AnOther

[quote user="ErnieY"](apart from being an *** of course)[/quote](apart from being  (another name for a donkey and what Christ rode on)) of course....[blink]

[quote user="Llwyncelyn"] ErnieY I understand your feelings for Brown has done such damage in the past as to Pension schemes etc that I believe he is sinister and will stoop to nothing just to make sure that his ideology is to the front[/quote]He showed his true colours from day 1 when he abolished tax relief on dividends which by itself drove a stake into the heart of the pensions industry, but then, just as the industry was descending into crisis, delivered the killer blow with a supposed cure in the shape of the ill conceived blunt force FRS17 accounting rules, and yet still people vote for them. I remember a quote I read somewhere "Democracy is too precious a jewel to be entrusted to the people" [quote user="Llwyncelyn"]....... Thus if you paid by CC in the first place for any surcharge and reading the T's and C's printed above then I think the Courts would imply it would be reasonable for any additional payments to be collected by CC.[/quote]The law (apart from being an ass of course) is a complex and cumbersome beast and the word "reasonable" a very powerful one which can be debated ad nauseum but I would say that the notion that any company, not just Ryanair, is  empowered, without prior consent, to take at will additional funds from a customers CC is not at all reasonable and is both unacceptable and in fact highly dangerous. Where does the line get drawn ? All of this is outwith my original point and my beef though which is that Ryanair have adopted what, in my view, is an unreasonable (there's that word again) and unneccessarily harsh "drop dead" policy. Hopefully 99% of passengers will receive their emails, be it to request payment or informing them that it's been taken from their CC., but that will still leave a significant number of passengers who, for genuine reasons, haven't paid and will be denied the opportunity to do so and forefeit their seat. Most of them, albeit under protest, will likely have no choice but to stump up for a new ticket at the top price which will be charged on the day of course (at least the seat should be there...!!!) and Mr'Oleary will make even more money out of their misery. On reflecting that last sentence it would not surprise me if, on realising at 1 minute past midnight that the surcharge hadn't been paid for flights that day, the booking system released the seats for resale...! As a footnote, I'm reminded from another source that technically the Air Passenger Tax is only actually due at the point of travel so Ryanair (and others) are in fact charging it advance...!

[quote user="TWINKLE"]You can talk about it openly here and no-one thinks you're loopy or psychotic.  It's a fact of life and nothing to be embarrassed about.[/quote]Good to hear, not your personal experiences of course but that a bit of "psy"is more acceptable in France because my OH is a trained Counsellor and Hypnotherapist...[;-)] Has she ever hypnotised me...how would I know...[blink] ?

So how I wonder are you supposed to pay this then ? Sounds like it will mean phoning up and waiting on hold for ages because I don't see extra staff being put on to cope. Time will tell.  

I'm only away for 2 weeks at a time now but do still manage to pull the odd rabbit out of the bag...[:)]

[quote user="Pads"] My OH has always worked away from home since I first met him some times for as long as 8 months. It was much harder in the old days when the only option we had to talk was one phone call a day If he could find a phone box, at the time that I would be home from work and as my hours were always staggered this proofed to be hard and quite often came home to a loney message on the answer phone. Although I did use to get loverly Post cards from all over the world. (boxes and boxes of them now all under the spare bed!)  But with todays technology we can talk 24 hours aday if we want, I have my mobile at work, we have E mail, texting, MSN, Phone, and now camera phone via the internet. But sadley now very few post cards[:(]   We have both been very happy living like this and time spent together is very dear to us both. But the actiude of over people some times realy gets up my nose , I have lost count of the times smug couples have said oh no we couldnt live like that, how can you trust him ? Dont you get loney? Only then to get hit on by the husband the very next time Im alone with him (some times when the wife has just gone to the loo in the pub!!) with corney lines like, If you get loney at night I could always come and keep you company..............[+o(]  Sorry give me my hubby anyday, I dont live with rose tinted glasses Im sure he has had his moments, but I trust him and if anything was to happen I know hes a honest man and he would tell me. But at the end of the day its a 2 way thing trust, you either have it or not  and we do and that is what has brought us threw to where we are to day close to finalising our dream off turning our holiday home in france to our home in the near futher, and both still happy to be together as we were 24 years ago.[:D]     [/quote]When I read this I had to check it wasn't my OH writing, virtually a mirror of our lives and we've managed to survive 39 years with no sign of flagging. Lost count of the honeymoons...[:$][:$][:$]

[quote user="Mister Fluffy"]Ernie - first rule of holes! [/quote]Not only stopped but thrown the shovel away so don't worry....[8-|]

[quote user="Russethouse"] I wonder how many people worry about their partners remaining faithful in a situation like that ? Perhaps worrying about it is a good thing where as being unfaithful is not (well, not in my book anyway[Www][/quote] Inclination aside not much in the way of temptation 140m out in the North Sea... There are the odd females dotted about (not where I am) but by and large they seem to be specially chosen for their "uncomeliness" and there's no [B] to dull the senses either....[+o(] [blink] This is going to get me into trouble, I can feel it....!

I don't have a problem with them charging it as it's not of their making it's more the typically blunt and uncompromising response that I take issue with.

[quote user="BJSLIV"] I notice that its also in Ryanair's conditions that you must keep them informed of any change of email address after a booking is made.[/quote]And quite rightly so. [quote user="BJSLIV"]The R4 programme actually said that as of this morning, only Jet2 were using this automatic collection, Ryanair were said to be still deciding how to collect.[/quote]Maybe because they don't have the right to take it automatically and all the more reason NOT to declare the "drop dead at midnight" policy. [quote user="BJSLIV"]Whatever they eventually decide we know it will be the customer who is wrong.[/quote]Amen to that.............! I've got an idea, make anyone who hasn't paid buy £5 worth of scratch cards before they're allowed to check in, probably be the first ones they'll ever sell....lol...!!!!  

Our post's crossed BJSLIV and I didn't hear the R4 programme but obviously I have to accept that they must know better than I. If this is the case though then theoretically there should be very few passegers turning up who haven't paid. Clearly the last thing anybody needs is 100 passengers in the check-in line trying to pay on the spot so whilst I can understand the point in making sure everyone has paid pre flight then it seems unduly harsh to drop the gate at midnight if it's likely to affect so few. If I were personally affected by this, which I'm not but only by couple of days, then I would certainly be closely checking my bank or CC account to see if it had been taken. 

[quote user="BJSLIV"]The collection of additional charges by card is covered in the t&cs of card usage. The same system as used by ferry companies for only using half of a day return ticket.[/quote]There is no Carte Blanche for companies to randomly take your money. It has to be in their T&C's and you have agreed to it and unless I've missed it I see no such agreement on Ryanair's site.

But doesn't say they can take it from your card so back to my point about people who may not become aware of it.

Maybe but they haven't said that and anyway I don't recall giving them permission to take additional money from my card without asking and there's nothing in their T&C's to say you agree to this so they can't do it. And what about people who may have changed banks in the meantime say or are overdrawn or close to it and that tips them over, it stinks whichever way you cut it.

From another thread: [quote user="Gardian"]I believe that BA & Ryanair have opted to absorb the tax hit for bookings made before Brown's announcement.  Hope so.  It would have been a logistical nightmare.[/quote]WRONG...!!! and it is giong to be a nightmare. Ryanair have said:   THE NEW TAX MUST BE PAID BEFORE MIDNIGHT PRIOR TO THE DAY OF TRAVEL OR YOU AIN'T GOING - PERIOD, THERE'S NO PAYING ON THE DAY. All affected passengers are supposed to be notified by email but no way is that giong to catch 100%. There will be those who are away and without internet access, those with crashed or maybe even stolen computers, some may have changed ISP & therefore perhaps email address, the list goes on. To make a tax (of any nature) retrospective is outrageous, unconscionable even downright vindictive. I'm not sure the ramifications of this measure have sunk in to GB's tiny mind yet and as the furore gathers momentum, as it surely will, and they realise what a monster has been created, (and for the sake of a relative pittance), I wouldn't be surprised to see a last minute U-turn. It wouldn't be the first time ! Incidentally, I see there is not a word about this on the Ryanair website........you may wonder why. My theory:- Ryanair is spoiling for fight with the UK government and the more unhappy punters they've got the happier they'll be.

From another thread: [quote user="Gardian"]I believe that BA & Ryanair have opted to absorb the tax hit for bookings made before Brown's announcement.  Hope so.  It would have been a logistical nightmare.[/quote]WRONG...!!! and it is giong to be a nightmare. Ryanair have said:   THE NEW TAX UST BE PAID BEFORE MIDNIGHT PRIOR TO THE DAY OF TRAVEL OR YOU AIN'T GOING - PERIOD, THERE'S NO PAYING ON THE DAY. All affected passengers are supposed to be notified by email but no way is that giong to catch 100%. There will be those who are away and without internet access, those with crashed or maybe even stolen computers, some may have changed ISP & therefore perhaps email address, the list goes on. To make a tax (of any nature) retrospective is outrageous, unconscionable even downright vindictive. I'm not sure the ramifications of this measure have sunk in to GB's tiny mind yet and as the furore gathers momentum, as it surely will, and they realise what a monster has been created, (and for the sake of a relative pittance), I wouldn't be surprised to see a last minute U-turn. It wouldn't be the first time ! Incidentally, I see there is not a word about this on the Ryanair website........you may wonder why. My theory:- Ryanair is spoiling for fight with the UK government and the more unhappy punters they've got the happier they'll be.

[quote user="Mayennaise"]After 16 years he discovered the cure - have a decent breakfast!! He never had a problem after that with being seasick.[/quote]At the risk of sounding revolting from personal experience on small boats I can't say that breakfast prevents SS but if there is a risk of it then you should eat something at least an hour beforehand and the best thing to have is a nice greasy fry up - easy in easy out - and drink plenty of milk after the first bout, nothing worse than dry retching. Another tip is to stay as near to the roll center of the ship as possible but at all costs keep a view of the horizon. Another slightly off topic tip for car sickness with kids in the back. Remove the front headrests and make sure the kids are sitting high up enough to see out of the front of the car.

Have a read here: http://www.bigdishsat.com/fs11_size.php Even better: http://www.astra2d.com/astra2d-france.htm Also search google Images for Astra 2d footprint.

[quote user="Cassis"]I told you I've been working out with a Bullworker[/quote]Giving away your age there............most sausages would have gone rancid by now !

I think that what this thread demonstrates is that anyone hoping to to move to France but needing to work to support themselves and not wanting to fall into the "new kind of widow (or widower) hood", had better either have a decent job lined up or be in a profession which is in such international demand that employers will be clamouring over them. Coming over "on spec" seems to be a recipe for disaster unless, as Will likes to put it, you would be happy working in a Pig Proccesing Plant ! As futher demonstrated, language fluency is no guarantee of anything either but it can only help of course. As a non French speaking Brit in France why would anybody imagine they have any better chance of good employment than say a non English speaking Frenchman has in the UK ? The sale of rose coloured spectacles should come with a wealth warning.

There's a bit more to satellite TV reception than pure dish size. I'd say that 60cm is probably as small as you'd want to go but equally important, if not more so though not often mentioned, is the quality of the LNB (Low Noise Block Converter) which is the thingysitting in the focal point of the dish, and crucially both the quality and length of the cable, not forgetting properly fitted connectors of course. If buying a system you should look for an LNB with the lowest noise figure, usually stated something like "NF 0.2dB" and also cable with the lowest loss, again often quoted as "xdB / 100m. As a broad rule of thumb the thicker the cable the better it is but still check the specs. It's perfecty feasible for a 60cm dish with a high quality LNB and short run of quality cable to out perform a 1.2m dish with cheaper poor quality components. As an illustration, whilst househunting last year, in a swathe stretching from The Ardech in the East to the Midi Pyrenennes, I had a 39cm portable system with me with and with a good LNB and only 10m of quality cable got excellent results every time. We only experienced slight problems on the few evenings when it rained and a 60cm dish would probably have avoided even that.

[quote user="Anton Redman"]If you buy a decent a sized on in the UK make sure they sell in Europe and can issue a Certificate of Confirmity.[/quote]Got it covered thanks, just comparing prices of box vans out of interest. Doesn't appear to be anywhere near as many for sale in France as UK, eBay wise at least.

[quote user="Cassis"]Bas de page?  That crazy Babel for you!  That's a footer or footnote, isn't it?[/quote]I suppose it's no more than you'd expect from a fish which resides in the ear wax of somebody called Ford Prefect...[:D] !

[quote user="Quillan"]The microchip is quite a good idea....[/quote]But woefully INSECURE. There was a programme on TV a few week back showing how easy it was to harvest the information from them, something you would find impossible to do with the current style unless you actually had possession of it. [quote user="Quillan"]This is really an added security feature demanded by the Americans so they can keep tabs on things[/quote]Well I for one, along with the vast majority of the UK populace, have no desire or intention of ever visiting the good 'ole US of A so let US keep our perfecly adequate document and save the time money and aggrevation. [quote user="Quillan"]Still it's all a bit emotive really because the government will do what ever they want to do and thats the way it will be[/quote]And there is the "English disease", grumbling compliance and apathy. Faced with such draconian measures the French would probably send 3 tractors to Calais, the government would cave in within 24 hours and everybody would go home happy!

Absolutement...but I like to pulled up not dropped down as it keeps my feet clean.