Boiling a frog

And she is sweet and waiting for me[:D]

And you are going to charge what for this service, which by your own admission will be expensive. There are already many people offering this service,such as the Granny Network  

If the op had CMU B cover in November last year then surely he would have known that an application form would be sent out in August to renew their CMU B ,especially if they have been in France for 5 years .Why go to CPAM in July ,why not wait as everyone else does /did until August for the application form, why are CPAM asking for an E121(I suspect that the OP,s do not have sufficient French to explain that they want cover via CMU B),why not answer the question about applying for CMU B PS Will You are confusing things by quoting partial legislation  re entitlement to CMU B because as you are aware "" all persons residing in France in a stable manner for more than 3 months""  no longer applies to EU citizens who were not registered with CPAM on 23rd? Nov 2007 either via an E 106 form or via CMU B

I think you will find that the OP said he has been here more than 5 years only worked for a french coy for 1 year and after that what? If he had been receiving health care via CMU for the past 4/5years then surely he would have known that in August every year you are sent a form to renew your  CMU B and to establish your cotisations. There would have been no need to go to CPAM in July because you would know that the application would be arriving in August . Have you ever actually completed an application for CMU at any time in the past 5 years Or am I missing something.

Received today But it also says Si vous avez deja repondu au presedent courrier ne tenez pas compte de catte lettre de rappel   Basically Please ignore if you have already responded to the previous letter

I do not quite understand. If you worked originally for a french coy you would not get health care via CMU .Having said that if you now do get health care via CMU do you not complete an application for CMU every year in August showing your revenue fiscal de reference(which you get having completed a French tax return) .CPAM should have sent one out to you in early August every year.

[quote user="Jotty"]Over 60you wouldn't need private Heath Insurance. You would be covered  by a E121. If anything can make me sick it is the ill-imformed and greedy attitude of those  who come here as simple 'health tourists' [/quote]   A bit like you then (the ill informed bit) An E121 does not entitle you to full free heath care in France you still need a top up assurance which will cost from approx 500 euros a year per person if you do not wish to pay anything up front  for your medical care.

If you cannot wait for her next book   http://nodamnblog.wordpress.com/ To my mind she seems to suffer from a compulsion to  use  adverbs and adjectives whenever possible

Silly boy Tree huggers hug trees they do not go for walks in the countryside, they usually arrive at a tree in a 4x4 or quad bike.So despite walkers and hunters  being in the majority their activities are seriously curtailed by tree huggers.  

Several hunters have been killed by tree huggers /anti hunt in the last few years Families, individuals, being townies, or country dwellers, born or bred, ie the majority- have their lives seriously hampered by the activity of the tree huggers/anti hunt and have to keep indoors or behind fences (and that is not even a guarantee of safety)- now I'm not talking just about poor expats who don ;t 'understand French culture' - but the majority of the French population who is sick to the teeth of not being able to go out for a walk for months on end. The fact (many) tree huggers start on calva or other strong gniolle at breakfast and go on boozing during the day (yes, I know, not all - but far too many) doesn't help. I have friends all over rural France, born and bred there, who cannot stand the tree huggers -some bec. they are pro-hunt, but most bec. they are imprisoned by it. Not talking of course of the arrogance and rudeness of some (not all, but far too many). This thread is NOT about for or anti- but about the fact that the majority is locked out of the countryside by a minority- who often behaves badly. If 5 people a month died of meningitis, eveybody would be up in arms (didn;t mean the pun- just happened).

You will meet lots of English who Will say"" I dont understand you"" while you try and interpret their south of england accent. Who will tell you that the UK has gone to the dogs wif all those immigrants and expect you to agree with them. Will make racist comments about Blacks ,Indians, Muslims and expect you to agree.  Will complain about hunters and will refuse to talk to you when you point out that we are in the middle of the French countryside and hunting is the norm. Will complain about everyone ripping them off because they think that the French work for a bottle of wine and a baguette. Will want to involve you in dinner parties and weekly meeting of all the English in a pub(British owned). Will eventually ,after they have made use of you  for interpretation , drop you from their friend list.    and lastly Will return to the UK within 2 years because they do not like it in France [:D]

Customer service exists in France. They are experts at saying no            

The vast majority of people speak French and only a very few speak English to any degree of competence

[quote user="woolybanana"]Is this called the Fluffy France Show then?[/quote]   Fantasy France

Gilet Gilet OXENFEVER CATSENELLA BOGEN By the sea aa

If you have been resident in France since Sept 2007 you should have submitted a French tax return in May this year covering you for the year 1st Jan to 31st Dec 2007. You would have needed to go to the tax office to obtain the tax return form. As you are classified as tax resident all of your worldwide income should have been declared. Perhaps going to the tax office and explaining you are a silly foreigner who did not understand the system will allow you to now correct the situation by submitting a late return

I  can understand the OP 's confusion. However, there are explanations which are nothing to do with  alleged dodgy agents. Many French and British sellers set an unrealistic price and refuse to budge .French in particular are often not in a hurry to sell and will see it as a point of principal to refuse any offer below their asking price even if it takes them years to achieve a sale. Variations in price can also be explained in several ways, different commission rates by different agents,the sellers putting the house on the market with a different agent at a lower price but forgetting to tell the first agent, in some instances prices will be quoted net without any fees, some FAI fees of estate agent included and some  all fees including notaires fees included in the selling price. Then their are the others who add on a fee for hand holding and other who add on a fee for handholding and legal advice. Perhaps the best way to start the search is to use the internet for the sites where there are private sales but you do need to be confident that you have a good knowledge of the house purchase system in France. Otherwise you just need to go by your own instincts or recommendations

[quote user="tegwini"] . .  Few of them have worked in the 'real' world, very few have any useful professional qualifications eg not many accountants even on  finance committees (few in parliament), and of course loads of Scots voting on English laws.     I read somewhere that Gordon supported some other team (Argentina ??)  vs England  !  Halifax staff have been enraged that the government is more concerned with job losses in Scotland rather than Yorkshire. [/quote]   It is payback time. After several hundred years the Scots are having revenge on the English who forced them into economic decline and the union with England  after the disaster of the  Darien scheme .

http://vosdroits.service-public.fr/particuliers/N111.xhtml?&n=Famille&l=N10

[quote user="caro"]I know that the Notary doesn't get all the money. But I don't want the Government to get it either! It's disgusting. I'd rather give the 9% to a charity.[/quote]   Tell you what   Do not buy a house in France and send the fees that you would have paid to a charity, that way the charity will be pleased and us in France will not have to put up with a whinger

Turn it up. Why is it when people post an opinion which does not go along with the majority they are accused of being a bully. These people just want tears and sympathy not constructive suggestions or criticism

The OP comes across as a bit of a snob to me. Looking down her/his nose at the neighbours.   Comments such as     We have recently been "blessed" with a very attractive social housing bungalow opposite our drive or New neighbours are in, and other than an apparent banshee of a woman, seem OK.  and then has a go at poor woody Woody 234 - is that post supposed to be humorous in some way? Sorry but these comments do not endear you to me Bet they are just an ordinary French family who are trying to get on with their lifes.

We have been here in France for just over 6 years.Up until March this year I would have said that the French were polite and generally helpful.Customer service not bad and certainly nothing as bad as what has often been described on this and other forums. However since march I have come up against the French customer service several times. Firstly ,Car was broken into and wife's  Passport, UK driving licence  UK bank card  carte vitale handbag purse and approx 50 euros stolen. Plus spare set of keys for car and caravan.Door lock was forced and we could not lock the car. Off to gendarmerie where very polite helpful gendarme took our report and gave us a copy for insurance. We went to insurance and the first words uttered by insurance person was that we were not covered for the cash. I said that I was going to take the car to the Toyota dealer because the spare keys had been stolen and our address was also in the handbag so they could come to the house and steal the car. Insurance man said that was not likely , and that if I took the car to the Toyota dealer I would have to pay for the repair myself  and then claim back from them as it was not one of their approved repairers.I pointed out that only a Toyota dealer could supply a new electronic ignition key. To cut a long story short car was taken to the Toyota dealer but it took our insurance 2 weeks to authorise the repairs. I asked for a replacement car and was told my policy did not cover me for a replacement car. I then had to produce my policy and point out the clause which said I was entitled to another car which they reluctantly agreed to . In the meantime my Toyota dealer having heard my tales of woe gave me a courtesy car for nothing.. Score so far    Gendarmes and Toyota dealer excellent  Assurance Terrible.  The bad customer service was absolutely nothing to do with good or bad attitude on my part just a total inability to ensure that they get their facts right.   Next run in was at the Bank. Asked for an energy efficiency loan to install double glazing. All went well until I read the loan agreement and the interest rate being quoted was more than that being advertised . I queried this and was told the special rate only applied for energy efficiency projects, installing a new central heating system with an approved boiler. I said that it also covered double glazing. Bank official stated it did not . I told them that it did, and handed over the pup leaflet I had picked up a few days before. The bank official obviously did not even believe his own banks publicity and telephoned someone. ( I suspect head office) and then agreed that I was correct . But no apology and it could have cost me 500 euros more in interest and also a penalty if I wanted to pay back early. Once again a lack of product knowledge and a refusal to listen Again nothing to do with attitude. I wonder if these problems arise because the French have argued and shouted about poor customer service for years and the people on the receiving end have now decided to just adopt a totally uncoperative attitude hoping that these people will just give up and go away. Or maybe it is something totally different. Like: We are the experts we know what we are talking about do not dare challenge us.

I do not know if we went down the correct route by having an expert come out but hopefully it will work. They are not cheap we have paid 900 euros for him. We found one by looking in yellow pages under expert de batements.

[quote user="giantpanda"]Hi! As everywhere, the " customer service " is linked to the price you are paying. Most people seem to forget this, when buying. Yours, giantpanda [/quote]   Absolute bilge I am currently in the middle of a dispute with window installers. These windows will cost me several thousand euros and are allegedly the Rolls Royce of windows and was the most expensive of the devis''. I have no complaints about the standard of the windows but the fitting and measuring up have been a total shambles, the owner of the company who are supplying and installing them  is a rude agressive individual who told me to basically like it or lump it. I was forced to engage an expert de batiment who stated to this owner that he had never seen such poor quality workmanship. The owner after being threatened with court action has now reluctatly agreed  to refit the windows properly.  I will wait and see.