Nickd

Thank you everyone for your thought-provoking responses. I think it is true to say that only by putting our precise circumstances to the relevant authority will this matter be resolved, one way or the other. I am somewhat reluctant to put my head above the parapet however, for fear of drawing attention our situation at this stage. It does look as if there are grounds for optimism, with my children having been in the system for so long. Not yet holding French nationality, they are currently applying for it and this could have a positive bearing on things. I had hoped that someone might be around having already followed this route we are considering, but it is a rather an unusual one, I have to admit.. Nick

Hello again, The link and the extract quoted certainly answer the question with regards to CAF allowances for accommodation, but there is no mention of bourse provision. covering living and study expenses. So it does appear that my children would be able to get hep with accommodation costs, but I'm still wondering whether they would be eligible for a bourse without having my being a taxed French resident. Logically it would seem reasonable for this to be the case, but I would like to get chapter and verse on this before jeopardising their studies in any way. Best wishes, Nick

Thank you to everyone for comments so far. My children have same health cover arrangements as mentioned by you here. This is one of the concerns I have about leaving the French system myself: if I am no longer in the CMU and have no mutuelle cover, I presume my children will need to pay something into LMDE and have their own mutuelle top-up cover. However my main concern is whether they can still get CAF & Bourse without me being in the French system and having taxed status in France. Does anyone have an answer on this one? Nick

Aged 20 and 18, they get assistance for accommodation expenses - around 200e/month Nick

We have two English youngsters who have come through Lycée, College and Primary School in France and are now studying at university. They are both receiving CAF (as they don't live at home with us) and Bourse assistance as we are all resident in France. My wife and I are now thinking it is time to return to the UK, but are wondering what effect this might have on the status of our children and their eligibility for support if I no longer make a French tax declaration. Can anyone advise on whether CAF and Bourse payments would still be available to our children if I am no longer a resident tax-payer in France? Best wishes, Nick

What a great response - thanks everyone for your impressively swift and informative replies. Plenty for me to think on. One thing is now clear - my original idea of simply going PC to TNT box via USB cable was never going to work.. Well you live and learn - thanks to the folks on the Living France Forum! Best wishes, Nick

Can anyone advise me how I might connect from my PC to a TNT set top box that has a USB port. Am I right in thinking this is possible? I'm hoping to be able to output films from my PC and see them on the TV screen. Is this the way to do it or, should I be doing something else? Any advice on this would be most gratefully received. Best wishes, Nick

Yes recommande and also to be signed for at the other end, so they'll not be able wriggle out of receiving it! I've been here nearly 5 yrs now and still can't come to term with the games that get played and the way everyone just meekly conforms to them. While registered mail for important things makes sense, it does seem extraordinary how proof of delivery is all here, to the point where you need to retain envelopes with date stamps on etc... Ah well.. Nick 

All very distressing and so totally unneccessary. How can firms operate do this and get away with it? How can the people working for them be so unfeeling as to act this way? You must have been really frustrated & angry.. I am just hoping I've escaped this kind of treatment - time will tell.. Nick 

And so why did you cancel & stop th process? Was it because of the delay in mving forward fromm there, or did you decide the switch was not such a good idea, as I have. I am concerned that relying on my internet link for all phone calls is not a good idea, given the provlems we get with storms & poer cuts. It's better to have a phone line independent of the mains I think, especially as we have no mobile coverage at our house. Nick  

No Mik, I'm very pleased to hear your tale - thanks for letting me know about your experience. In my case I also indicated verbally that I would like to go ahead, but was told that I had to call a Customer Services number to get things going. I also said that I couldn' make any changes till into November and was told that nothing would happen till I said it should. The number I was given I couldn't get through on - maybe I took it down wrong. Anyway I'm hoping that putting my decision not to go ahead in writing before I had confirmed the details of geting an installation under way, will do the trick.. Alarming that they got you cut off from FT like that - did this happen unexpectedly or was the problem that they failed to connect your new system in timely so you returned to FT? Nick

Thanks for your help with these numbers - however I decided to send a letter asserting my rights to cancel (the non-existent order) rather than risk further confusion over the phone. This followed advice I received from another question I entered in the Legal section of the forum - I was really panicking a bit by this time! So I will continue following up in that section of the forum and let you know how things pan out. Best wishes, Nick

Mik, Until reading your post, I was feeling confident that I'd be okay. I have sent a letter cancelling (my non-existent order) to the address kindly supplied by Clair yesterday, to be signed for on delivery. In it I quoted the details regarding right to cancel etc. But this is worrying me, what you wrote. What exactly were the circumstances. Had you actully signed an order of any sort? I'm hoping that as I have not placed an order, only discussed provision of their service (though supplying my RIB) that they will not startsending invoices. Thanks to everyone for your concern & advice. I will let you know how I get on.. Nick        

Thanks Clair, that looks just the job...  I am writing my cancellation letter and will send it this afternoon. This will be more water-tight than a phonecall I'm sure. I rather got cornered into giving away my RIB, then regretted it when reflecting on the pros & cons of changing my ADSL supplier. Best wishes, Nick

I was considering changing to SFR  for my ADSL, but have decided not to go ahead. As I've given my RIB details I'm concerned they might lift money out of my account unless I cancel PDQ. Unfortunately the phone number I was given doesn't work - maybe I mis-heard it. Does anyone have a phone number I might be able to use? The website only wants you to go via their 'assistant' - I can't see any number relating a live person to ring! I need to speak to someone I think.. Best wishes, Nick

Having just given my RIB details over the phone the SFR during preliminary discussions about taking up their ADSL offer, I've decided for various reasons not to go ahead. Unfortunately the number I was given to contact customer service doesn't seem to be right, so I'm worried that I've opened up my bank account to this company and can't close it. Can anyone tell me if this is the case, even though nothing has been put in writing, no delivery agreed etc.   Nick

Thanks to everyone for your advice. I appreciate your concern Steve - quite right what you say about exercising caution. I'm not a complete numbskull regarding things electrical, but I do know my limits and will be getting an electrician in rather than messing about with something so unfamiliar. My whole system could certainly do with a checkup, though we've been here 5 yrs without a problem up till now. I just wanted to get this thing identified and now I know not to set fire to my PC & the house by connecting to it! Thank Anton for the useful link. So does this mean I have 3 phase or a combination of the two. Could you give me a brief explanation of what the difference is? What would that socket be used for normally? As far as a protection device goes, I believe I have one of these - we get trips during thunderstorms which I imagine must be one cutting in. Again something for a visiting electrician to confirm for me I guess. Best wishes, Nick    

How kind of you to reply to what is evidently a rather inadequate description! I'll try again: there are three pin holes that make up a triangular shape with a fourth bisecting the triangle base line. Beneath it there is horizonally alligned slot - a bit like a UK socket earth slot, but turned on its side.       o o     o     o      [  ] I've tried to draw it above (the brackets make that slot look square shaped - it is actually rectangular on a horizonal line) - not sure it will come out on the posting! In answer to your questions: 1) I read a post on this forum that referred to a socket that sounded very similar 2) I don't know the answer to that question. Can you guide me as to how I can establish what I have? 3) No idea what is behind the socket in the wall, I haven't taken it apart. If necessary, I will. Hoping you might make something of what's mentioned above. Nick  

I have this curiously constructed socket that I've never used, but  suspect it could be useful for running my computing gear - it's roughly 2" in diameter with 3 pin holes forming a triangle and a fourth one hole in the middle of triangle based line (if that's faintly comprehensible..) and a rectangulat slot below the pin holes. I'm lead to believe this is a 20amp socket. Is it? And is it suitable for the purpose I intend - earthed and so on? I'm proposing to get hold of a suitable plug and attach it to my mains block and feed all my PC & phone kit into this. Can anyone see any problem with that? Any guidance would be most gratefully received, Nick    

Thanks Clair, that site looks excellent - I shall be investigating and hopefully find suitable items for our Amelia! Nick 

I need to find a new supplier of frozen rat pups for Amelia our Corn snake. Zooland has unexpectedly closed in Limoges leaving us high & dry with a hungry girl wondering where her next meal is coming from..  Does anyone know of a likely supplier in the Limousin - or elsewhere in France for that matter? Nick 

Well isn't this fascinating - thanks to everyone for volunteering all this information. I have now obtained a quote from two companies offering unlimited time abroad for a UK registered car: Saga have quoted me £60 less than my existing insurer for my aging Saab while the Welsh broker want £100 more than my existing policy costs - all Fully Comprehensive. So not surprisingly I'm changing to Saga and can now forget about the 60 day limit business - great stuff! Once again, many thanks for everyone's time and effort, Nick  

Ah.. I didn't realise you could have just 3rd party cover. And regarding 60 days per annum or per trip, my insurer (R.H.Insurance) state specifically: "There is no limit on the number of trips you make in any period of insurance but each trip must be for no more than 60 days" I wonder if this is actually quite unusual and perhaps I am luckier than I ealised with this arrangement.. Nick

Thanks to everyone for these replies. Interesting that minimum cover applies for an unlimited period. You say this excluded Fully Comp & TPFT, but surely there is no lower cover than TPFT? Not planning to change my routine especially, I just want the added flexibility so I'm not rushing back within 60 days when I come over with car.. Nick

My current UK insurer allows me 60 days abroad on any one trip, but I'd like cover for a longer period. Can anyone recommend a company that offers more attractive terms for taking a UK registered car abroad? Nick