Clair
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Posts posted by Clair
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[quote]" this enabled me to get into the Social Security system and get cover for myself and my husband" Can I ask what you had to do to register. Was is straightforward?[/quote]
After completing the employment contract (downloaded from the website marked above) with my employer, she sent it off and I received a letter asking me to verify the details supplied and that was pretty much that...I already had a SS (or CPAM as someone called it) number from my work as a student some 26 years ago, so I had already updated/obtained cover through a E106 on my return to France from the UK, whereI had spent all my working life to date.This small job enabled me to slip seamlessly from a E106 cover into my own cover provided by my contributions off my salary, as well as providing cover for my husband as a dependant. -
[quote]We posted a query on cheques d'emploi in the Earning a living section but have had no response so thought we would try here! Has anyone used the cheque d'emploi system please? A friend has been told...[/quote]
RE Cheque Emploi Service (CES)there is a specific website which explains how and when to use them: www.ces.urssaf.fr/I am employed by my elderly neightbour as a "home help" a couple of hours a day, doing shopping, housekeeping and such-like.There is a contract between us, as in any other employment; I get paid an agreed hourly rate (no lower than the SMIC and that is shown on the above website as well) and she gives me a cheque every month. She sends a special cheque (obtained from her bank) to the CES section of URSSAF, showing the number of hours worked, the agreed hourly rate and the period worked. This cheque allows the correct contributions to be deducted from her bank account. She also receives a monthly letter from the CES office, showing what contributions are paid on my behalf. She is my employer. She could employ several people like me and I could work for several employers.Both employer and employee pay a certain amount as contributions. It's very important for both to understand on what basis these contributions are paid:there are 2 options:salaire réel (where both employer's and employee's contributions are based on the actual rate of pay) This rate is the highest but garantees a higher return in case if illness, unemployment and pension...salaire forfaitaire (where a basic lower contribution is made by both) which will only give out basic rights.Each month I receive a "attestation d'emploi" from the CES office, which shows all the deductions made on my salary and lists all the things I contribute to (which I don't really understand anyway!) It also shows the actual income I am supposed to declare when filling in my tax return every year.As a person who had not previously contributed to the French economy (except as a working sudent for 2 months a long time ago) this enabled me to get into the Social Security system and get cover for myself and my husband. When I was signed off recently for 5 days after a small car crash, I was informed that my employer's and my (small) contributions were enough to cover both of us until end of 2008...I hope this helps clarify things... -
I seem to remember that this sort of cover can be requested in addition to your household cover (speaking from a visitor's point of view).See this link for more details:http://vosdroits.service-public.fr/particuliers/F2721.htmlI have certainly never been asked to provide details when renting a gite in the past and I do not ask for details now, but the security deposit I ask for is 450 Euros in cash. This is mentioned very clearly in all my correspondance with the person making the booking.Good luck
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why not update your calendar without making changes?i.e. pick a fake arrival date, select the following day as departure date and update the period as available...Your calendar is thus updated and still showing available dates.
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I need to know if the Montauban BricoDépot catalogue is out...I drove there after being told it would be available on 20 Jan, but after a 2 hour drive, nothing to be seen and nobody to tell me when it would become available!To save me another pointless journey, could someone nearby please let me know?I am looking more particularly for roof windows, Velux type GFL9...Many thanks
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[quote]As far as I recall from my undergrad days, the French alphabet only had 24 letters - no 'k' or 'w'. Therefore any words you see which contain either k or w ('le weekend'!) are not French in origin. r...[/quote]
Mmmm it must be a different alphabet from the one I was taught when at school in France... Mine had 26 letters... -
Re cost of Francine bread flourit's worth noting that the price is for 1.5kg, whereas supermarket flour is usually sold in 1kg bags.I buy Francine for my breadmaker and use it on a 50/50 basis with ordinary type 65 white flour.The mix gives me good results and as I cannot seem to make bread the old-fashioned way, at least it garantees something edible at the end of the process!
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Sorry about the dealy in supplying contact details (ice+car=accident!)I made an appointment by calling Le Centre d'Examen de Santé, 311 rue de Hautesserre, Cahors - 05 65 22 33 73The appointment is for the end of January.Clair
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Living in the Lot (46) I have been offered a free healthcheck by the CPAM in Cahors. Apparently, this is available once every 5 years for their residents.Has anyone taken advantage of this and if so, what do they cover during the 2 hour visit?Thanks for any info...Clair
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Many thanks for your input. Clearly I made it too complicated when simple is best!thanks againClair
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HelloI was wondering if someone could inform me:which is the best way to attach a booking form to an email?A Word attachement can easily be edited, so no to that... I have thought of a PDF file, but it does seem to take an age to send it to myself (as a test), even compressed, so I presume it would take as long for someone else to receive it...What is the solution? Would it be better to create a PDF download link from the website page?Thanks in advanceClair
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"Déplacement pour prestation á domicile le 24/08/04 13:00' then there is an amount of 45,56 plus TTC."This is a standard charge applied for a FT visit to your home or to the nearest FT box.It could be for a reconnection of the telephone service to your home, if the line had been unused for a long while before you moved in. Have you contacted them during the period referred to in your bill?If not, call 1014 (free from landline) and ask them what the charge relates to.Good luckClair
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hello againNo I do not have a business account. The Crédit Agricole is not a "national" bank, in the sense where its various branches do not belong to a national network. It's more a regional network and each region/group sets its own ules of charges. My Credit Agricole was "Quercy-Rouergue" up to a few months ago, when it joined with "Midi Pyrénées" to form CA Nord Midi Pyrénées, and they promptly stared charging to send a chqbook to my home address, a service which had been free up to the merger...I am just a normal person, with simple banking needs, wanting to do simple things without having to trave to a branch... as I used to for many years!Banking in France is like stepping back in time!!I welcome any suggestion!Clair
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Hello forum people!I used to do all my banking online, with Intelligent Finance. I am now with the Crédit Agricole, and it's not a very successful experience. So I am looking for an alternative, preferably an online bank. Looking through Google, I came across AXA, Credit Lyonnais and BNP.Does anyone have any experience with any of these or any other?The Crédit Agricole charges 0.50€ for each online consultation to a maximum of 3€ per month and they have just charged me 11€ for setting up a direct debit (virement) facility towards Budget Telecom... They have also "lost" my chequebook twice and left me 3 weeks without!I am ready for a change!Many thanks in advanceClair
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Hi
I've just had an excellent service from M Costes in Catena at Bretenoux (46). I've bought a Jotul F600 matt black finish for 1824€ and he delivered and fitted for 130€, plus pipes and VAT; it all came to 2345€... Not cheap I know, but I figure these people in Norway know what they're doing as far as stoves are concerned! The stove is 14kw and works on double combustion, therefore burning wood more efficiently and as it's all cast iron, it retains heat overnight: just open the vent and stick another log in the morning!
M Costes was extremely pleasant and helpful and after comparing his quote to Bricorama in Aurillac for delivering and installing the same stove, he was also very competitive.
I recommended him to a friend who also chose a Jotul F600, but with an enamel blue finish, therefore more costly. M Costes arranged the fitting of a metal plate inside the chimney. The total cost came to around 3000€. When my friend appeared to have a problem with the stove, M Costes came round the following morning and sorted everything out very quickly. I cannot fault the man and his approach to customers...
Highly recommended from personal experience.
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Then play them at their own game: I have given you the ammunition you need, use it!
No use complaining if you know what the legal position is and you are not prepared to do anything about it!
Good luck!
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[quote]I'm confusedDid your French guests mean that its illegal to ask for more than 20% in France ? In which case surely it would apply to all your guests whatever their nationality ?Or do you think they me...[/quote]
You ask "Did your French guests mean that its illegal to ask for more than 20% in France ?" Yes, it is according to this text from the Service Public website www.service-public.fr
"Caution ou garantie
Pour une location conclue sans intermédiaire, le montant du dépôt de garantie ne peut excéder 20% du prix de la location et est versé à l'entrée dans les lieux contre remise d'un reçu. Le loueur a le droit d'encaisser la caution. Lorsque la location est faite par un intermédiaire (un agent immobilier par exemple), une commission peut être demandée. Son montant non réglementé peut être à la charge du propriétaire ou partagé."
"Translation: For a rental agreed without intermediary, the caution or garantie must not excedd 20% of the cost of the rental and is paid on arrival against a receipt. The owner can cash the caution. When a third party (agent) is included, a commision can be requested. Its amount is not regulated and can be paid for by the owner or shared."
"In which case surely it would apply to all your guests whatever their nationality ?" Yes indeed. The reason I ask for a defined amount from non-French visitors is that they do not know the ruling and as the French do, I ask them for 20%.
When I asked my Dutch neighbours his thoughts, he answered " I am not French, so I do not have to know about this"...
Good luck to you too!
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Hi
Just a simple question... I ask for 150€ per week in cash as security deposit on arrival. That worked out fine for UK and Spanish visitors this summer until a French family said that I was not allowed by law to ask for more than 20% of the rental value... I later read something along the same lines on the French Service Public website.
So my French paperwork now says 20% and my English paperwork still says 150€... As we're putting a small above ground pool in next year, I want to increase the 150€ to 300€, but it seems I cannot increase the deposit for French visitors...
Any thoughts?
Thank you
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Hi
I too was concerned when my Spanish guests told me they wanted my (French) bank details for a payment by transfer... But I assumed that since these details are made available by the bank in my cheque-book to facilitate payments to EDF and France Telecom and such like, it would be safe to pass them on to someone who wanted to pay money IN (as opposed to me paying OUT!). It all worked out fine with them and with the English family who also paid via bank transfer from the UK.
Earlier this summer, I had a booking enquiry from Bangkok, (English name but terrible spelling) wanting to book for 2 weeks. He offered to ask a French-based work colleague who owed him money to pay me from France, with a cheque exceeding the value I wanted for the booking. I was then to send the difference to his travel agent back in Bangkok so he could make travel arrangements to come over... Anyway, I refused politely to consider his booking until I received a deposit cheque as stipulated in my booking terms and I never heard from him again. Later I read of a similar scam in the Sunday Times, where the person HAD agreed to receive the cheque, sent the difference by money transfer only to find out the original cheque had bounced and the other party had made off with the excess money...
I usually request money by transfer to moneybookers or by Euro cheque as I do not have a Sterling account . This was no problem this year, our first, and we had English, Spanish and French families this summer...
I seem to remember reading a lot about scams involving bank accounts and African money looking for a foreign account, but it is true I think that in general in the UK, you are advised NOT to give out your bank details...
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I'm trying to find out if anyone else is suffering from total loss of signal on Sky...I was watching a film last night when the screen just died and the box went into standby for no reason. I could not activate it for 30 mn, unplugged, waited, replugged and got a "looking for channels" screen and it came back as normal...(missed the end of the film though!)All was well this morning, but it has just happened again and I cannot seem to get anything apart from a red standby light on the box. I cannot even check signal strength or anything as I can only see a blue screen...Any suggestion will be very gratefully welcome!Many thanks.
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I do my main shopping at Leader Price in Saint Cr (46). I have taken a liking to a certain wine which only costs 1.50 and usually buy 6 bottles at a time... anyway, I was jotting down a shopping list the otehr day, based on previous shopping trips and noticed that the wine had gone up to 1.55. At the shop, the shelf price was still at 1.50.So, bearing in mind that I had several receipts to show that the price charged was not the price shown, I asked for the person in charge. The duty manager did not have the authority to do anything and I had to phone the following day. The actual manager said without hesitation that he would pay the difference (which is the law anyway).Once I had made it clear I was not accusing him or his staff of trying to diddle me, but I quite understood that it was just an error, he also went over to the wine shelf and offered me a bottle as an apology! Standard stuff in GB, but pretty rare attitude in France where "keeping the customer happy" comes way down the list, from previous experience.Anyway, that deserves saying and I shall make sure his head office know about it, to encourage the attitude.As a previous "customer service agent", I know that most people only write to complain, hardly ever to compliment...
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My husband has just registered his UK bought 1991 Espace (16 CV) in the Lot(46).We obtained a certificat de conformit from Matra at a cost of around 106, but were later told it might have been obtained from le departement des mines more cheaply.The cost of the carte grise was halved (from 440 to 220) as the car was over 10 years old.
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When I moved to England in 1977 (so long ago!) Cloclo had just died.Back in France permanently in March this year, I see that he is still with us!The worse thing is that I could still remember the words to the songs! (and sing them...!) Well at least I did not dance like the Claudettes!
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Help!!!I am tearing my hair out in despair...I have tried to obtain a replacement card, using the 0870 05 41 800 number from a UK based mobile and a UK friend's name and address and my Switch card for payment.Shortly after my call, my usual BBC channels changed: BBC1 South became BBC1 Scotland and BBC 2 England also changed to Scotland, ITV Meridian became Grampian, then ITV, C4 and 5 disappeared altogether....As my friend is based in Scotland, I took the changes to the BBC channels to mean that my telephone request was being dealt with.6 weeks on, I am still waiting for my replacement card. My UK bank statement arrived today and does not show any payment of 23.50...I have tried calling the same number from my French landline, but the system is rigged not to accept calls from outside the UK. The www.free2view.tv website cannot proceed with my request (has my Sky card number been tagged somehow?) and I cannot order a "new" card on the website... I have asked another UK based friend to make the FTV card request for me, but she's worried that "they" will link her existing Sky subscription and the new card request...Does anyone have an answer?
LOFT CONVERSION
in House Renovations
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