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Ninthace

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Everything posted by Ninthace

  1. EMSC reports a magnitude 4.4 earthquake 10 km SE of Campan last night  - see www.emsc-csem.org.  South of St Gaudens it woke us up with a very loud bang as if the house had been hit by something heavy although we are approximately 35km away from the epicentre. Did anyone else feel it?
  2. You can buy tins of deterrent from hunting supplies shops.  It is napthalene in solution.  Pour some on a rag and leave it in the offending area.  I use it in our vide sanitaire, it keeps the beast at bay but since our fire draws air from the vide, there is a down side.  To steal from a well known movie - I love the smell of mothballs in the morning!
  3. The link below is useful if you are a pyrenees dweller http://www.omp.obs-mip.fr/omp/rssp/sismicite_pyrenees/alertes/liste.html See also http://www.emsc-csem.org/index.php?page=current&sub=detail&id=100036 And no the earth didn't move for me this time - but then it's been a while.
  4. I recently had problems with the Neuf answerphone system after my Club Internet service migrated to Neuf.  Every time I picked up the phone - I was told there was a message even when there wasn't and I couldn't stop the message.  Calls to the helpdesk resulted in being told that they were all busy or there was a queue (up to 20 min).  I found the following site where I posted my problem and got a solution.  They also seem to able to fix problems remotely (where the problem is at their end). http://www.justneuf.com/forums.html What is more, it does not cost 0.34€/min!  Other Neufnautes might find this useful.
  5. Thanks for the advice bu problem solved.  After spending ages trawling the internet for related problems and trying to suss out the modem settings the problem went away on its own some 11 hrs later, so much for the 2hrs maximum loss of service. Just as well as when a friend of ours lost her service light I spent ages with her mobile glued to my ear while the no help desk tried to talk me through rebuilding the modem.  In the end her mobile battery went flat and I ended up reinstalling from scratch.  Given that the firmware has changed, I had no confidence that a rebuild would work this time. The only reason I stayed with Club-Internet in the first place was that I was allowed to keep my old France Telecom number without having to pay line rental for the privilege of being connected to FT's copper.  I reckon the whole upgrade thing is a really a scam to make money from the help desk.  Still it has lent weight to my case to Mrs Ninthace that we should have a mobile phone for times such as this - any one know a good phone and tariff (must have bluetooth and GPRS so it can talk to my GPS)?
  6. I had a phone message today from club-internet telling me to restart my Club-Internet modem so that it could be upgraded.  I duly switched it on and off and new firmware has been installed so that that it thinks it is now owned by Neuf.  The internet side works just fine but my VOIP phones are all now dead and the service light remains out.  I have tried switching the modem on and off several times but no joy.  The Neuf site says there may be a break of up to 2 hours in the telephone service during the switch over but we have been down for over 6hrs.  I would call their hotline but I can't  - the phone is out and there is no on-line support service.  Does anyone have a similar problem?
  7. Coops I edited my post of 25/02 to include the response from my insurer.  They did indeed refund my premium pro rata up to the date when I e-mailed them cancelling the policy.  I think that is entirely reasonable - they were carrying the risk up to that point.  I have yet formally to receive my bill from the French authorities so I have not contested it yet.  However, I don't think it is reasonable for them to charge me for a service they would have refused to provide between the date my E106 expired and the date at which we were admitted to the CMU-B.  Equally, I don't see why a non-French insurance company should have to refund the premium I paid to cover this interval - as I say, they were carrying the risk.
  8. No that this helps your current situation but this may help others looking for insurance on the net.  I got a quote from Direct last year when shopping round for cheaper insurance for my Jeep.  I presented the quote at my current insurer's office in town (AXA) to see if they could match it.  It transpired that AXA and Direct are part of the same group and my agent said AXA would match the quote.  That way I got the best of both worlds - a cheaper insurance plus personal service from a local agent.
  9. [quote user="Keith CHANNING"]Absolutely - provided it is tempered with the lost beatitude - Blessed is he who expecteth nothing, for he shall not be disappointed![/quote] Then truly I am blessed because all my trips to CPAM were undertaken with that in mind (I also take a good book of crossword puzzles).  We have now received a second attestation direct from Toulouse, fortunately with the same social security number as the one from St Gaudens. Each attestation says at the bottom that all previous attestation documents must be destroyed but the last one received predates the previous one [8-)].  Personally I think I 'll hang to everything, especially as these attestations have different social security numbers to the attestation we received just after we got here in 2005.  The new number starts with a 7, the previous numbers started with a 5 for me and a 6 for Mrs Ninthace. I have contacted my private insurer asking for a refund of outstanding premiums.  They had already taken the payment for March but the e-mails I have had implied there should be no problem getting March back - we will wait and see.  They have always been very fast, friendly and efficient so we should not have to wait too long. We also contacted the Union de Recouvrement de la Haute-Garonne concerning the possibility of a pro rata payment for the Jan-Mar quarter's cotisation but they would not discuss anything until they have actually issued the bill and have a reference number so if we get anything, it will have to be via appeal rather than by being pro-active. Edit:   Update - insurance company have not only refunded March premium but also part of Feb premium back-dated to my e-mail to them cancelling the policy.
  10. A useful suggestion BaF.  I am happy to pay for CMU or private insurance for the intervening period but I think I may be breaking some rule to have 100% private cover when apparently I was "covered" by the CMU and therefore be paying for both at the same time.  I have contacted my private insurer and am waiting for a response.  Article 18 of Loi 99-641 may be relevant.
  11. BaF, of course there was an error otherwise I would have been admitted as a result of my reapplication which post dated the rule change.  The error was the failure to investigate the application properly, read the paperwork submitted and to investigate and apply the published rules. Fortunately I did not have to find out but presumably had I tried to see a doctor any time between Jan 05 and the present day I would have been refused support from the CMU as non entitled.  BaF, there is a difference between paying for a service you are entitled to, but do not use, and being made to pay for a service you were told you were not allowed to use. I expect my insurance company may well take the same view when it comes to refunding the premiums I paid.
  12. There are errors and there is incompetence.  The dossier we submitted contained a copy of their previous rejection letter at the end of December; a letter asking them to reconsider their decision in light of the new rules, including a quote of the relevant paragraphs; a copy of the new rules and a new application to join the CMU-B, together with copies of all the supporting certificates, evidence of residence etc.  The individual who replied made no reference to any of these and treated it as a request to renew.  He could not have made this error if he had bothered to read the dossier and, had he checked his records, he would have known we were not members of the CMU-B I am going back to the CPAM this pm to give them a chance to recover the error but I am not going in hope. Edit: Postscript.  We spent a long time at the CPAM this afternoon trying to sort this out.  Fortunately we were dealing with the same individual who had accepted our reapplication.  She read the letter as said she could understand why we were "excited".  After discussion with her supervisor, she issued us with an attestation for the CMU de Base so we are in the system at last.[:)] The bad news is that they still want us to pay cotisations back to January as the cost of membership is charged quarterly and we are in the system before the start of the next quarter.  We pointed out that we had taken out private insurance as required by their last rejection letter in December so in effect we would be paying for a service we had not only not used but had been refused.  She was sympathetic but no dice, let's hope my private insurer is as sympathetic when we cancel.  We did also ask if we could join at the start of the next quarter as we had already paid premiums up to that date but that came under the heading of too difficult.  
  13. I started this thread because the St Gaudens CPAM had accepted our paperwork to apply for CMU-B after the expiry of our E 106.  Our new application quoted their initial refusal to let us join, gave dossier numbers and included a copy of the latest rules for E106 holders issued by the Securite Sociale.  Today we have received a letter dated 15 Feb  which adds insult to injury. They say thank you for our application to renew our membership of the CMU but we have been refused because of the change in EU law in 2004 and decree 2007-371 of 21 March 2007.  We must have sufficient resources and have private heatlth insurance etc.  However, as a goodwill gesture, our membership of the CMU has been extended to 31 Mar 08 and we should present our Carte Vitales for update as soon as possible.  Moreover, they say we owe them €478 for the quarter Jan to March 2008! 1.    We did not ask to renew - we asked to join following E106 expiry on 5 Jan 08.  We have never been members of the CMU-B. 2.   We do not have a Carte Vitale to update - when we asked for one in July 2005 we were told we could only have one when after E106 expired. 3.   Since we were not covered  by the CMU after our E106 expired - why on earth should we pay €478 for this privilege? Suggestions please?
  14. We went into our local CPAM at St Gaudens (dept 31) today armed with a copy of the latest changes printed off from the social security website.  We explained that we had applied previously on 12 Dec 07 when our E106s were about to run out but had been refused under the rules at the time.  She read the printout and asked for a copy of the refusal letter which we did not have.  She said that our dossier would have been archived and that we would have to complete a new application supported by a letter asking that our dossier be reconsidered.  We asked why the old dossier could not just be resurrected but she said she could not get the file out of the archive (presumably they use old dossiers to heat the building). I went back this pm armed with all the paperwork and a newly completed CMU application form.  She took copies of everything and accepted the dossier.  There was no hint of a refusal this time  - so fingers crossed. For info the documents we supplied were:   a CMU application form and questionnaire on sources of income, are you working etc; letter asking to be reconsiderd under the new rules; copy of new rules from the website; 2005 tax declaration form where we stated the date we arrived in France; Avis d'Impots for 2005 and 2006; EDF bill from just after our arival in France; birth certificates; marriage certificate; passports; proof of pension income; E106s and letters from DWP confirming that they could not be extended; and finally a RIB.
  15. If it's guinea pigs you want.................. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co8maEPe0J0  
  16. [quote user="Cathy"] This video is funny.  What is "chausse deformee" mean on the sign at the beginning?   [/quote]   My Dad used to translate it as "chassis deformer" which summed it up nicely[:)]
  17. This is written from my experience of researching the possibility of importing a UK registered Winnebago to France 3 years ago - things may have changed. Unless your motorhome is already French registered you may have a hard time getting it through the CT.  The regulations for motorhomes in Europe are written around the idea of a "standard" motorhome of 1.5 - 3 tons.  American behemoths of 7.5 tons plus will struggle to meet the regulations.  For example, there are restrictions on the location of the gas bottle which has to be a certain distance from the door (mine had a built in tank under the step); the glass has to conform to European standards (EC logo), liquid storage tanks above a certain capacity must have anti slop baffles, changes to ventilation, electrics etc etc etc. I rang Winnebago at the time and they told me they had given up the idea of exporting to France as "too difficult".  I saw one once with French plates but allegedly that used to belong to the friend of a highly placd official.  At the time I seem to recall the statistic of less than 6000 RVs in France as opposed to 60,000 in UK. I did consider taxing and MOTing the vehicle in UK and insuring it for travel in Europe but as I supect Sunday Driver will tell you, this is of doubtful legality.  In the end I sold it and yes - I do miss it! That said I have since found an importer (in Germany) with a website in French so it must be possible,  but I suspect you will become very friendly with your DRIRE. See also http://www.vehicule-loisirs.com/VL2/fr/forum_v2/forum_posts.asp?TID=296&get=last looks like somebody did it!
  18. Huge sighs of relief all round. Congratulations to everyone who put in so much time and effort on behalf of us all but especially from we E106 holders.  It has been a very stressful time but at least we are now headed in the right direction.  The news coincided with a letter from CPAM saying our appeal had been passed to the Recours Amiable.  I wonder what the outcome will be now - I suppose it depends how fast fingers are extracted. Well done FHI!!!!!!!!
  19. [quote user="Clair"] PLEASE DO NOT POST YOUR EMAIL ADRESS ON THE FORUM. Contact Ninthace by clicking on the EMAIL BUTTON at the bottom of HIS POST.[/quote] Sorry I expected a pm or an e-mail.  I prefer e-mail as these can be forwarded for action if I am not here whereas PMs have to wait for my return.  Please include the word spreadsheet in the title.
  20. Another lobbying opportunity - already sent in my tenpennorth with links to http://www.french-property.com/newsletter/2007/1/9/ and FHI
  21. [quote user="loa"] Ninthance' Is it possible that you can send me a copy of your spreadsheet. Yours Chris Ellaway   [/quote]   Chris - and anyone else who wants a copy - I need an e-mail addess to send it to. E-mail via the Forum does not support attachments
  22. [quote user="cooperlola"]Thanks Steve.  The CPAMs are giving very different messages, from place to place.  I've not heard a dicky bird from mine yet!  It is comforting to know that the message is getting through in places.  Personally, I'd far rather they concentrated on the E106 expirees and left people like thee and me for a month or two, as the existing CMU payees are probably fairly straight forward to deal with in comparison with the other poor soles who are now in limbo.[/quote] Not only are my shoes in limbo but so is the rest of me [geek]
  23. [quote user="ErnieY"] [quote user="LisaJ"]As I recall we needed birth and marriage certificates too.[/quote]Yes but you would need these only if you have a single E106 covering both (all) of you. [/quote] We had seperate E106s but still had to produce certificates.  There is only one useful rule.  Take every possible piece of paper you can think of and watch them struggle to think of one you haven't got![;-)]
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