Jump to content

Moulin85

Members
  • Posts

    47
  • Joined

  • Last visited

    Never

Everything posted by Moulin85

  1. Unfortunately our reception is medium/poor in the house and only slightly better up the garden. Do you know of anyone who does PAYG internet via a landline?
  2. Thanks for the reply Angela. Yes we are in the Vendee and have used the WiFi network in the past. What’s the availability in your area? Originally it was 24/7 (and free) on the Port near us but it’s now appears to have become seasonal; when the marina and adjacent bars are in full swing we can sit there and do everything over a glass or two, which is great, but the rest of the year I’ve found ‘Hotspots’ are much harder to find. I did however read in another post that McDonalds have WiFi access if we become REALLY desperate! On the subject of security when using open access WiFi a good Firewall is essential and after watching a recent TV program I would never use a Smartphone for financial transactions. Apparently they are far more difficult to protect than a Laptop and the program demonstrated how, if you’re logged on to an open network, it’s easy for a crook to download ALL the info from your phone in seconds even if you’re not on the ‘net at the time!!!!!!!!!!
  3. I’m looking for some internet advice please. A permanent move to France is on hold for family reasons so our house is still only being used as a Maison Secondaire. For the last 15 years we’ve used Dial-Up internet through Free.fr (the same speed as the uk back then!) and although it’s been getting progressively slower over the last few of years it’s been adequate for e-mail and banking. Unfortunately on our last couple of trips it’s got even slower and with the increased complexity of web sites and the added security ‘time outs’ the banks use these days it’s become a nightmare! Can anyone recommend an alternative please, we are not there often enough to justify the cost of an ‘always-on’ broadband connection and the mobile signal at the house is poor ruling out a dongle.
  4. Pre-Paid Debit Card can no longer be used at automatic pumps! After a year of trouble free use I had a fuel transaction refused again last night! Once again I contacted Card Services only to be told that Pre –Paid Debit cards can no longer be used at Automated Fuel Pumps or Tolls Booths!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!   It appears the card company, in this case MasterCard, have received complaints regarding the way these things work. Apparently as they ask for authorisation to their maximum transaction value this amount is frozen on the card until the transaction is complete which can now take several days (!), resulting in complaints from customers and obviously loss of revenue for the card company.   As I got my card through Brittany Ferries I contacted them as this renders it virtually useless as far as I’m concerned. Brittany told me they were just becoming aware of the situation and would be talking to MasterCard about it as fuel was the predominant purchase for most of their customers, however, at least for now, they were in MasterCard’s hands!   I don’t know if this only effects MasterCard or others companies such as Visa and American Express are following the same route but I shall be finding out asap.  
  5. Hi, thanks for the reply, sorry not to respond earlier but it wouldn't post for some reason! (?) Yes it is a Sky+ box, I hadn't thought about the record aspect. Cheers.  
  6. Hi, can any of the satellite experts help please. We’ve got Freesat via a Pace ‘box but this unfortunately died during our last trip over. We brought it back to the uk in the hope of getting it repaired but our son has offered us his redundant Sky HD box instead. My question is, Will it work? Our dish only has 1 cable to the ‘box, but HD systems have 2. If it will work which input do we connect to the dish? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
  7. This issue may be well-known to everyone else here but it caught me out! With a significant number of places now unwilling to take cheques and the dramatic increase in un-manned petrol stations, I recently got myself a Pre-Paid Euro Debit Card. Everything was great until last week. Went into my local E.Leclerc, pulled up to the 24hr pump, punched in the pin number ok and promptly had the transaction refused! Went to another pump and the same thing happened. Embarrassed I drove home and phoned Card Services. According to the very nice young lady she gets more calls about this issue than any other. Apparently when you put your card into an automated pump it asks the card company for authorisation to the maximum amount the pump can deliver in one transaction, in this case 130€. The line stays open until you finish filling up at which point the pump asks for the actual amount. So, although I had 100€ still on the card and only wanted 50 litres, the card was refused! She went on to say that new pumps are asking for 150€! Please be aware therefore that if you plan on using a 24hr fuel pump at any time you will need at least 150€ available on any Credit or Debit Card.
  8. Hi, Like you we’re looking to put in a new fosse and have found it difficult to get solid user feedback about specific systems, however trawling the net and talking to several manufacturers has given me a lot of general information. It appears that no matter what type of system you go for, (conventional or bio,) 6 monthly servicing and emptying the sludge tank at least once every 3/4 years is essential to prevent ‘carry over’ and keep it working efficiently. A conventional systems needs constant use for between 6 weeks and 3 months after installation before it gets enough ‘bugs’ to work properly and in the case of a lightly used Maison Secondaire its distinctly possible this could never happen! Most Bio systems apparently come ‘pre charged’ however so are 100% efficient from day one and even after a 6 months shutdown will be back to near full efficiency within a few hours. Depending on manufacturer the size of sludge and filter tanks for a 5/6 person bio system vary between 3000ltrs and 5000ltrs each. Most manufacturers guarantee the media in a bio filter tank for 10 years if the prescribed duty is not exceeded. If used by less people then, depending on what it’s made of, it could go on working indefinitely. The cost of replacing the media obviously varies between manufacturers but for a 5/6 person system seams to average about 2000€ including disposal etc.    Hope this may be helpful to someone.   
  9. We are in the process of installing a new Fosse-Septique, the property has been surveyed and the proposed installation approved by SPANC. We’ve had 3 local contractors in to quote for the job, the first of which has now arrived. He’s quoted for an installation as per the survey but also for a Biorock system that works out significantly cheaper to install, but from the info he’s supplied appears potentially expensive to run. One of the other contractors, whose quote has yet to arrive, is also proposing an alternative Compacto system. Does anyone have experience of these systems please? Are they indeed expensive to run (frequent emptying etc)? Are they suitable for what is for the next few years still only a maison secondaire?   Thank you.
  10. As a follow on to the last post the local Police here in my part of the UK have been very active on this recently. I work with a lot of Eastern Europeans and several have been pulled in the last few weeks for being officially UK Resident but driving a foreign registered car. Don’t know what penalties were imposed but the cars have disappeared!
  11. The key word here is ‘Scheduled’; if your crossing is delayed then it is simply late arriving. However, if your crossing were to be cancelled and you moved onto a later one that could be a different matter! This happened to us a few years back when our sailing out of Caen was cancelled due to rough weather and Brittany Ferries put on a special late night Cherbourg boat instead. Could be interesting!    
  12. There’s another key element that’s not been mentioned so far; the time datum point has been changed from Booking In Time to Scheduled Arrival Time in the UK. 'From 1 January 2012 tapeworm rules apply to pet dogs only. Not less than 24 hours and not more than 120 hours (1-5 days) before its scheduled arrival time in the UK under the Pet Travel Scheme, your dog must be treated against tapeworm and the treatment recorded in the EU pet passport or the third country official veterinary certificate.'
  13. I understand there is some sort of time limit on this, 5 years I think. Its appears to be common practice in our area to lay a large base well over 170sq.m, build a house at one end, a garage at the other and put a roof over the lot making a ‘covered patio area’ in the middle. At the right time the ‘patio area’ is walled up and the house enlarged without any need for architects! Simples!
  14. Thanks Loiseau I’ll give them a try.
  15. Can any fellow sea anglers in the Vendee point me in the direction of somewhere that stocks a variety of good quality sea fishing baits please? Rag Worn in small (expensive) boxes is readily available and good Mackerel etc is in all the fish markets but that’s about it. Decathlon in La Roche was ok until a couple of years ago but no self respecting fish would have touched anything from there the last couple of times I’ve been in!
  16. Idun. The time you arrive in the UK doesn’t matter, it’s not mentioned in the regulations at all! This means that any delays to the ferry or train and therefore outside your control, do not affect you. The defra regulations http://www.defra.gov.uk/wildlife-pets/pets/travel/pets/ state that the only criteria is the time you book in at the terminal. You must book in between 24hrs and 48hrs of your vet appointment. To use your example: If you’re vet signs the Passport at 17.00hrs on the 19th you must Book-In between 17.00hrs on the 20th and 17.00hrs on the 21st. Obviously as it’s the time you Book-In and not ‘sail’ that matters it’s possible to use this to your advantage if need be. Last year we made a last minute decision to spend Christmas / New Year in France but with the vets being closed for an extra day the only return crossing we could get was 53 hours after the last possible appointment. So we booked-in at 47hrs and spent 6hrs parked on the dock, as did several others!
  17. The key thing we have discovered over the years is planning for the return journey. Operators are legally limited to the number(?) of pets they can carry on each crossing so book your return ticket as early as possible especially at peak times such as Christmas. Before you make a booking be aware of Public Holidays, they don’t all fall on Mondays or Fridays as in the UK, to ensure it’s possible to get a vet appointment within the required time window. Make your vet appointment as soon as possible especially if you need one very early or late in the day, and check the time and date entered on the Pet Passport are correct and legible before you leave the vets. As said previously the rule is only that you must Book In no less than 24hrs and no more than 48hrs after the time and date entered on the Pet Passport, so there is nothing to stop you booking in several hours before your crossing time to get within the 48hrs. (Be careful around Christmas /New Year as there may be no one to book you in!)     
  18. Thanks Simon, I hadn’t thought about that, I’ll look into it.
  19. I suppose it’s due to the death of the fax and the widespread availability of broadband but few laptops now appear to come with a built in modem. Unfortunately this includes my Dell. I know a few years ago when everyone was on dial-up and complaining about the lack of speed that the answer to questions was regularly ‘buy a French modem’. I wondered weather this was really fact, the systems are that different, or just an old wives tail?
  20. Current circumstances prevent us from using our house anywhere near as much as we used to, making a Broadband connection is a waste of money at the moment, so I am looking for an external USB modem to use with the laptop. I have a couple of questions I hope someone can help me with: What spec should I be looking for? Is there any real difference in performance between one brand and another? Is there any difference between the same make & model bought in France or the UK? Your advice will be very much appreciated.
  21. Don’t want to start an argument here; my comment was based on personal experience. I am happy driving our UK car in France but our LHD French run around is easier in traffic or around town, especially solo. On the occasions I have driven LHD in the UK I have found the problems are far worse; generally due to increased traffic density and the propensity for delivery wagons to stop dead in front of you with no warning. (Yes I know they do this everywhere but it seams to happen more frequently in the UK.)
  22. One thing that you may want to give consideration to is how often, if at all, you intend to take the car back to the UK. With the traffic situation these days it is much easier and comparatively safer to drive a RHD car in France than it is to drive a LHD in the UK  
  23. Just a quick word of warning for anyone who, like ourselves, always leave things until the last second. Until last weekend I was blissful un-aware that the ferry companies have a limit on the number of Passport animals they are allowed to carry on each crossing. Whilst there are still both car and passenger spaces available for all crossings to the uk on Sunday 3rd Jan animal spaces are not! We have been forced into travelling on the Monday with a long wait on the dock after booking-in to get within the 48hr deadline. Live and learn!
  24. Deleated. Sorry, reading the wrong forum when I posted this. Now on correct page
×
×
  • Create New...