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vincam

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Everything posted by vincam

  1. [quote user="Cat"] Do you already have a clause in your terms and conditions about pool safety vincam?  If not (for the future) it might be worth adding something along the lines of... The owners reserve the right to close the pool at any time in the interests of safety. [/quote]   Here is an extract from my Terms.  It has been shortened as I don't want to bore you[:)].  By the way, I know of at least 3 other owners who have copied my Terms almost in their entirety... It is not about my ability to draft legal docs... It is about not wanting to be rude to them I suppose.  I tend to be too polite and then, when people don't take heed too OTT ... Like most I just don’t want a big fight on my hands. Terms... Swimming Pool. The swimming pool measures approximately 12m long by 6m wide and has a varied depth of 0.6 to 1.8m. Swimming pools in France account for a huge proportion of child fatalities. We are compliant with the latest legislation but only you can ensure the safety of yourselves and your party. The following rules apply to the pool. These rules are only common sense and we list them here for the sake of clarity. No children under the age of 14 to be unaccompanied at the pool. No diving, the pool is not deep enough. No jumping from poolside onto floatation devices.. No glass (plastic drinking vessels are available free of charge). No late night swimming unless agreed with Owners. (We never refuse, we just need to know). No food to be consumed poolside. No horseplay which is annoying to other Guests. Reasonable fun, water polo etc is not a problem. No flotation devices other than those provided by or approved by the owners. If you want to use a flotation devise please let the Owners check it first. No flippers (fins) or diving masks. Goggles are fine if not made of glass but must first be checked by the Owners. No petting or overtly sexual behaviour. No hanging of towels and swim wear on pool fence, apart from being unsightly this also is dangerous. The fence is designed to be seen through. A shower is provided beside the pool and in the interests of hygiene should be used before and after every swim. The Pool shall be open from Mid April to Mid October. This may be extended at the Owners' discretion dependent upon weather. The pool shall be available for use from 09:00hrs to 20:00hrs every day. This may be varied towards longer hours at the discretion of the Owners. So, if you want an early morning swim at 06:00hrs please just ask and we shall ensure this is facilitated. The owners reserve the right to close the pool at their discretion at any time in the interests of safety or hygiene. The pool gate must be locked when not in use. The Owners maintain the highest standards in regard to pool hygiene, to do this it is regularly necessary to clean and treat the water. This is  not normally intrusive to Guests and the Owners try to carry out the maintenance when it least disturbs the Guests. Occasionally some disruption may occur and Guests are thanked, in advance for their understanding and co-operation. I would show all of our terms but it is an extensive document.  Suffice to say, we have it covered in terms. What is the penalty for drowning a brace of mothers in France?  Just joking... they are so fat it would be hard to submerge them and even if I could it would displace all the water![:'(] We had another chat with them and they seem to be getting the message.  BBS  
  2. I have a problem and would be grateful for some advice... fast. We have two English families here in two of our cottages.  They have two 4 year old boys and a variety of other small, younger children.  Because we have fenced gardens we suggest it is safe for children.  The mothers therefore simply open the door, release the kids and sit on their fat bums all day drinking tea...  The pool has a fence with a gate and I have seen the boys climbing on this gate and rattling it.   They are determined to breach it.  I have told them off and asked the mothers to stop them.  The mothers have no control over the kids (no doubt ADHD or some other made up disorder and nothing to do with them being pants at parenting). I resorted to telling the Mums that they must now also lock the gate with the key (but leave it in the gate).  The three times they have used the pool since they have not locked it! I have now locked the pool and put the key on the back door.   I have written a little letter which I plan to ask the mothers to sign.  It is below. What do you think?  It's the old thing of not wanting to offend people but I really am worried about the kids drowning and putting up my insurance premiums. If they leave it open after this I shall ban them from the pool.  Problem is the Dads are a bit rough.  Will I be allowed to call the Police if they climb over or something? Thanks for your help... BBS PS... NO THEY ARE NOT AUSTRALIANS POOL KEY   Key is on hook on Back Door.    Pool MUST be locked with key and Key returned To hook when Adult is not within the confines of the Pool Fence.  No exceptions.   The fence is secure and conforms with standard NF P 90-306 but is not designed for continual aggressive attempts at access from unsupervised toddlers.   The fence is last line safety measure not first.   Thank you for complying with our rules which  are as  inconvenient to us as they are to you but designed to ensure the safety of YOUR children.   Please return all spare Pool keys (which can be found on the key ring).      I understand the rule above and agree that my party and I shall comply with it.  
  3. [quote user="Deby"] I am quite surprised that the Ozzies would mention litigation - I've never met an Australian yet that would go down that route - but the world is changing :-( [/quote] He mentioned it only because he had assumed I was thinking we were susceptible to a case.  Of course we were not. He was trying to re-assure me..  I know he was not thinking of suing but the fact that he thought that MUST be our motivation was the point.  He simply could not just accept that I, and others in this business often, as a matter of course do go 'that extra mile'. BBS  
  4. [quote user="Callie"]Vincam, I think you were just unlucky. Unfortunately, an experience like yours leaves a nasty taste in the mouth. But most guests are nice, normal people who enjoy their holiday, and judging by what you have written, I'm sure you would do exactly the same thing again. You're a kind, generous person and gullibility has nothing to do with it. Bravo ![/quote]   Cheers.   No nasty taste though, we have a toilet brush!!![:D]
  5. [quote user="Jura"] Vincam, being both Australian AND in the accommodation business here in France I can only say that your post suggests you are relatively new to the tourism game. If so, then 'Welcome' to the business of being 'taken in'. The act of being 'ungrateful' as well as leaving 'faeces in the bowl' is pretty much a universal thing where guests are concerned. Take it from me, such habits are not restricted to mere nationality. Wait until you have to scrape 'faeces' from the toilet SEAT - even though you have provided a toilet brush for them to use (it amazes me how many folk do not know how, or even bother, to use one). Dirty, fithy people (guests) come in all shapes, sizes, professions and nationalities - as I have found - and among the worst I have seen have been 'older people' who should know better...and yes, 'Poms' were among them. But in my personal experience young females travelling together in groups tend to leave the worst mess. I cannot speak for all Australians but most of us have been well familiarised with 'indoor plumbing' for well over 50 years now - I suggest your guests were of the 'backyard dunny' type who only have one other known use for newspaper after they have read it...they probably live in Woy Woy [:)] We Aussies tend to stay away from anything involving litigation...too expensive in our eyes...so don't ever worry about being sued by an Australian. We are not in the same league when it comes to suing as are our American friends nor do we have such bothersome things as 'yooman rights' to scream about as do the Brit's. But I think you should have deducted something from their deposit for your trouble...I certainly would have. By the way, we spell it 'Poms'...not with a double 'm' [:D]   [/quote] Thanks for that and the spelling tip.  We have had guests from the US, Hong Kong, Ireland, UK, Canada etc although most we get are from the UK, thank the Lord. We even have French guests who despite their reputation to the contrary have always been exemplary guests in every way; clean, courteous and warm people.  I agree many guests are disappointing but it has only ever been the Antipodeans who have been so crude in their behaviour.  Maybe we just got unlucky but I do note an almost pathological delight in some people (not just Australians) in showing off their 'non sophistication', almost as though it were a tag which distinguished them from their British forebears...  They simply had to do 'ploppy' on the seat to show they were not like those namby pamby 'Poms', who would not doubt be big sissies and clean it up... If you get my drift. They at least are successful in this distinction. Having said that I admit that I like it in some ways; there is a lot to be said for a classless society, as opposed, that is, to a society and a people, without class.   (I refer to any  group whose primary aspect is ignorance and bad manners and not necessarily Australians, but we can hardly exclude them can we?).  The two women by the way were primary school teachers, one man a Lawyer and the other an Electrical Engineer  (though I have my doubts) they were in their late fifties.  If this is what we can expect from the 'professional type' of Australians I hate to think what we could expect from the 'Dunny type' of whom you speak. I do hope I have not misspelt that word.. 'Dunny'... is it of Greek or Latin derivation?  It certainly has merit as a word as it conveys so much in just two syllables, as much about the speaker as the subject, almost onomatopoeic (but not quite) I imagine.  Forgive me, I am only  familiar with the Australian vocabulary in so far as it coincides with the English.  It does seem rather  quaint that they can invent such interesting words: 'Dunny' and 'Pom'....  I believe also that 'Sheala' or ‘Sheila’ is another... no doubt derived from the correct but rather more challenging spelling, 'Sheglah'. Incidentally, strictly speaking 'Pom' or 'Pommy' is a reference not to the English but to the inhabitants of Australia who were there at the courtesy of England, these often included nationalities other than English.   It stands for 'Prisoner of Mother England'.  POME... Later becoming 'Pommy' (perhaps it is easier to remember words if they have a ring to them ..  Pommy, Dunny, Barby etc..).  So to use it to describe a person who has never had the great good fortune even to have visited the island, as a guest of her Majesty or otherwise, is inappropriate, I would respectfully suggest, old chap.[B] I realise I cannot ban people on the grounds of their race, nor would I want to but if I do again come across people who plainly pride themselves in having no class, who as a matter of course use derogative (and incorrect) terms to describe the English, seem to wear nothing but cheap crimpolene clothing and complain incessantly at not being able to buy ‘Jacob’s Creek’ in any French cafe (I absolutely swear that is true!)... I shall either eject them or offer them a tent in the back garden - next to the Barby.   Regardless of nationality. As you feel it is appropriate to refer to me as a 'Pom' I am sure you will take my comments in the same spirit, me old Cobber[:D]  Bamber Bothlewhaite-smythe PSThe Jacob’s Creek reference.  I know it is a good wine.  I just question why someone would travel from Australia to the heart of France and want to dink it.  BBS  
  6. [quote user="Dick Smith"]Well, Vincam, I think you acted honourably, and it does you credit. That isn't gullibility, that is generosity. It's a shame if the two get confused... [/quote]   Thank you Dick, your comment and some others make me sure I did the right thing... Occupying the high ground has its merits! [:D]
  7. [quote user="Iceni"][quote user="Puzzled"] I think it was very noble of you not to deduct any money from their deposit, [/quote] "Noble" is not the word that springs to mind for me,why bother to take a deposit if you don't intend to use it? OP - you seem a kind, generous but somewhat gullible person, probably not the best attributes when trying to run a business. But each to his own as they say, you may wait a long time but you will doubtless get your reward somewhere. John [/quote] I'm not sure you can make a valued judgement on me based on the post.  I assure you that I am not in the least gullible and that I probably am better qualified to run a business that you realise.  By letting them keep the money I show to them that my motive for mentioning the state of the place was not an excuse to take the deposit.  We take a deposit in the hope that it will be a deterrent to people leaving the place in a mess.  We never plan to use it and never have.  Sort of like a nuclear deterrent I suppose but without the MAD part.  The fact is it did not work this time.   I don't need to wait for a reward...  I sleep well, its enough for me.   
  8. Our daughter was 9 when she started at a local primary school.  She is a bright girl but was very slow to pick up the language.  We arranged private French lessons for her but she still had real problems.  I am glad to say that the problems she had did not manifest themselves in the sort of bahavior your child seems to exhibit.  She was desperately unhappy but not disruptive.  Even so we did seriously consider going back to England because of how upsetting it was for her.  It took a good year and a half for her to really settle. The catalyst I think was that after 9 months we changed schools and within a few weeks she started to settled, started to speak French and we have never looked back.  I think in part it was the change which made her realise we, her parents, took her problems seriously.  I think many parents tend to think 'Oh kids... they soon pick up the lingo'  In fact it is not at all easy for them.  (I am not suggesting you think like this, it is apparent you are very concerned). Obviously all cases are different but for us it was importanmt she went to a local French school.  This is not just about language but also about culture.  She is now indistinguishable from a French Child.  Apart from the fact that she is well behaved of course. [:)] It is hard to tell sometimes if the language issue is causing the problem or concealing one.  Have you considered a change of school locally?  Maybe for you this is not possible.  I did notice by the way that our child seemed to absorb the language for a long time before venturing to speak it, when she finally did there was no stopping her.  I have heard other parents say this too. Good luck.
  9. [quote user="Albert the InfoGipsy"] Yvonne, I can't answer for your living budget, but with £200,000 to spend you should be able to find a decent place in much of rural France. Have a look at the Logic Immo site below. You might find the maps of departements and regions useful as well.. In Limousin, for example, there are loads of terrains under £50,000 and you could build a pretty decent house for £150,000. There are lots of houses under your budget, too. There are areas where property prices are not far from UK levels -- I'm in Vannes, southern Britanny, at present and I know of houses for sale locally in the million pound range. However, this area is exceptional. http://www.logic-immo.com/ http://www.drimmo.com/carte.php http://www.gauloise.com/carte-regions-france.html Finally, you might find this site useful -- climate by departement. http://www.meteofrance.com/FR/climat/france.jsp [/quote]   I think it is a pity with so many old buildings in France in need of restoration that many people. particulalry French, prefer to build new houses.  Of course it is often the cheaper route and the easier but a pity.  In my opinion.
  10. We have a cottage in which two Australian couples stayed last week.  During their stay one was bitten by a dog whilst cycling.  This of course was not our fault but when she got back here we dressed her leg and took her and her husband to our local hospital (about 40km round trip).  We waited with them and in all spent 3 hours in the hospital.  In that time we provided translation for them etc. The Doctor told us the woman would have to report the incident to the Police who would then apparently go to the owners of the dog and require them to have it Rabies tested.  So, we then took the couple to our police station which was closed. The next morning we took them back to the station (very early so they could enjoy the day) and there they made out a report.  This took over an hour.  The police made an appointment to come out to the house the following day.  The guests, who again were keen to enjoy the day arranged to go out and we waited for the police and when they arrived we accompanied them to the house of the offending dog where the process was completed. Each of the following evenings we dressed her leg and on the last evening her husband suggested to us that we had been so helpful because we obviously feared they would sue us!!!!???? (He was trying to re-assure us they would not sue us)[8-)]   I explained that we are not responsible for the local wildlife any more than we are traffic in France and that our motivation was nothing to do with self concern and only to do with helping them. It seems to me that these people simply could not comprehend someone doing an altruistic act so had to find a reason to which they could equate. We did not do any of this for reward.  As many of you will know, Gite owners often go way beyond the call of duty and for no reward.  Many of our customers have left little gifts for us; some have bought us dinner even.  These people not only left without so much as a thank you but also left the cottage in the worst state we have ever seen.  They had left faeces on the bowl, the fridge half full, bins full and so on....  These were professional people and I am very disapointed they could behave like this.  I have of course written to them with photos and sent them their deposit.  That may surprise some but I have not deducted a penny, mainly because they will no doubt immediately assume the wrong reason if we did deduct money. I mention all this because we have only one other time had Australians stay and although not as bad they were also very poor guests, they too had no idea how to clean.  Both sets also seemed to think it perfectly OK to refer to us (English) as ‘Pomms’, I find that quite insulting. I have nothing against Australians but I am keen to know if other owners have had good or bad experiences with them.    Thank you
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