Stan Streason
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Posts posted by Stan Streason
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[quote user="JandM"]My own moment of Ryanair-induced spluttering rage was some years when I spelt my companion's surname wrongly on the online booking. Although I realised the mistake after ten minutes and rang straight away to make the correction I was told I'd have to book a new ticket - which had nearly doubled in price. I imagine that Ryanair went on to sell the seat that I had already paid for to someone else. Rules are rules, as someone says above. [/quote]Once again someone loses out and feels aggrieved yet has not read the rules. From Ryanair FAQ'sPassenger names can be changed via the following methods:Up to 4 hours prior to the schedule flight departure time via the Manage My Booking section of the website at a discounted rate. Please note - A passenger name can only be changed via this method before a passenger has checked in online.Alternatively a Ryanair call centre (subject to opening hours) can change a passenger name up to 4 hours before the scheduled flight departure time (Full rates apply). Please note - A passenger name can only be changed via this method before a passenger has checked in online.At the airport a passenger name can be changed up to 40 minutes prior to the scheduled flight departure time (Full rates apply). Please note - A passenger name can only be changed via this method before a passenger has checked in online.Name changes are not possible if any flight sector in the booking has been flown.There is a name change fee per person. No fare difference is charged when changing a passenger name only.Do it online name change fee only. Phone up - full rates apply.
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I went to a meeting a couple of weeks ago given by BAA Stansted and their staff training provider and I must admit it changed my view of things (and given my views have been built up following years of prejudice – they rarely change).
The audience were asked what frustrates us about travelling through the airport. We all gave examples of what frustrates us (you can add your own pet hates here) and we were told of what they call airport mentality where usually reasonable people seem to lose their common sense and manners in airports.
Then came the bit that changed my attitude. If I get frustrated at “idiots” ahead of me in a 20 min queue a couple of times a month, how frustrated must an airport employee get dealing with this for an 8 hour shift – every day. 100% of airport employees are verbally abused every day and over 90% are physically threatened at least once a month.
BAA and the trainers are working with staff, doing touchy feely HR things to alleviate the pressures they face.
There are 2 things from the OP which don’t quite ring true to me (please OP don’t take offence) which makes it difficult to understand the situation. Firstly I have got away with murder in airports with a smile, a bit of self depreciating humour and a pathetic look. You may not have been rude but I bet you could have handled it better. Secondly I have been in many of those queues. Unless you were at the very back – how long can it take to take 2 coats out of a bag and put 2 items in it. It happens every day at every queue. Surely less than a minute if it was so trivial as you suggest. I am struggling to see what made your event so different and time consuming.
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Of course it all depends upon what you want. Type hotels Futuroscope into Expedia and a whole list comes up from around £55. If you just need a stopping off point and dont mind a modern box type hotel - Plenty of choice - right next to A10 and about 5 hours drive from Calais.
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I read your post about lack of broadband and assumed you meant USB internet dongle. Did you mean modem?
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France would have to take wholeheartedly to cricket, build lots more decent golf courses (and get them "matured" quickly), serve proper beer on draft in its bars and the people generally would have to adopt a more entrepreneurial "can-do" mentality before I could cope with it full time.
Nothing I could want would make up for the stuff I would miss and I am sure the reverse would be true if I already lived in France.
Unless you are either very lucky or very unlucky I don't think changes in government (where the difference in political leaning is relatively small between parties in UK) really have too much effect on us masses.
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I have used these people with pool and general maintenance items. Very helpful. May just be a bit too far north in Sauze depending if you are closer to Ruffec than Mansle or Vice Versa.
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Wind-up alert
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[quote user="Mr Coeur de Lion"]Thought you didn't need a passport for travel in the EU? Just photo id?[/quote]
I went out and returned through the tunnel on my driving license a few years ago but the car got fully searched each time as they got their own back on me for forgetting it.
Gov sites now specifically say driving license is not valid.
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About a 3c difference on the rate for €500 is not that bad and would also take into account the FT rate not being struck at exactly the same time as your conversion.
I have been getting just under a 2c difference on transfers between £1k and £5k. It gets better the more you convert and vise versa.
I have never been charged by Britline for receiving a deposit though.
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I would think you need to apply for a passport through the British embassy. Can't really see an alternative if you want to travel. As you are not resident in UK you cannot argue returning home as reason for travel. The trip appears to be of your choice and therefore you will be deemed to have the appropriate documents.
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I've had another word with my VAT man and done a bit of research.
If you look at Amazon FAQ's under VAT and delivery they say for exports that their prices they quote initially include VAT at UK rates which they then adjust on invoice to the specific rate in the country in question once the delivery details are entered. Check your invoices to see if you actually have been charged 19.6%, ie TVA you can claim back in the normal way.
Internet retailers are covered under special "distance selling" arangements so the advice I noted this morning may not be fully correct in these circumstances.
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Just spoken with my VAT director (yes really).
You could claim VAT back but the paperwork is really really complicated and would entail you registering a special scheme in UK.
In short your suppliers are operating their VAT scheme incorrectly and are charging you VAT that is not due. Their excuse about their excessive paperwork is a ruse. Most standard accounting systems can cope with non vattable supplies. You either have to be harder with them, threaten to shop around to find someone who will do it properly (saving you 20%) or just grin and bear it.
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I'm certainly not knocking it but Britline is a great marketing ploy.
Many of the regional incarnations of CA have an English web page but there is little or no mention of an english helpline.
So someone in Normandie has this idea, sets up a bigger/better english website, give it a fancy name, employs a few English speakers as a helpdesk and Bob's votre oncle.
This then leads to many of us with interests all around France using a Normandie bank.
Not only that but they actually back up the marketing hype with a good service.
From a business point of view its fantastic.
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I dont think I have ever seen a post which radiates such infectious enthusiasm.
Its not just a pile of poo - you have a pony in there somewhere!
Good luck
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[quote user="NormanH"]Nobody would happier than me to see second home owners leave France, nor to see Ryanair stop the flights which have contributed to the infestation.
[/quote]You have just got to be sitting there grinning with a great big tounge in your cheek right?
I enjoy playing Mr Grumpus and say outrageous things at times but if you actually mean it, that's just plain nasty.
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Can't remember how many we are up to but fully agree with the OP. Very helpful on the few occasions I have needed them.
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[quote user="Chancer"]If you know the volume of a level load in the truck its easy to work out.[/quote]
I should have edited my post to say that my wife was asking the question.
I am an accountant - rest assured I will work it out for my wife in a way that does not involve me unstacking an existing pile, loading a van, unloading a van and then restacking, just to save me a couple of quid.
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We were asking this question only this week and wondering if next time we go over in a transit - we should fill it with logs for the return journey.
I paid about €48 a stere last year (for 10 stere cut to 50cm). As we are only in the place infrequently in winter the log burner is probably lit on about 20 occasions at most. I have about 10 years worth stacked up in the barn.
In UK it costs me £75 for a level flatbed truck's worth split and cut to about 9 inches (I have asked for longer but its from the pile they cut 2 years ago so I would have to order and pay 2 years in advance for a "special".).
I have no idea which is cheaper.
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Just to prove how fickle the whole system is - I heard directly from the people involved (captain and first officer) how they bribed a dispatcher €100 at CdG on Christmas Eve to bump them up the departure list by 4 planes so they could both get to respective family engagements in UK that evening. Real danger of them being stuck in Paris otherwise.
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Computers and software are beasts of the devil and they play with your emotions. However I am a firm believer that if you try enough things you can normally get round to what you want.
Someone has already mentioned that you probably have windows media player installed. There is a "Load from CD" option there. If it works you can then copy into Itunes and it is probably an Itunes problem - if it doesnt then it is probably hardware related and you have at least narrowed it down.
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I am tucked into the southeast corner of 79 only half a dozen miles from being in either 16 or 86.
Plus points. Weather, relative cost, travel time from UK by both road and air, quiet, rural, not many tourists.
Minus points. Not much variety of "things to do or see". Certainly no cafe society (as few tourists). Relative price brings quite a large expat community.
If you are active and looking at lots of things to do, the area could be better. If you use the place to "chill" its brilliant.
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Other people are far more qualified than me to go on about health costs - but to get partly back to your original question.
Taking the simple assumptions that you make a 2% return on your investment pot after tax (and as this will be pretty much your only income, tax shouldnt be huge) and that you receive £8,000 pa married pension from aged 66.
If you draw £25,000 per annum to live on, your pot will last till you are about 86, after that you would need to survive on the £8k pa pension.
If you draw £20,000 per annum to live on you will still have over £100,000 left when you reach 100.
If you draw £22,000 to live on your pot should see you to your 100th birthday.
If you start drawing at £20,000 pa and increase it by 3% each year to cover cost of living your pot will last till approx 82 years of age.
Lots of variables but it does show how small annual changes make a huge difference. The big question is can you live in France on £20,000 pa (net)?
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My little commune of 125 houses has a quarterly newsletter from the mairie in which contact details via phone and email are given.
I sent an email in early November just checking that I was not alone in not having received the taxe habitation bill and got a very quick reply saying that we were on the December payment date and to contact them again if I had not received anything by the end of the month (I did so I didn’t).
Very helpful.
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[quote user="cooperlola"]
[quote user="Alan Zoff"]I went to the wrong ones, too[/quote]Hmm. Fighting off guys you don't fancy in the name of work is not much fun. Trust me, you went to the right ones (or perhaps not - again an example of what is sauce for the gander not always being sauce for the goose.)
[/quote]
I would just like to point out that in the original example I gave the women were not fighting off men they didnt fancy they were choosing the ones they did. Fortunately [?] there were many younger, slimmer, fitter and better looking targets than me. Its quite a sobering thought when you realise that you actually are an old man and even though your fantasies were always rather improbable they are now downright impossible.
who gets my house?
in Finding/Owning French Property
Posted
The "If we could do it all over again" point. I have been following the thread and have wanted to add "why didnt you phone and speak to the agent?"
Presumably you chose the agent in the first place so you must have been comfortable with them at the time. Some of them cannot be rogues surely? I know I have only purchased and the relationship with the agent is slightly different but we talked all the time - I even knew his boss and had spoken to them previously as well (and that was with an agent the vendor chose - not me).
I just keep thinking that if it were me I would have held off accepting an offer even if it were just for 10 mins till I had spoken to the agent and talked through the consequenses. I would then have confirmed the conversation by immediate email noting that they had no purchaser in the pipeline. It may have been a whole new ball-game if they said they had a hot prospect and to hold off accepting for a week. Not thought that one through yet.
Edit:
Having said that it would be scandalous if you ended up out of pocket through this.