chilly

Oh, I'm so sorry, I have explained myself really badly! (not the first time); I do have her pet passport and have had since we came over here over 3 years ago..Just wanted to triple check that nothing had changed in the past 2 years since we took her back to UK for a visit.Thanks though dogwood for your heartfelt response, you can rest easy now! C  

Can anyone tell me the exact documents that i will need when i cross over from Le Havre to Newhaven with our dog next month...(yes LD Lines are no able to process dogs at Newhaven...hoorah!) I wanted to double check so as to avoid any heartbreak should I inadvertantly forget something. I have her jabs all up to date and to prove it have the pink A4 papers from the French vets here.(Cert de vaccination antirabique de rappel). I've made an appointment for her 24 hours before we travel to have her 'wormed' and her frontline done... is there anything else? C      

Thats so interesting..where did you glean this info? Certainly thats been my experience when I've taken several things back after a few months and have been told that they will have it repaired and then promptly send it away for several weeks leaving you without any appliance at all. Whereas in the UK they normally just give you a new one. Perhaps we've just come to expect that to be the norm! C      

Thanks for all those replies, quite a variety!! But I'm still none the wiser as I do all the things that have been suggested (having been a pretty good cook for more years than I care to remember); and yes I do seal the beef first! I can only assume that when I buy it on promo, its low quality..thats the only thing that makes sense, I've cooked it for hours and the day before and marinated it...only thing I havent done is give it to the dog but I reckon she'd spit it out too!!!! Would love to know what cuts of beef work then that dont cost loads of money? C  

I have now officially given up buying the packs of meat from the major supermarkets that are supposed to be used to make the wonderful 'Beouf Bourguignon'....and have decided that the only way to buy tender beef is to get filet or equivalent! Has any one else any suggestions as to why these packs of meat are consistently tough and tasteless. I’ve tried marinating it over night, cooking it for ages etc. I wouldn't mind if it was really cheap but it's not. In the UK I would always have used chuck steak which was infinitely better. C

Oh dear, I had not intended for this to get 'personal' so perhaps I'd better explain myself a little better!!! I thought I had done in both my posts in that I simply wanted to encourage a decent debate about customer service as I was interested in others experiences and certainly do not expect people to always agree; I feel saddened that some people have taken it that way. Goodness knows why. I was frustrated at comments (and I wont quote as dont want to make this personal!), Like 'Chill out',  'expect too much' etc....having been invloved with customer service in the UK for many years I do have a little knowledge as to the difference between expecting too much and what I see as a 'lack' over here of much at all....hope this is a little clearer now and we can continue with what should be an interesting thread. C

Interesting.. OK I'll get rid of the green, but I am frustrasted at being patronised...I perfectly understand customer service and by and large have found there to be less of it over here in France....it is not personal against France as a country as we love living here and I am not one to knock it unless its justified....I merely wanted to start a discussion as I felt that over here people accept 'less' and its not about expecting too much...purely about 'goods not fit for purpose' and having found that in a lot of the bigger stores, they are pretty unyeilding when it comes to changing faulty goods...I would love to know the word for GOODWILL..they dont seem to know the meaning of this yet!!! Oh and by the way Deimos ...what were you saying about the posts beng mainly positive?!!! Did I miss something?  

I am  heartened and yet amazed by all these positive responses...I can only assume i've just been unlucky...and no.... I DO NOT HAVE UNREALISTIC EXPECTATIONS....I do find remarks like that unhelpful and a trifle provocative! I also am not the only one who feels this way where we live and which prompted me into starting this post in the first place.I seem to have met quite a few people lately who have had very similar negative experiences. I certainly had never had this in the UK and am not in the business of complaining unless really pushed to and feel that its warrented. C

Thought it might be interesting to start a post on people's experience in France as to 'customer satisfaction' re exchanging faulty goods. I have been here three years now and have yet to be  impressed with any large store when it comes to a genuine complaint regarding taking something back under a year old (sometimes even as new as a few weeks), with receipt. I have been given all sorts of excuses (usually with no politeness) including several times YOU HAVE TO KEEP THE PACKAGING!!!!!!!!!!!.Could it be that in the UK we just dont put up with this and as a result very rarely have a problem when it comes to taking faulty goods back? Maybe it various over here from department to department, but it's one of the things that frustrate me most about life over here.Any advice/comments?      

I was allowed to 'export'  DLA to France purely because I was awarded it before 1992....nothing more complicated than that!

Hello A bit of advice if possible would be helpful; I have lived over here in Western France now for 3 years. I am in receipt of long term incapacity benefit, DLA and my wife recieves a carers allowance (all paid by DSS in the UK to us over here in France). As a result of my also being in posession of a 'carte handicape' (85%) over here, I also am exempt from paying Tax Habitation. Someone asked me the other day why I dont also get a reduction on my Tax Foncier as all disabled people on benefit over here do?; as a result I went to the main tax office and asked them their advice. I had a letter back which (if I understand it correctly as my French can be a bit 'suss' when it comes to reading the language), they indicated that I needed to be in possesion of the equivelent of Incapacity benefit over here in France. Now I dont pretend to be up on all the rights etc re benefits over here but even with my limited understanding surely the logic would suggest that we have a 'reciprocol' arrangement between UK and France and that in effect I am getting the same benefit only its from the UK..but as we are supposed to all be part of a wider europe..surely that should suffice! Be good to hear any feedback as to whether or not others have come accross this 'anomaly' (spelt??) C