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Department71

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Posts posted by Department71

  1. Saw below in Mail on Sunday 27th Feb2011. May be of interest to folks who have a CB card linked to their French bank account.

    Steve

    -----------------------------------------------------

    Those with a French bank account who have a Carte Bleue - a

    debit card that allows transactions without authorization from the bank

    - can also buy easyJet tickets without the surcharge.

    Property developer Tony McGorrigan, 57, from Bristol, owns a

    property in Corsica and has a Carte Bleue with his French bank account.

    He flies to Nice about five times a year to get a connection to

    Corsica. 'EasyJet is usually the cheapest airline but its high card

    charges really annoy me,' he says. 'I recently bought a single ticket

    from Nice to Bristol for 79 euros [£67] and easyJet was about to levy a

    12.50 euros charge.

    'I used my Carte Bleue and was able to avoid the fee, but I

    know other consumers in the UK cannot get around it. I think the

    regulators should crack down on companies profiteering in this way.'

  2. [quote user="Théière"]

    I heard a little while ago of a car owner having his insurance voided after an accident because he had fitted a TomTom (a modification) without informing his insurer (UK)

    I have just tried to arrange my new policy so mentioned I have a TomTom as a modification. As it is not a factory fitted SatNav they declined me insurance and warned me if I used the SatNav and were involved in an accident they would not cover me either.

    Not so simples  [blink]

    A warning to the many SatNav users on the forum....

    [/quote]

    I would have thought a modification would apply if you say had a tow bar fitted as that is permanently on the vehicle,  (we do declare our tow bar) a sat nav or even a roof rack, could not be a modification as it is not permanently fitted. So sometimes under their rules the car would not be modified because the satnav is not in the car. Or are they saying if you have an accident whilst the satnav is stuck to the screen they won't offer cover?

    Steve

  3. I assume they have been hit badly by people switching from debit card to credit card  purchases.  I like many will only pay the due amount on the card just before its due, unlike on the debit card when they ( Nationwide) got my money within days of the purchase. Will have to have another look at N&P.

    Steve.

    PS why is there not a curser showing when I write this, its a pain if I want to go back and alter something.

  4. There was an advert for a new Nationwide credit card in the Mail yesterday. Some details below that I got off their website, don't know how it will effect the "old" cards, are they going to start charging for Europe purchases.

    Steve.

    Foreign transactions

    The card to take on your travels

    With

    our great 'Rewards for Abroad' feature we will reward you every time you make

    purchases in pounds sterling with a commission-free foreign allowance. For

    example if you spend £100 on your shopping in a month (UK, Sterling) you’ll

    automatically be rewarded with £20 worth of commission-free allowance to use on

    purchases in a foreign currency.

    How it works

    • Commission-free purchases abroad - as a special offer to

      get you started, you can enjoy unlimited commission-free purchases abroad until

      31 July 2011.
    • Build your allowance - transactions in any currency during

      this period count towards your reward allowance which will become effective on

      1st August 2011.
    • See how much you've earned - the allowance you've earned

      will appear on your monthly statement so you know exactly where you stand before

      you go on holiday. And there's no limit to what you can earn - if you don't use

      it all up one year, it will be carried forward to the next year.
    • Low commission charge - for purchases abroad over and above

      your allowance, you'll be glad to know that at 2% the commission we charge is

      lower than many other cards.

  5. [quote user="Department71"]I also have mine paid via Nationwide flex account, but the card I use expires in Feb 2011, they (SANEF) will either ask me for the number of my new card or say only a French bank account is now acceptable. If I can still use an English card it will be a Nationwide credit card, if  I have to use the French account I'll go to Alis.

    Will keep you informed when I get notification.

    Steve

    [/quote]

    UPDATE Feb 2011

    Well received a letter from Sanef saying our Nationwide card will soon expire and can we complete the enclosed form and return to them. They were asking for our new credit card number, date it expired and name on card (usual stuff) this we did and sent it off  to them, we used a Nationwide credit card this time as the debit card now attracts fees. We also e-mailed the details direct to Sanef with a question of how long these doofers last. Today we have received a nice e-mail saying our details have been updated on their system. Doubt if they have received the letter yet. So they do still accept UK cards. Copy of e-mail below that we received

    Steve.

    --------------------------------------------------------------------

    Bonjour Madame ****

     

    Nous accusons réception de votre demande

    et nous vous en remercions.

     

    Nous vous confirmons que nous avons bien

    enregistré le nouveau numéro de votre carte bancaire.

     

    Votre badge a une durée de vie comprise

    entre 5 et 6 ans. Pour vous permettre

    de continuer à bénéficier des avantages du télépéage Liber-t, vous avez la

    possibilité de passer en agence commerciale ou nous pouvons vous adresser un

    badge de remplacement par voie postale. Un nouveau dépôt de garantie sera

    prélevé sur votre compte bancaire et remboursé à réception du badge défectueux.

     

    Merci de nous

    confirmer votre accord ainsi que votre adresse en répondant à cet e-mail ou en

    nous contactant au 09.708.08.709 si vous souhaitez un échange par

    correspondance.

     

    Nous restons à votre disposition pour tout renseignement

    complémentaire.

     

    Cordialement.

    Karine .

    Chargée de

    clientèle

    Groupe

    Sanef/Sapn

    09 708 08 709 Choix 1

    puis 1

    De l'étranger :

    +33 9 708 08 709

  6. We have got one of those doors for Hobbits as well, we looked at the price in France and decided another way, took measurements of hole, in UK purchased a door frame and a door from a local door shop.Cut frame down to required size myself,  took door to a local carpenters and they reduced it to the size of the frame, as they were professional they did it properly. There are two types of door construction one better then the other, we got the better,  mortise and tenon construction.

    All fitted its fine, can't remember the cost as it was a few years ago now.

    Steve

  7. Many many years ago when we first purchased our holiday home and before I was wise ( some say i'm still not) I brought a load of twin and earth from the UK to rewire said house, upon finding this unacceptable I had two options take the whole lot back and purchase single core cable in France or the UK, or as I did strip the T & E take out the earth wire and buy single core french earth wire, plus also the gaine to put it in.  The unused earth wire came in useful binding various things over the years.

    Steve

  8. Just because it's a sealed system does it need to be pressurised to about 1bar or so? As long as its got an expansion vessel would that not be enough to displace any water expansion, and of course a relief valve. We run a wood/coal boiler in France and the gauge has never gone up to one bar even when its hot.

    Just a thought.

    Steve

  9. Depends if there is a connector box on the outside of the property where the line from the pole connects up with the cable entering the house I might consider looking at the phone cable coming into the house, and if I could buy the same type that FT use I would replace the old cable from the outside box for the new one and extend this, the master could then be fitted at the end of the new run. This could bypass the old cherry of FT fixing anything before the master socket.

    May not be the way you are supposed to do it but....

    Steve

  10. One question if I may, ok the batteries are rechargeable but they will one day not recharge, what type of batteries are they can they be replaced? as the Kindle looks rather thin, is it a case of throwing the thing away after two or three years, and what happens to all the "books" purchased.

    Steve

    Update, Ignore above, have just looked on E.Bay and replacement batteries can be purchased.

  11. I also have mine paid via Nationwide flex account, but the card I use expires in Feb 2011, they (SANEF) will either ask me for the number of my new card or say only a French bank account is now acceptable. If I can still use an English card it will be a Nationwide credit card, if  I have to use the French account I'll go to Alis.

    Will keep you informed when I get notification.

    Steve

  12. I can remember coming off the toll at St Omer one year, got through the toll and asked to pull in, they went round to the other half who was sitting next to me (in the passenger seat) then they realised, dam, its a British car then had to detour around to me sitting looking at them.

    All clear only had a few wine gums.

    Steve

  13. Hi all, have to admit the job in question was done in daughters house in Basingstoke, not France this time. The pipe is normal UK spec 22mm pipe, the fittings would have been sourced from Screwfix.

    The pipe was pushed fully into the fitting so the olive isn't at the end of the pipe. Have had a second look at the fitting and so far no weeping. She needs a new boiler so will  re do  when system is drained.

    Cheers

    Steve

  14. Thanks all for the replies. Did try and wrap a bit of ptfe tape around the pipe before sliding the brass olive over it, but it kept on rucking up so took it off and hoped for the best.

    Might take it apart and wipe some of that plumbing mastic around the pipe, you know the stuff  in a tube you open once use a bit and when you try and use it again in the future its like rubber and you can't get it out of the tube!

    Steve

  15. Views please on 22 mm compression fittings UK supplied. Have just been doing a bit of plumbing and used a few of these, the ones with copper olives when tightened the olives gripped the pipe and wouldn't move. But when I used brass olives although the nuts were tight and the fitting water tight, when undone the olives were still loose on the pipe.

    What have I done wrong if anything?

    Cheers

    Steve

  16. [quote user="Pog"]Thanks pachapapa. Yes, it's all in the manual, but when I follow the instructions, and yours, I receive the message " no text transmission available " This happens with all the French channels. When I look at the info for any channel, I see a row of horizontal icons, most encircled in yellow. The one at second left, which I think denotes text, is in grey, which I assume means not being received. So the puzzle continues. Pog[/quote]

    Pog, Does your Strong digibox show the correct time on the screen? reason why I ask, we took our old Sony freeview tele over to France, every thing works ok except the time is stuck on UK time and the teletext doesn't work. Not sure if the two are linked, but our neighbours who have an LG tv can get teletext.

    Maybe because the system was set up in the UK that's the problem.

    steve

  17. Interesting question, our neighbour had an aerial fitted professionally a few years ago when he had analogue. He had problems when the transmitter went digital, I took a look in his roof at the aerial, never seen one like it before, it wasn't the normal one I am used to, (long arm with reflectors at the end pointing to the transmitter) it was something else,  it looked like a flat plate wire mesh pointing vertically. Heavens knows what type it was.

    Yours should be ok if it's "normal" and strong enough for the area.

    Steve

  18. Some friends of ours also have a broadband service when they are in France, I think it is the low use Orange one ( French Telecom) they pay in the region of 10 euro's a month. They also have the residence secondaire tariff for the phone, when they leave they suspend  the line for the phone the  normal way, and change the service for the internet from broadband to PAYG dial up. This way they don't pay anything for the internet as they aren't there. When going back phone is turned on, and the internet is changed back to broadband.

    Steve

  19. [quote user="Department71"]Just a little point of view from me. We were over there from mid Sept - end Nov, and from the end of October we used Nationwide's credit card for all purchases instead of our flex account. Today we have received our statement for the credit card, it is in excess of  800 pounds sterling and all the purchases were in France. If I had used my debit card these would have been taken out of my account with in a couple of days, but by using the credit card Nationwide although they will have paid the trader will have to wait until towards the end of December to get my money. If this is repeated by loads of people they are hopefully losing money on this.  At least its a small win for me.

    Steve

    [/quote]

    Forgot to say it will be paid off in full, therefore no charges to pay.

    Elamese.

    We are looking at Norwich & Peterborough Building Socy to replace Nationwide, previous post says they are scrapping overseas fee's from 2011

  20. Just a little point of view from me. We were over there from mid Sept - end Nov, and from the end of October we used Nationwide's credit card for all purchases instead of our flex account. Today we have received our statement for the credit card, it is in excess of  800 pounds sterling and all the purchases were in France. If I had used my debit card these would have been taken out of my account with in a couple of days, but by using the credit card Nationwide although they will have paid the trader will have to wait until towards the end of December to get my money. If this is repeated by loads of people they are hopefully losing money on this.  At least its a small win for me.

    Steve

  21. We have also had the same letters etc. The last one I e-mailed back to say we haven't changed our identity since the letter last time, nice e-mail returned thanking me and saying it would be put in my file.

    All they got from me was a copy of utility bill and I think photocopy of driving licence. There was I think a space for tax office details, didn't go there!!

    Steve

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