Rose (& Greyman)

I've just started using World First. Transferred £5000 today at 1.1258 with no fees and I send the money to them today and it is in my French account tomorrow. Their online system is also excellent, it took me 30 secs to do the deal on their system and another minute online with my bank to send them the funds. www.worldfirst.com

My lad is now 13 which seems to be phone-envy age. We're happy to upgrade his current clunker so I've been looking at touchscreen phones and packages from providers. I have to say I'm fairly tech-savvy but the complexity of these packages even in English leaves my head spinning. It seems to be what they don't say in the blurb that's the important bit so I'm worried that I'll sign up for something with 2kb internet allowance and he'll be disappointed. So can anyone give me any recommendations ? Phones and a contract for about 20ish € a month. He'll want voice, text, internet, music and camera and anything else cool teens like. I may have to manage down his expectations but understanding what I'm getting would be a start. My phone only does speaking and texting so that's where I come from !

Thanks ladies. That spec does seem to say to put the finish inwards coops so we've taken the plunge ! Loin of pork now cooking so we'll see. If it goes wrong I'll be going back to the shop to claim on the guarantee (for the glass not the pork). The restaurant is a good backup sweets, we have friends here so I'm sure we'll be visiting at least once. And at least we can eat salad on the terrace in extremis. [:)]

Hi sweets. hope you're well. I passed your wishes to Rose but I'm keeping out of the kitchen just now in case another oven door explodes  ! [:-))]

I'm hoping someone can have a look in their oven for me to answer this ! I have just refitted the inner glass door of my SMEG oven as the previous glass had exploded. It was all very straightforward apart from the fact that there is no clue as to which way round the glass goes. This is relevant as one side has a bumpy black surround and the word 'pyrolyse' printed on it, the other side is plain, clear glass. The oven is one of these fancy pyrolytic cleaning things where you turn it up really hot to clean it and I'm concerned if I get it wrong the finish may melt. I've emailed SMEG tech support but of course they'll be closed for the weekend now and UK is on holiday anyway. Hopefully someone has a similar finish and can let me know. Thanks,

[quote user="Maryo"]Hello: We want you to know that we’re here to help you. However, it’s difficult to do that in a public forum when we don’t know who each person is or the details of their membership. We can help you better and resolve your specific queries or concerns if you contact us directly. You can do so by visiting our own online member forum where we can answer your questions. You can find the forum here: http://bit.ly/gy87cg. Once on the site please post a question and our community manager will be able to respond to you directly. Alternatively, for more information about your specific membership you can contact me directly at [email protected]. If you contact me directly, please reference this forum. Regards, Maryo Customer Service[/quote] It's very reassuring to know that your company are here to help but presumably only after you have used underhand tactics to rip off customers ? This practice seems like an out and out trick to catch unwary punters who don't wade through reams of t&cs and faqs. Perhaps you could help us and others by making mention of the charge adjacent to the tick box ? Or would that mean no-one would sign up ?

My darling Rose has given me a prod on this one, so I'll tell you what we do. We have a Netgear Skype phone that to all intents and purposes is a normal hands-free phone. Extra handsets are available. It connects wirelessly to a small box which sits next to our router and the two are connected by a short length of ethernet cable. The phone is an IP device on our network but you don't need to know that ! The phone runs the Skype software so can be used just like using Skype on the PC i.e. you can call other Skype users for free. However, there is another possibility, which we use, which really seals the deal. You can buy a Skype package (I think we pay 48€ per year) that gives you unlimited calls to a number of countries (UK included and as usual excluding the dreaded 084x numbers) BUT also gives you a UK phone number. So, we can call UK for free and our friends and family can call us as if we were in UK. As many of them have call packages from BT and the like they are effectively calling us for free. I also go back to work in UK and have a few clients there so I can give them the Skype number and they have no idea they are phoning France so that's another bonus. The packages are on the Skype website and they're running a 15% discount at the moment. Oh and you can buy Skype credit for the few times you may need to call an 084x number in UK. The charges aren't generally a lot and I also use the SayNoto0870 website to find geographical numbers to avoid them. Edit: just realised I've totally missed the point of Martin's question (responded to command from on high without reading the first post !) but I'll leave my reply as it may be of interest. BTW our Skype phone has to be logged in to the Skype newtork with our user name for the Skype bit to work.

Mine's working [:D]

[quote user="Théière"] That's simply not so ..[/quote] Yes I'm sure you're right about other bulbs, I was just expressing my view of the ones I bought, anything less than 60 leds just wouldn't be adequate. The later technology looks very good but I have no experience of those.

I bought these over 2 years ago http://www.dotlight.de/products/en/Illuminants/LED-Spots/Base-GU10/GU10-warm-white/LED-PAR20-Lamp-GU10-warmwhite-60-LEDs-HighLumen-GreenLED.html and have been very pleased. I didn't buy from eBay as I didn't trust the sellers and TBH anything less than the 60 LEDs in these bulbs would be little more than a glow. We use these as over-mirror illumination in a bathroom and worktop spots in the kitchen. I simply removed the GU10 halogens that came with the mini spots and replaced with these. The halogens were 35w and I agree that these LEDs give an equivalent light. They are cool to touch even after being on for hours and of the 20 bought I've only had one where half the LEDs failed, all the others are still going strong. They're not cheap but with them all running we're saving over 600W so I'm happy.

I have no knowledge or experience of them. The associations they belong to are not 'premium' but they do claim to be insured. So ask for details of their Professional Indemnity Insurance, check the level of cover and the fidelity of the insurance company and if that is all in order you should have no worries. In the case of an error you can just claim against the insurance. Having said that a recommendation would help as it would be better to not to have to use this route !

[quote user="AnOther"]OK peeps, on a scale of  1 to 10 what would you rate the chances of a satisfactory outcome from HMRC's own complaints procedures ? http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/factsheets/complaints-factsheet.pdf [/quote] Be sure to clearly mark the outside of the envelope and in large bold type just above the Dear Sir on the letter COMPLAINT. Otherwise the post openers will shuttle your letter off to some outlying department to be dealt with at leisure. They do take complaint letters slightly more seriously.

Dinner, nice bath and hot sex on the stairs. Those were the days [:P]

It's FRA sweet17. Don't start me commenting on HMRC 'service'. I'm an accountant who has to deal with them regularly. I believe they've been taking lessons in incompetance from RSI.

[quote user="Albert the InfoGipsy"] I bought my TV in Cheltenham but still can't get BBC or ITV. What am I doing wrong? [/quote] It's one of those GCHQ tellies. They're watching you !

[quote user="Benjamin"]So as not take this thread off topic my final comment is that until I get a seat on the FSA, the MPC and get to sit in on every fiscal policy meeting held by the (any) Government, I accept no responsibility either as an individual or as a member of Society as a whole.  [:P][/quote] Well you're not alone. Not taking resonsibility for anything is the standard response these days. Getting back on topic and segueing nicely .... did anyone see the news reaction to the attack on the Royal car. Apparantly it was the fault of the police and their security men. The thugs who did it take no resonsibility at all. If the car hadn't been there I wouldn't have attacked it would I guv !

Benjamin says ... I for one have always lived within my means When I say all I mean society as a group, not each and every individual. As a society (I'm talking UK here as I don't have a lot of knowledge of the economies beyond) we have for a long time relied on unsustainable credit. It's quite possible your 'income plan' is invested in the banks so indirectly you (or other pension fund members) are the banks who caused the problems. We all (group again, not every individual) elected the politicians who oversaw this mess and as a society were happy to spend the ever inflating credit that resulted. Do you think a politician who stood up in the late 90s and said 'this bubble is going to burst one day, let's pull back now' would have been elected. Maybe you were the perfect individual who saved up a 30% deposit on their house, never took out a loan for a holiday and bought stuff on credit card. If so you are in the minority but you still stand side by side with the rest when it comes to carrying the burden.

[quote user="Richardbk"] There is a sense that those that got us into this mess are paying way below even a fair proportion, let alone the full amount of what they should be paying. [/quote] Playing devil's advocate to this I also think there is a failure of the population in general to take their share of the blame for the situation e.g. my bank failed because I took out a 125% mortgage based on an inflated self-certification application or I couldn't afford to pay off my credit card after I spent £2000 on Christmas presents or I bought 3 buy-to-let peoperties because I heard on TV that prices would always go up or I used all my savings buying a second home in France. It's easy to blame faceless bankers but the fact is we have all been living beyond our means for years with no thought for how our children will pay for this. Now the bill has landed on the mat it is of course someone elses fault. I include myself in this by the way but it is time to listen to our parents and rein in the conspicuous consumption.

[quote user="Simon Ariège"] It's not always the message that counts - it's often how it's delivered......think about it. Simon :-)[/quote] I've thought about it and I don't get it. Are you saying it doesn't matter if the information in the message is wrong, provided it's done in a smiley way ? I think all the posts were helpful up to the point where French Frank decided to single out your (not entirely accurate) post for thanks and ignore everyone else. No one has an axe to grind. We're just trying to be precise for the OP.

[quote user="French Frank"]Thanks for that very useful information Simon.[/quote] Am I the only one who finds this a bit bizarre ? Several posters have subsequently taken the trouble to elaborate and correct Simon's post and this seems rather a pointed snub. This is a very complicated area where it is important to be sure of your facts and I don't think anyone was trying to score points just clarifying for the OPs benefit. Having taken the trouble to thank a poster why not include all those who did so ? Perhaps I'm just thin skinned !

[quote user="cooperlola"]And I assume from your ealier post that you could not have got a refund either.  Must have been pretty tough for the two of you in the present circs.[:(] How is Rose by the way? - still glowing in the dark? [/quote] Hi coops. You're right, no refund. Fortunately Rose has her own cover which includes our son so she was unaffected, otherwise I would have poured steam down the line ! I didn't have time to be ill so no harm done ultimately. Rose's glow is waning and her side effects are fading too. She's even out at band rehearsal tonight, now that she's a rock star. I've been regaled with Yellow, Chasing Cars, You Do Something to Me and various other modern ballads today. She loves singing and is very good. It's given her something to work for. Sorry for waffling on your thread ANO.

I wasn't. My entitlement was withdrawn on the expiry date and not reinstated till I was able to produce my S1.[:@]

Simon, your post is helpful but the OP should be aware of a few definition slips in it. The reference to the HMRC website regarding residency/domicile is useful for determining the UK position but these definitions do not apply in France. The 183 day issue is only UK relevant. There are more generalised criteria in the French code, which you suggest. In simple terms if your 'life' is in France you can be French tax resident from the day you step ashore. Forget 183 days in France. To be pedantic you must declare all your worldwide income in France if you are French resident. Not quite the same as being taxed on it in France, even with the double tax treaty. I don’t mean to be picky but the OP may be confused.

Don't call me Sherly ! (RIP Leslie Nielsen). Well spotted hereford ! [Www]

[quote user="sherly"]....the looming recession.... [/quote] Aw bless. To be so sheltered [:)]