Fonctionnaires !!!

[idun]

As some of you will know 'proof of life' is required by the DWP for british pensioners in France, well the CNAV wants the same.

Trouble is the the Job Centres are currently shut, as would you believe there is a pandemic and they usually fill the form in. The CNAV gives examples of places one can get this done in the UK. But apparently the CNAV had not let some of these places know, and they say that they do not fill in proof of life forms.

I decided best to speak to the CNAV and called and got straight through.

Stroppy Madame answered, non, couldn't use a notaire, even though their web site said I could. Non, couldn't get a Doctor to sign either. I had to go to the Ambassade Britannique.

I told her that there were no Ambassade Britannique in the Royaume-Uni, like there were no Ambassade de France, in France.

She agreed that they did not have an Ambassade de France in France, but to get this form she repeatedly said, I WOULD HAVE TO GO TO AN AMBASSADE BRITANNIQUE in the UK, c'est tout.

It isn't as if I don't know what fonctionnaires are like, ofcourse I do, and  this woman's job is to deal with non resident pensioners, and usually I would imagine, they would be french and due to Covid, will be having similar problems. And yet she was so bloody rude and THICK, she was of no help to me, I wondered if she is ever of any help to anyone.  She knew I was calling from the UK, she had the SS number and address on her screen.

I think / hope that it is all sorted, we shall see, because there is nothing so sure as they will stop the pensions, both state and complementaire without a by your leave, if they are not suited with the form we sent. And I suspect that the fonctionnaire I spoke to today has equally bete colleagues.