area code - usually 01.  If it is a genuine call they will leave a message on the answerphone - they never do! One day after the 3rd call in 10 minutes I answered and told them. 'It's the first time I've called Madame' .  'No, I can see callers' numbers.'  Click.  Today 3 calls in 5 minutes.  I suspect an automated system. Is there any way to block numbers on a landline as one can with mobile phones?  I'm really fed up with this.

Thanks for the comments.  It is hard work! We had a week free from accidents.  Maybe because we had our son visiting so were not busy and had more time to keep a lookout.  We do look for signs.  As the dog sleeps very soundly, if we notice he's started wandering about we take him out.  Also try to remember to take him out at frequent intervals and he always obliges. The problem is when he's been out recently and we still find a lake and he has given no sign!  We can't spend every minute watching the dog. I am aware that when he starts moving about in the morning he probably wants to go out.  It can be as early as 2.30 but usually around 4.30 which is earlier than I want to get up.  So I am sleep deprived. He could have been left outside most of his life.  We do praise him when he wees outside. I'm not convinced a cage would work but it might be worth a try when we have to go out for a longer time.

I managed to find an email address on the Lapeyre site so contacted them.  They replied they are very sorry and telling me to email another address with copy of the receipt so there's hope!

Thanks - but that was the original email.  I tried to post one earlier today which did not appear on this topic.

Funny, I thought I'd posted this but it seems to have vanished.  I did post before but have another question.  We bought a loft ladder, correctly installed it and used it a handful of times.  My husband was descending from the loft and the ladder fell apart.  He fell to the floor and was shocked and bruised but luckily not seriously injured. I still haven't found the courage to return to the shop and a friend recommended 'service consommateur' which he said was a government organisation for consumers and retailers tend to be frightened by!  The link he gave me isn't clear, it asks one to register but then screwed up my user name.  The phone number on the page seemed to be Que Choisir but no-one answered anyway.  I've a feeling we'd have to pay a fee to join UFC Que Choisir before they would give us advice. We found the ladder was only held together by plastic bits so really not fit for purpose.  

I am so sorry you've had such sadness.  As you say, it's right that they are back together. Very best wishes.  

I haven't asked recently.  At first she thought it might be the tablets for his heart murmur but she changed them as they were also diuretic. We thought it might be just a settling in thing as our previous 2 dogs had a few accidents at first - but this is going on too long.

I mentioned this under the thread 'Dog blind in one eye'. Well, after a couple of months we still have the problem of a dog who pees lakes and never asks to go out!  We try to nip him out as often as poss but he's unpredictable.  He goes through the night - well between 5 and 7 hours - and I leap out of bed when I hear him moving around and get him outside.  But two afternoons running he's peed on the floor when we were here - he didn't bark or try to attract attention.  It was all over the room today and took a whole roll of kitchen towel... The problem is we are moving soon to a house where we spent a fair bit on a wooden floor which would be ruined if the dog continues like this.  We could try to confine him to the kitchen but that seems harsh and we'd still have to mop up - not hygenic.  It seems even worse to make him an outside run - what's the point of having him if he isn't allowed indoors? The same applies to an indoor cage and anyway we haven't room for one on a permanent basis. Getting to wits' end and OH is saying we'll have to return doggie to the rescue charity.  He seems happy here and has put on weight.  I'd hate to give up on any animal but this one is making life difficult.  Sigh!

thanks for that!  The ladder doesn't fold, it slides.  We've had one before in UK but the sliding parts were metal, not plastic.  OH is pretty handy at DIY so I think it was correctly installed.  Worked OK to start with. A friend found after sales service pretty poor when they had Lapeyre install a kitchen. Anyone no the French for 'not fit for purpose'?    

We bought a loft ladder in October, installed several weeks later in the new house - we haven't moved in yet. Yesterday my husband was coming down the ladder and the lower part just broke away.  He fell and cut his hand and is very bruised but luckily missed the nearby circular saw and was not seriously injured.  Looking at the ladder, the section was held together with plastic bits which just flew out. I feel this item is certainly not 'fit for purpose' as it should cope with being used more than a few times.  It is also very dangerous!  He was just using the ladder in the normal way and is not above average weight. I guess we shall have to return to the shop - about 35 miles away - and ask for a refund.  What are our chances?  I've been told Lapeyre is very poor on customer service and am dreading going there. This might not be the right thread but I can't find another.  The 'shopping' one says it's for suggestions of where to buy stuff.   I