suein56

Harley I have sent you an email - hope it is not too late. Sue

[quote user="julia"]Now that IS grosse, disgusting , Yuk, 'orible an urghhhh! and I lost count at 150![/quote] Now I bet he'll have problems getting his new passport photo approved. Sue [blink]

[quote user="Llantony"] I've just tried to book a week's car hire at Bergerac Airport but can't because our return flight is 10.00am.  Check-in is at least 2 hours before, so we'd need to return the car by 8.00 am - but the airport car hire doesn't open until 9.00am - if it opens on time! [/quote] Are you sure you need to be there 2 hours ahead of your flight time? My OH is flying from Lorient - another small airport - and has today been told to check in 3/4 hour before his flight. My daughter flew home to the UK from Nantes - a bigger airport - and was told to be there 1 hour before take-off - and that was the very day of the Heathrow bomb scare on 10 August!  Actually due to awful traffic jams around Nantes we were only there 45 mins before take-off and it was no problem. Sue

Ecossais Thanks for your post - I think I just panicked when I ran into problems but am now a little calmer and will look at the manual for the info about the 'recovery CD' and will see if that will help. Sue  

***If we worked at the pace of the french banks we would not exist, I know it is great to work at there pace, and yes it would be a breath of fresh air but how do they make a profit, it baffles me!!!!! *** They make their profit by charging you a monthly fee for looking after your money for you and letting you have access to it - occasionally, within limits .[8-)] Sue

Mojo I've just put in our 10 digit (fr) phone number and it worked fine - have another go - perhaps the line was busy. You are not putting in any spaces are you - eg 02 95 45 .......? That wont work - there is no room for spaces ie should be 029545. Sue  

***If that equates to cashing a cheque that's a darn sight more than you can do in our local CA.*** In our bank you don't even need to use your cheque book - just give your account number and sign a piece of paper and away you go. This is especially useful if you need quite a bit of cash for something but do not want the cash in large notes (as usually delivered by the machine) - as the cashier always asks how we want the cash.[:D] Sue

As I think I might have a similar problem could I ask - if you use 'system restore' as Bixy has, with a brand new computer, what happens to the software that came with the computer and was pre-loaded eg Norton, Office one-note - does that remain or disappear? I ask because I set the computer up to use French, thinking I could cope but now I am not sure as the French used is beyond me so I am hoping that if I do a restore I might be able to swap to English instead. Is this totally wrong or could it work? Sue - who has never set up a computer which has XP before, never mind trying to do it in French.

[quote user="Bertiebe"]OK, I thought it would be useful to people to keep a running record of our experiences: So, we've gone in at 168000 Euros on a house which was for sale for 190000.  Initially the owner said 'absolument pas!' but has since mellowed (in a single day) and now seems to be trying to cut a deal. ... it seems that the owner will take 173000 and will do our bathroom up for free ... [/quote] I might be a little cynical but, be careful that this does not mean that the owner will accept 173000 net to him and then the agents fees will be on top, so at 5% this could mean 173000 + 8650 + notaires fees on 173000. It pays to double check. Sue

[quote user="Will "]  they insist you call an 0845 number that can only be accessed from British soil. [/quote] We can ring 0845 numbers using telerabais - I think it is 15cents a minute, but I usually then explain the situation and ask the organisation to ring me back - which they have always done - up to now! Sue

P So you are still resident in the UK?  If this is so, then I would suggest you open a Nationwide Flexaccount whilst you are still there and can comply with the UK residency requirements. You should be allowed to keep it when you move to France - you just notify them of change of address etc. The residency rules are for opening the account - not for maintaining it. I can add that we made a daft mistake in not following this course of action before we came to France and so are stuck with the UK current accounts we had before we left. [:(] Sue

[quote user="jayjay"]Here you go Pads, you could look on here too. Just tick the boxes that apply & it will give you a map of the connections. http://www.dtg.org.uk/consumer/connection_wizard.html [/quote] jayjay Thank you so much for the link. Not being techy minded my OH and I have had all kinds of problems connecting stuff and I feel sure this site has just solved them all. Thank you [:D][:D][:D] Sue  

When we arranged our house/content insurance it was explained to me that 'accidental' damage did not exist as such, as an incident was always the fault of someone or something ie gales, theft etc. Also the person who caused the damage or loss was liable and could be held responsible ie charged/sued etc. If, whilst tiling,  you drop a tile in the bath and crack the bath - tough; if the tiler does the same - charge him for the cost of the repair or a new bath. Sue

[quote user="Aube"]   .  We are finding a bit difficult to rent as we have been to a number of estate agencies who require proof of income ie. last three months payslip.  We do have income, we pay our taxes here, but we do not hold jobs in France.  We also suggested to them that we can provide a bank guarantee, but some are still very reluctant.  [/quote] Yes, it is awkward to rent through agencies - not impossible, but difficult; which is why we rented from a private individual found via a local newspaper advertisement. Sue

Hi Aube We found our long-term rental house via the local newspaper. Most of them are on-line which helps - but you need to know the name of your local rag. Sue

Hi We bought our units from Castorama - [sorry 'bout the long link] http://www.castorama.fr/homepage/index.jhtml;jsessionid=RQOHMWKJPBSPNQFI22KSFF4AVDTROIV1?resolution=0&_requestid=760625&_requestid=760625   ..... then click on 'cuisine' on the LHS of the welcome page. As we are renting a 'maison vide' we wanted solid kitchen units that looked good and didn't cost an arm and a leg. The proprietor of our house loves the units and we are hoping she might buy them from us when we leave as they look so professional and clean. We chose 'Country' but our kitchen looks a whole lot better than the Casto one displayed in the link. Sue

Tony F and Leslauriers Thanks for your replies. Your comments are most welcome - I can see this decision is not going to be easy. Sue

[quote user="Benjamin"]Sue We spent a very happy year (92/93) at Penestin sur Mer not far from La Roche Bernard. What you're describing there is nothing like the situation was back then. *** yes, I would agree with that - a lot has changed and so very quickly it takes my breath away sometimes. We looked around that area when we arrived - some splendid scenery.*** ps we're following one another around tonight ***Just one of those nights it seems!!*** Sue [/quote]

Well we have a French joint account and for bbi we used a French bank statement 'certified' in French  [although B&B said they required certification in English] by the local notaire whose certification was in French as he speaks no English, though he understands some if pressed.  Our utility bills were certainly French as we have no UK property - this did not seem to pose a problem. You can only do what you can do, you cannot do the impossible. Sue  

Where we live property prices are high and, in general, young couples already have large mortgages relative to the salaries they earn - this is the worrying aspect. Just as in the UK parents here do their bit and help their offspring onto the property ladder but it is then all the other stuff - the ever-changing technology re PCs or laptops, TV, audio equipment etc - all the must-haves of  modern living. Also my OH and I were used to seeing very ancient cars on the road when we used to come on holiday but now the new-car bug seems to have caught on here too with just about everyone - young and old. I have a 10 year old car and I love it and have no intention of changing it yet - but then I think I might be trying to be an ageing hippy. Sue

[quote user="Benjamin"]Sue ... the CPAM scale of reimbursement has fallen way behind what the dentists and opticians/opthalmologists charge (sound familiar?). Benjamin [/quote] Yes - how true - it's beginning to sound/feel like the UK. I have just added my 2 pence-worth to a thread about savings interest and credit interest - these, too, seem to be mimicking [sp?] the UK too - it is very worrying. But then I am a born worrier. Thanks for the advice - I have decided I am going to do just that this coming week. Just lacked the courage before - it is all this worrying I need to do! Sue 

[quote user="Cassis"]  If you want to borrow money it's really cheap over here, though!  Better to be in debt than in credit, it seems! [/quote] I think this could become as much a problem here as it is in the UK. We were at an impromptu dinner the other night - asked to aperos, stayed to eat - and the French couples there were really very concerned about the ease with which credit can now be obtained in France. TU always used to say that it was really hard to get any credit in France as lending was so strictly controlled, but that all seems to have gone out of the window recently and folks here are finding it difficult to see the value of the change. I said that I thought that France seemed to be following the way of UK in this as it was soo easy to borrow money in the UK and then, perhaps, some people would have problems paying it back. There were nods of agreement. I would be sorry to see the same level of debt per person here that exists in the UK. Sue

Hi Krusty If you log onto Ing Direct and tell them you live in France they will automatically then close your account[s] and return the money to the original source account you used when you opened the account. To avoid this happening it might be better to look at off-shore accounts, open one and then transfer your savings to the new account, then close the Ing account. For example Bradford and Bingley IOM are offering 5.1% til 31 March 2007 on their e-access account and Nationwide IOM are offering 4.7% on their tracker account - so it is worth making the effort. There is no problem with opening an off-shore account - it is just as easy as opening any other account anywhere in  these days of anti-moneylaundering watchfulness. Off-shore is no longer for very rich ex-pats - it is for anyone with savings who happens not to live in the UK. Sue

Thanks SD - just the kind of detail I was hoping for. I, too, trawled through their [Exclusive's that is] website and was concerned enough to look them up via the company details website but could find little helpful info. I suppose that it was the 'all our info is in English' phrase that lured me most. Although my French is better than reasonable I have not yet had to cope with complex health issues or health assurance. It is probably fear of the unknown on my part that is making me hesitate. Groupama has an agency in our nearest town - I think I will give them a visit in person. I have already filled in an on-line devis but that was just to give me an idea of the costs involved. Thanks again. Sue

As we now need to consider which top-up assurance company we are going to use I wondered if anyone knows of, or has used, Exclusive Healthcare for cover? They seem very reasonably priced, in contast to say April or Groupama - perhaps because they are not so good? Could you pm me [to avoid advertising] with any input you might have - positive or negative - re any of the companies mentioned, or any other. I should be very grateful as this would assist me in my research. Thank you. Sue