Jay

Maybe it is more than a scratch,  as you say. It will be interesting to see what HoneySD reports after speaking to the insurance. I don't think it could in any way be construed as hit and run ( 'délit de fuite'). In my opinion it will be treat as simple car park damage and as such will be covered by fully comp insurance. I have to say I have not had any reason for complaint from my experience with insurance companies here in France. I presume you are speaking from experience Norman when you speak of the "weaselly  ways of French insurers"? I know that the two claims we have made for car damage have been dealt with professionally and speedily to my complete satisfaction. I also know of two friends who have made claims under their house insurance and also report no problems.

[quote user="Pickles"]As NH says, the police may not actually do anything to investigate the incident, (and that might be the case whether in the UK or France), but you are in France and it is best to make an official complaint "contre X" (?) for the damage and "delit de fuite". They probably will not want to take the complaint but you ought to insist. Your insurance company would expect you to do so. [/quote] I did ask my broker if I was supposed to report it and he said it was not necessary and would have been a waste of time unless it was an accident, vandalism or theft. The forms were completed in the agents office and I did not lose my NCB. The paint shop advised the insurance of the repair cost and they didn't even bother inspecting. Next time I get a scratch on the car in Super U car park I must remember to inform the police!

Our car was dented in a UK car park, no problem driving it. We returned home and claimed under our fully comp. insurance without any problem. I don't think the police would be the slightest bit interested. I suspect calling out the recovery people would not get the car home. As far as I am aware they take it to the nearest main agent.

If you read on it tells you it's 1€ a month.

[quote user="Mrs Trellis"]Funny, I thought I'd posted this but it seems to have vanished.  [/quote] Here it is: http://services.completefrance.com/forums/completefrance/cs/forums/2895606/ShowPost.aspx

Last one I bought in the UK was about £2, but you can buy them here in France from Amazon at not a lot more ........ http://www.amazon.fr/tirette-plafond-interrupteur-voies-pack/dp/B007JHCY6U/ref=pd_cp_light_0

Looks like a wild orchid. Pics HERE

[quote user="Quillan"] I feel sorry for the union members at that time, especially the miners. They were done in not by Thatcher but Scargill who quite frankly was interested in only himself and just used them. Unfortunately he was not the man for the job, he lost and in doing so took them down with him. You can't run a country by winning an election then asking the unions in for a pint and a sandwich then ask them how to do it. She knew that, we knew that, in fact just about everyone knew that, You can't have unelected tails wag a dog. [/quote] Obviously you didn't have most of your family working in the mines at that time!

Well thanks for that, you learn something new every day. I've been parking in the same place for the past ten years and never had a ticket, nor seen any blue squares/disks in car windows. I'll look for the "hidden" signs then pop into the paper shop and buy a disk next time I park illegally!

We have friends staying with us and they parked in our local town in one of the many, on street, free parking places with blue lines (rather than the white lines of normal car parks). On returning to their car they had a 17€ fine ticket under the windscreen wiper. I know these are not disabled bays and there are no signs to say it is limited parking. I have parked in the same place many times, even chatting to the police municipale when my grandson wanted to have a look at their different colour police car. Are these blue lined parking areas a national thing, time limited or similar?

[quote user="sweet 17"]I suppose people are practically giving away telephones that "merely" send and receive calls and do not play you music, allow you to show people the photo of your cat, give you your bank balance and switch on your central heating before you get home. [/quote] Get one that does all that and more - you will wonder what you ever did without it!

They are almost certainly moles. I have had them in my lawns and have caught 3 in the last 2 weeks. They are a plague at the moment with the mild winter and loads of worms.

Your Tesco Sims are the standard size, then there are micro and nano Sims for the newer phones like the iPhone5 and iPad mini. Your old Samsung phone uses the standard size Sim (like the Tesco Sim - as Sid said). If your new French phone is a recent model then it may well use a nano Sim. Check out the different Sims HERE If you look up the model of your new French phone on Google it should tell you what Sim it takes.

I'm happy with this one: http://www.lefrenchmobile.com/en/order-sim-card-for-france.html

"Benefits are to be capped at £26,000, the same as national average income" I wouldn't mind some of that for doing nothing! I'm sure I could find something constructive to fill my time.

[quote user="Quillan"]Personally I found, and I am not alone it appears, that the style of righting is more akin to a 12 or 14 year old. [/quote] It would appear Kate Mosse is not the only one who writes like a 12 year old!

[quote user="Patf"]I don't think they know what they're doing - there's no logic in it. In 2006 I had a hip replacement, covered 100% . Soon after, emergency hospitalisation for a heart attack - 3 days in intensive care, covered 70%. Unless there are different regs. for intensive care. [/quote] You would have thought that should be the other way around. We had a similar situation, I had a routine walk in/walk out same day operation at 100% but my wife had a five day stay (same clinic), more serious op. at 80%

This has been covered many times on the forum, I'm sure you must know that! Try http://www.spex4less.com/mens_glasses.shtml at about £20 a pair. Alternatively a search on Google will bring up loads of results including one French online company.

Still on the LHS under services on my account - not changed as far as I can see. Maybe a glitch on your area site.

Got a Tesco card? Free internet films/tv only it's having a few problems at the moment. http://www.clubcardtv.com/

Lot de 5So "only" 6.70 €HT each. Mind you I picked up a few light fittings in the UK, all CE marked, complete with cable and bayonet fitting for £1.99 each. Suited me to use them as none of our ceilings would take anything like the french fittings and the lights we bought here either didn't have fittings or had a stupid plastic cone.

Last year's news. Seems old hat to me - don't know why it is suddenly resurfaced? So what's new? http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/bad-news-for-the-booze-cruise-new-green-fuel-rules-are-set-to-send-ferry-fares-soaring-7697818.html

[quote user="Anton Redman"]Am I missing something but why not have a plate made up such as Smithson Trailers Ltd Construction  Feb 1960 Weight 2000 kg Chassis  Muff1960/47 [/quote] Nice one from eBay for 12€ http://www.ebay.fr/itm/Plaque-constructeur-Autos-Remorques-gravee-/230910346797?pt=FR_JG_Auto_Pieces_Remorques&hash=item35c354462d

"Electrical bonding is the practice of intentionally electrically connecting all exposed metallic non-current carrying items in a room or building as protection from electric shock. If a failure of electrical insulation occurs, all bonded metal objects in the room will have substantially the same electrical potential, so that an occupant of the room cannot touch two objects with significantly different potentials. Even if the connection to a distant earth ground is lost, the occupant will be protected from dangerous potential differences" WIKI LINK

[quote user="sid"]Sometimes 2 or 3 earth spikes are required. A competent electrician will test the earth using a sort of potentiometer/restistence measuring thing (technical term!).[/quote] I believe the correct word is "thingy"     urbandictionary.com Also used by women 'to describes anything under the bonnet of a car.' Quote: A technical term.Guy #1: Insert the thingy into the slot. Guy #2: ...Is that a... Technical term? Guy #1: Why, yes. Yes it is.