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PayPal in France does not operate the card reader system and there are no plans to the contrary. Something to do with the Banks cartel on the machines in France. PayLeven (as an example) is a UK based company so circumnavigates the French system.

They were never really intended for the likes of us. They were designed for street traders and to be used with a mobile phone. As Android is by far the largest mobile and tablet operating system the readers were first designed to run with them and then later on ported across to Apple devices. The Windows mobile market is so small that it is not worth them spending money porting the system across to Windows.

Like smart phones and tablet they also have a micro USB port bt only for charging. They only connect via Bluetooth. Simple fix for you, don't use the microwave when you use the reader, simples.

Tablets that also accept SIM cards are much more expensive than WiFi only ones and are designed to run on 4G which outside of big cities in France is difficult to find. Indeed even 3G is hard enough in some places. The thing is you're not going to be 'out and about' when you take a payment, your going to be in your hotel which has WiFi so there is no problem. If you are out and about there are plenty of places that offer free WiFi but then you won't be taking card payments.

If you're not to happy about using one then assuming you have a Siret number for your business you can get a proper card machine from your bank that will deal with 'customer not present' etc but it will cost you a lot, lot, more.

The other thing is you're posting in the B&B section and the rules for us are very different to the rules for you. We don't have Siret numbers so therefore we can't get normal credit card machines and this is a work around for us that half works but it is better than nothing. B&B guests in France do not expect to be able to pay by card. Indeed we get less than 10 a year that ask if we accept cards and they tend to be foreigners mainly from English speaking countries. In short you really need to talk to somebody in the hotel trade and not us.

 

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I'm just a private individual like you Quillan, no Siret, dont even know if I will even be an AE yet until I have my next meeting with the contrôleur d'impôts.

I might have chosen a name that sounds very much like a hôtel and am happy to be taking business away from hôtels rather than chambre d'hote operators but all I am in essence providing is chambres meublées, no more than a big furnished bedroom with ensuite bathroom that cleverly converts into an apartment in the daytime. I am a small scale Apparthôtel that will remain under the 5 room 15 guest limits whereas Appartcité in Amiens for instance has 146 apartments [:-))]

I'm not in the Hôtel trade although I'm sure thats where the first dénonciations will come from and I'm not in the chambre d'hôte trade, the correct classification is meublés de tourisme and they are classed alongside gîtes.

I deliberately chose to go for a niche market that had little or nobody doing it, I've just looked at the local tourist board's "Guide Touristique" and its not surprising that with the WW1 centenary in progress there has been an explosion of chambre d'hôtes and gîtes but I am pleased to see I am still the only meublé de tourisme. It also means that I am not directly treading on anyones toes.

I will take anyone who wants to stay but to date, and its really early days,  so far it has been workers on contract and independant travellers who were looking for an apartment where they could cater for themselves as opposed to a hotel room or chambre d'hote, in fact the lack of breakfast provision is where  my business is differentiated from the hôtels and chambre d'hôtes, when the day comes that someone cries "foul" "we have to do this yet he doesnt" etc I can say we are in completely different business sectors.

The credit card thing will be easier for myself albeit at a cost, convenient for the guests and I think you are right will reduce the cancellations although even they I let wash over me now, the nights are very quickly taken by others.

I had a look at that new card company, it looks quite good and will work in France even for an individual, its just a shame that I cant get a deposit that way, I will make an effort to get these confirmation e-mails done asking for the deposit by Paypal via credit card which should cover all the angles, when they arrive I can either take payment by card or ask them kindly if they would mind paying another way at their leisure.

Tell me what I need tablet wise, I know nothing whatsoever about them, never even picked one up, I'm sure others will disagree with your recommendations but thats how we all learn,.

You are right about me not needing/wanting to use it on 4g or whatever it is, one small concern about whatever this Android non Windows thing is, does it mean I have to learn a whole new operating system? I doubt that I will ever use it for anything other than the chip and pin reader, that said everyone else seems to be using them and most of them are older and:or more senile than me.

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With your French language skills you would be better to go to a shop (like Darty) and ask for a demo and a play. I would stick with an Android operating system device rather than go down the Apple route because it has a larger market share and applications tend to be free or very cheap by comparison. Apples tend to be much more expensive as well plus they are made in sweat shops in Asia which goes much against the founders ethics. Once you understand then look for one on the Internet.

As to actual make, well stick with a known brand either Samsung or the Google Nexus. The only negative with the Nexus is that it has no backward facing camera which means you can't take a picture of something and look at it on the screen at the same time like a view finder. Samsung devices come with a two year warranty so you might be lucky to buy one with six months left. Having spoken to Samsung UK the warranty is with the machine and not the owner.

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  • 2 weeks later...

2 weeks ago last Sunday I put my listing up with booking.com, the first guests were due the following Friday but they were beaten by a walk in that took both apartments on the Thursday.

2 weeks have now passed so I thought I would let you know how its gone so far.

Well I have never worked so hard in my life, and thats  coming from someone who has not really even had a day off or  taken a Holiday in the last 10 years, in fact the last 10 years have been a Holiday compared to the last 2 weeks.

The response has exceeded my wildest expectations, I have been full practically every night, last night was the only night that I didnt have guests but I still had to see the old ones out and clean and redo both apartments, and I just had time to do a bit of DIY before todays arrivals.

I cannot believe that starting from nothing after 2 weeks I am at 82% occupation and its still rising, I have put my prices up twice but the bookings still keep coming in thick and fast, the calender is filling out nicely yet we are not even really in the season yet.

No way could I do this all year round or even for a full season, luckily it looks like I have students for both of the apartments for 10 month lets come the rentrée, and thats before the Lycée have even given out their list with me on it, come September I will be able to concentrate once again on finishing the next 2 apartments, its all I can do at the moment to finish the laverie.

Havnt seen any TV in 2 weeks, managed today for the first time to pop out to buy food, havnt even had the time to get the takings to the bank.

Still managing to do my running training but the other keep fit classes have taken a hit as its the time that many people arrive, I will probably be down to 10 stone by the rentrée.

Meeting some really interesting people as well, this might just be the thing that changes my viewpoint on France.

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Spread the wealth and your good fortune. With all these reservations and putting your prices up twice there must be enough money to employ a cleaner. You can then get on and finish renovating the other two apartments and bring them online. Next you could look for a similar property elsewhere and repeat the same model. Give it ten years and you will have a chain of these places that you can sell for a lot of money and retire to the Bahamas. Happy days.
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Nowt to do with me, but if you're looking for a cheap tablet you could do a lot worse (if you ever find time to pop back to the UK or if you can get one sent to France) than Tesco's Hudl. You can pick up a new one for under £100 and it would be more than adequate for your needs, I suspect.

Then you can have a look at sth like this: https://www.izettle.com/fr

Though having checked...not all readers work with all phones and tablets. This one helpfully supplies a list. The Hudl isn't on it, so as you were!
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Quillan.

I hope you know me well enough by now to know that money has never been a motivator, nor ever will be, as correct as your observations are I hope they were tongue in cheek.

I'll do the dirty work myself this summer, and why not? Its honest work after all and will then have the time come the rentrée to attcak the other flats, I do have some time now albeit often fragmented but I am using it to bring everything else up to scratch that the clients will see and come across, namely my living and working areas, the car park, the terrace, laundry rooms etc. even the Windows into my workshop are cleaned Inside and out, the other day I cleaned no less than 33 ground floor Windows Inside and out most of which had never been cleaned since I fitted them, never on the Inside.

Cleaning help and someone responsable for changeovers will come when I have 5 or 6 apartments to service but even then maybe not, hereonin it will only be for a couple of summer months, took me an hour this morning for one deep clean and I will have to add a couple of minutes for ironing once its dried, I guess the advantage of chambre d'hôtes is only one bedroom and a bathroom to clean, even less if the bathroom is shared, how long do you spend?

Betty. Thanks for that, I am hoping to hold off till I return to the UK, the lack of a credit card machine has not caused problems to date, maybe I would have had fewer cancellations or speculative bookings, if I suffer no shows then I will reconsider, the real problem is that a card machine will bring me no Financial advantages and will cost me 2% each time its used,  it cannot be used to take advance payments, préautorisation or backcharge for wilfull damage so I dont see any ebnefit to me other than as Q says, when Booking.com takes their card détails they will perhaps feel obligated.

Back to the business model, well its hardly rocket science, just looking to differentiate and not follow all the other sheep, anyone with motivation and the smallest amount of intellect could copy what I am doing, do it better than and/or for lower cost (I knew my MBA would come in usefull one day, shame it doesnt help me with cleaning) and they would clean up and they could go on to do as Quillan says.

Sadly I cant see it happening with anyone from around here, they look jealously on to successfull businesses (and I will have to Watch my back from now on) and the banks lend them huge amounts to buy them when the creators move on after a couple of years, they fail spectacularly to see what made the business a success, a smile, a welcome and good service, instead leasing impressive looking cars for each Partner when the profit from the business was barely enough to cover their borrowings, they all go bust within 18 months.

I used to think the banks were mad but they aint, their business is lending money to safe risks, the business and the new owners may not be but their family and friends who all are guarantors certainly are.

For the price I charge you could stay in a château but it has the worst reviews I have ever seen, Appartcité at Amiens is a huge affair with the same but more commercial business model, they have 140 apartments and practice demand pricing, very very expensive at the peak times but only €39 at the moment, much less than me, mind you they fine you €29 for not putting out the rubbish or washing up, people complain that it hadnt been done when they arrived, there were no bin liners or washing up liquid anyway!

Driving past at night midweek and they are not even at 10% capacity but they know their business, its a big succesfull chain and they know that to have 140 apartments bringing in a very high price during commemoration weekends, the Rédérie D'Amiens weekends etc is Worth the investment.

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[quote user="You can call me Betty"]... if you're looking for a cheap tablet you could do a lot worse (if you ever find time to pop back to the UK or if you can get one sent to France) than Tesco's Hudl. You can pick up a new one for under £100 and it would be more than adequate for your needs, I suspect. [/quote]

I've got a Hudl 2 and it is brilliant. It will be even better when I've learnt how to get rid of the Tesco apps permanently - them being there is what makes it so cheap in the first place. It is a nifty piece of kit.

Friends mostly have ipads, which I have tried out, but I just do not care for them so when I wanted to buy a tablet to learn how to use such a device I googled and Hudl 2 came high on the list of cheap, cheerful and does the job.

Sue

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Having seen my kindle keyboard and my ipad, my sister then bought a Hudl, and seems to be able to do all she wants with it, but then, she shops at Tesco, it being the nearest large store, so maybe the apps don't worry her. She liked the price of it rather than the pricing of the others, and it's suitable for what she needs when away from home ...

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I know a few folk who have them and think quite highly of them, which is why I suggested the Hudl as an option.

However, i throws up an interesting point, which is that not all tablets or smartphones are necessarily compatible with all card readers...if that's the route Chancer wants to go. Or anyone else for that matter.

If in the position of needing to acquire both, it would be beyond frustrating to acquire one and then find it incompatible with the other.

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Just seconds ago wished I had a cardreader, a lovely Bulgarian family arrived after driving 12 hours from Geneva, they hadnt seen that the site said cards not accepted and I'm sure most dont, its assumed these days that every business will, they had come from 25° to 11° [:-))] and I was hardly going to ask them to drive into town to find a cashcard.

£ notes always acceptable [;-)]

Been looking at this hubble tablet truc, its Google android something or other (all double dutch to me) would that work with the sum up reader? It doesnt come up in their compatible list as either compatible or not compatible.

If I get a Bluetooth dongle for my computer would that work or not because I have Windows?

When I move on to my next phase of life its going to be a simple uncomplicated one without modern devices.

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[quote user="Chancer"]

If I get a Bluetooth dongle for my computer would that work or not because I have Windows?

[/quote]

No because the reader is just hardware with a small program in it, the clever bit is the software and there is none for Windows.

Like I said go for a Google Nexus or Samsung Tab (or IPad/Phone) and you won't have a problem. Buy a Oky Koky 200 for £100 new thats not on the list and your on your own with no tec support.

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FWIW, I had a look at the Payleven site which said that the best test was to download the app and see if it installs correctly. I have just installed the app on our Hudl Mk 1 and it ran. Obviously I don't have the reader (which runs on Bluetooth), but connections between devices and the reader do not seem to be the problem: it is whether or not the app runs on your android device.

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I am really enjoying the unpredicatbility and spontanéité of what is affectively a new venture for me.

Its been something like 20 days now and never a night without clients, most of the time both apartments taken and they are both really booked up for the coming months despite me raising the prices.

Tonight would have been the first night I could relax without arrivals but I had done the ménage in both apartments so as not to be caught out.

At 18.00 I judged it safe to go for a run with the group (I have missed a lot of sport these last 2 weeks) when I got back no réservations, its a bit worrying because they have stopped sending me text alerts for same day réservations so I keep logging on to look.

At 20.36 I get a reservation for tonight from an homme d'affaires, running late and not able to make it to his destination, he arrived just before 22.00 and "hop" it was all dealt with really quickly, he just wants to sleep and hit the road tomorrow, I have been there myself many times, he'll be gone at 7.30 and there will be very little cleaning to do, easy money.

Get back down to find the other apartment has been reserved so as it is already so late I ring the person immediately to see when they will arrive, from the incoherent "euuhhhing" on the phone from the very dim sounding female I got the strong impression that she was from these parts and sure enough she was from Amiens, now what sort of person would make a booking that late at night who lives not 30 minutes from here?

I surmised that my place was once again going to revert to being un hôtel de passe and I wasnt wrong, a grosse gonzesse with what looked to be a pre-pubescent teenage victim in tow, had he not been in control of his faculties I would have been concerned for his welfare because how can I put this, I wouldnt even with a pair of paper bags [:-))] I hope he has already lost his cherry as this probably wont be a night he will want to remember.  

 

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As the advert says, "whats the worst that could happen?" well that will be my apprehension when I open the door.

Logic and my experience to date says that the less time people stay the less cleaning up there is to do, especially the hit the sack and leave early types.

These 2 didnt have anything but the clothes they were (still) wearing.................

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Lucky your on mains sewage else it's a quick look in the bin for the Durex and if it isn't there then it's on with the Marigolds, off with the fosse lid and then a bit of fishing.

P.S. We don't accept people after 22:00 becausse you need your sleep. You lucky you have the equivelent of two en-suite chambers, wait till you get to four and five.

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I'll just have to up my game, one benefit of this is that its got me out of bed in the mornings at 7am for the first time in a decade, I never have a problem when I have to, its just that I cannot do it voluntarily, by the time I would normally get up I have already seen the guests away, changed the bedding and cleaned 2 apartments and done all the washing drying and ironing.

Both flats were in very good order, just needed the bedding changed and a quick lick through.

I am on mains drainage [;-)], I had never considered the advantage before, I had also dome my utmost to have ever increasing sizes of drainage pipes with the correct falls for their size, the WC's are quite restricted, an oval of about 80 diameter, from there they go to 100mm dia and then on to 125 for the downpipe and underground, plenty of access points as well, touch wood never a problem to date.

My last check in time is published as 22.00 although of course if someone is running late I will accomodate, the amorous couple made their booking at 21.50, I will phone booking.com to see if they refuse bookings made after that time.

As you say we need our sleep.

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[quote user="Chancer"]

Both flats were in very good order, just needed the bedding changed and a quick lick through.

[/quote]

Oh heavens I do hope not ! [:-))]

It is such fun to read your posts; sounds as though you are enjoying yourself hugely !

Except for you missing out on some training ... housework can be a suitable substitute but it is so boring.

Sue

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[quote user="suein56"][quote user="Chancer"]

Both flats were in very good order, just needed the bedding changed and a quick lick through.

[/quote]
Oh heavens I do hope not ! [:-))]

It is such fun to read your posts; sounds as though you are enjoying yourself hugely !
Except for you missing out on some training ... housework can be a suitable substitute but it is so boring.

Sue
[/quote] I've really enjoyed the saga too, a bit like when we used to have episodes from the restaurant on the campsite!
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Well I never thought I would be wearing the mantle (is that what is said?) of my mentor Dave21478 but there seems to be a story to tell each day, new guests now installed so I can go running, will try and update tonight.

A taster though, Dutch couple who were incandescent with rage when I arrived now are my new best friends, I just love a happy ending [:D]

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They thought I was late, I thought they were early, as is often the way with these things both parties had reason but when tempers are frayed reason goes out the window.

to be continued after a refuelling stop.....................

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