Guests who won't go out !!

[Miki]

[quote]Judging by the rants on here seems like tourism is more stressful than what I do I guess somebody has to produce products to sell so that people have money to spend on tourism. As for ATM (Air Tr...[/quote]

But most of us don't want to be what you want us to become. We would buy hotels and really go to town if we wanted to do that, we would sell beers, sell food all day, do lunches, late bar, get a karaoke machine in, then watch all the dosh come rolling in and all from a crowd we simply don't want !! and oh by the way, ATM is already in use for something far more important.

As for the speed you are changing, it is dreadful and an awful snub to the paying public.

[JohnM]

[quote]Judging by the rants on here seems like tourism is more stressful than what I do I guess somebody has to produce products to sell so that people have money to spend on tourism. As for ATM (Air Tr...[/quote]

So, err, to be fair, I'd best ask both sides of the argument this.

Are ATM R&D folk entitled to break the rules if they don't suit them?

Are C d'H people free to break the rules if the don't suit them?

 

[Missy]

[quote]Judging by the rants on here seems like tourism is more stressful than what I do I guess somebody has to produce products to sell so that people have money to spend on tourism. As for ATM (Air Tr...[/quote]

'Judging by the rant ...... tourism is more stressful'

Yes! it is more stressful!

In your job you are there 9 to 5 (or whatever hours are stipulated on your contract) and when that is done, every day you go home and you lock your front door.

NO Tom, Dick and Harry with the World and its Mother will come and bother you! If they do I am quite sure you will tell them to be on their way!...

and you are quite within your rights to do so.

In our business, which is to provide rooms for the weary travellers, as some of them can not afford prices charged by hotels, we are opening OUR OWN HOMES for that purpose as well as it being our only income or (as in my case) to supplement other income. Therefore we can not tell them 'On your way!'

We are just asking people to have that little bit of consideration to this fact that they are entering someone else's home and should behave accordingly.

It is just a small curtesy to return which really does not cost you -the traveller- anything.

I take it, Richard, that you would not fancy the idea to jack it all in and become one of these mad Brits opening a B&B/gite somewhere else. It does not have to be in France, anywhere in the world the problem we are discussing here is the same.

In my case I am a mad French in UK, who had not much choice in the matter as my OH did not (still does not) want to sell his farm and 'retrain' to another kind of life.

[Ejc]

As an erstwhile customer - we stayed in chambre d'hote and B&B while house hunting - we knew the score - we loved the feeling of staying with a family, were alweays made to feel welcome, were given loads of muchg appreciated free advice chatting over a glass (or two) of wine in the evening - and would bever have dreamt of hanging around all day. When we did want a base as we had our sons with us - we looked for a gite.

Maybe I'm biased - but we found staying in these B&Bs fun - even when the accomodation was perhaps not quite what we'd expected - we had a ball, met some great people, we also ended up trying some food that perhaps we'd never have ordered eating out and enjoyed most of it, although I don't think we'll eat andoullets (spelling??) again....

To get back to the original thread - staying in all day is not fair to your hosts, simple as that.

 

[zeb]

Oops - the only Chambres d'hotes that we have stayed in in France was near Cauterets last winter (and super it was, too). We were under the impression that we had booked rooms rather than just a bed for the night. Although we went skiing during the day, the owners assured us that we were welcome to stay in or come back to our room whenever we liked. As we had booked for three nights, we didn't expect cleaning daily, or fresh towels (although we got them).

I hope we didn't upset the owners by staying in late (after a heavy night) although we did appear for a late breakfast. We really enjoyed our stay and told them so. They led us to believe that they had enjoyed having us and I certainly didn't feel under nay pressure to leave the place by 10.30am.

If you are reading this JP and if we took liberties, I apologise!! We will be back!

zeb

[Weedon]

[quote]'Judging by the rant ...... tourism is more stressful'Yes! it is more stressful!In your job you are there 9 to 5 (or whatever hours are stipulated on your contract) and when that is done, every day y...[/quote]

I think you will find that its not tourism, or farming, or working in an office that is more stressfull than each other.  Its serving the general public in any job, that's what  gives you stress, and by the bucket load.

I had over 30 years of it and there is no way on earth that I would give even a second thinking about doing B&B, CDH, or anything else that had Joe Public coming through my front door.  If you do you must accept that inevitably, blithering idiots will make it seem like its you that has attitude.

Incidently I tend to broadly agree with Richard with his answers to Mr Angries  original post.   Mr Slob whose idea of a perfect break is to stay in bed all day, presumably thought that as he had paid for a bed, it didn't require a doctors sick note to entitle him to do so and also didn't realise that it was subject to a timetable. 

weedon

  

 

[Debra]

Incidently I tend to broadly agree with Richard with his answers to Mr Angries  original post.   Mr Slob whose idea of a perfect break is to stay in bed all day, presumably thought that as he had paid for a bed, it didn't require a doctors sick note to entitle him to do so and also didn't realise that it was subject to a timetable. 

Even if its against the rules and mentioned in the booking information?  Shouldn't we always check the small print??!!

[Miki]

"Incidently I tend to broadly agree with Richard with his answers to Mr Angries original post. Mr Slob whose idea of a perfect break is to stay in bed all day, presumably thought that as he had paid for a bed, it didn't require a doctors sick note to entitle him to do so and also didn't realise that it was subject to a timetable"

Come on then weedon, explain how you broadly agree with Richard, even though some of us have explained exactly how we are allowed to act as CdH in France. Please remember those regulations we have to work under, when posting how you agree.

Mr slob, as you put it,in this case, was not a bad chap really. One must not jump to conclusions, or did you just get used to doing that all the time in your job with the public?

We have to presume that all clients can read, we presume that, as they have booked and paid and then to some degree, a reading ability must be present. We have in the bedrooms, a plasticated sheet (remember, it was in an early post)which tells folks times of evening meals, breakfasts, wehere to go and visit, local Doctors, chemists, shops etc etc both a fact and help sheet in other words and plainly visible from anywhere in the room and there, largest of all it states what time guests must depart their rooms by on day of departure and what time we need to be able to enter the rooms to clean and tidy on a daily basis. Now plerase reads the posts that state just why wewe need to do this, it is not dictatorial it is the only we way we can get a life ourselves and operate daily with this kind of commerce.

As had also been stated a few times, guests can take it or leave it regarding the regs and yes, there has to be a degree of give and take but not when it comes to downright piss taking !

[Miki]

[quote]So, err, to be fair, I'd best ask both sides of the argument this. Are ATM R&D folk entitled to break the rules if they don't suit them? Are C d'H people free to break the rules if the don't su...[/quote]

Good point John, from our point of view, well yes on minor issues we can be soemwhat "bendable" but in this case, we really do need to try and keep it as rigid we can simply to enable us to all our daily work and then....just possibly, we might find some time to sit down before the next clients arrive or indeed, guests staying a while arrive back, sometimes not long after lunch !

[Miki]

ADMIN (OR MODS) WHAT HAPPENED TO ALL THE POSTS ON THIS SUBJECT FROM LAST NIGHT PLEASE.

ONCE AGAIN, POSTS THAT TOOK A WHILE TO TYPE HAVE DISAPPEARED BUT THIS TIME NOTHING HAS BEEN SAID. I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WHY AND IF IT WAS JUST A TECHNICAL MATTER OR A DELETION ISSUE ? I ALSO HAD A PM THAT HAS GONE ASTRAY AFTER BEING TOLD I HAD ONE !!

[Russethouse]

Will has written something in the post box - as far as I know its a technical blip, I lost my post too

[Debra]

[quote]Will has written something in the post box - as far as I know its a technical blip, I lost my post too[/quote]

Any my reply to your post went missing too, Gay!

[Russethouse]

The latest is that there was an unplanned outage and posts have been lost (despite back ups there were still problems)

There may be another planned outage this evening too.

Must find the scrabble.............

[JohnM]

[quote]I think you will find that its not tourism, or farming, or working in an office that is more stressfull than each other. Its serving the general public in any job, that's what gives you stress, and ...[/quote]

"Incidently I tend to broadly agree with Richard with his answers to Mr Angries  original post.   Mr Slob whose idea of a perfect break is to stay in bed all day, presumably thought that as he had paid for a bed, it didn't require a doctors sick note to entitle him to do so and also didn't realise that it was subject to a timetable. "

Well I suppose it's a joy that we all think differently, it'd be a boring old world if everyone thought the same way. However, I tend to think the other way. If people want a holiday in and around their room, I think they should find an establishment which is set up for that, leaving the C d'H's for those that want to use them in the way intended.

 

[Missy]

[quote]Welcome to Living France Forum Oldie, I hope this exchange of words won't put you off getting involved.I really think some of the posters here should count to 10 (or even more) before they vent their ...[/quote]

Welcome Newbie Sue 702!

I hope too that you will not be put off because sometime we have some real serious discussions on these forums!..

O Boy! do they get serious!...

Just as well it is on the keyboard...

Dread to think what it would be round the BBQ!...

Don't be shy! Do join us in the fray, it is great fun actually!

[Weedon]

[quote]"Incidently I tend to broadly agree with Richard with his answers to Mr Angries original post. Mr Slob whose idea of a perfect break is to stay in bed all day, presumably thought that as he had paid...[/quote]

How I agree in principle with Richard is that if you earn your living directly with the public they should be your prime consideration, not fit around how you like to run your life/house.  By and large they don't give a fig whether you need a life of your own as long as their needs are met.  You can put up signs as big as you like and there will be people who swear they did not see them. As for the small print most are not bothered.  

That is really it in a nutshell, as with respect, I can't be bothered to write reams of stuff.

As for Mr Slob, I never said he was a bad man.   I called him Mr Slob in much the same way as people get called Clever Clogs.  Actually Slob can mean "a sloppy coarse, or gross person" Gross can mean "insensitive or unrefined" a description I think you might apply to him I presume. Or it could have meant Spends Life On Bed.   I didn't get used to jumping to conclusions as you put it although on a couple of occasions I might have, such as when 4 cretins smashed the front door of my business and attempted to drag the safe out through it with a 4x4 and another time when a charmer flashed a knife for the contents of the till.  The conclusions I jumped to was that the first wasn't looking for the carpentry job replacing the door frame and the second wasn't an offer to trade.

Two things I don't understand, first of all, why are you surprised at your guests behaviour? from what I read you have been in the business a long time.   Secondly, if somebody has the temerity to disagree with you, why do you seek to belittle them in your replies?

weedon

 

[Miki]

Excellent point John.

weedon, it is pretty obvious that you often post for postings sake. You have not read the posts explaining how we must run our B&B’s and if have read them, you sure have not understood anything but then I am not surprised, I have noted for a while that you often post just to get reaction, mostly on things you have not got a clue about, this being a good example”

Ho Ho that really made me laugh! You think these folk don’t read things, then just try accidentally over charging by as much as a euro and they spot it right away, under charge by a few euros and whoosh, they are gone !! They read them alright, they just chose to ignore what they want. You will have to take my word on this, as your experience in running a CdH is zilch (maybe less even !) We don’t do small print, we leave that to shopkeepers. It isn’t just about reading, we tell them about times for vacating the room as well.

We run our place to suit the majority of guests and us, in other words on equal footing. The massive percentage of guests play it just fine and it works brilliantly, we are not here for the others who are just awfully selfish, regardless of what you or anyone else thinks.

If others overstep our regs and, indeed the regs we are bound to keep to by Gdf, then sorry, they don’t stay here, simple and once again, I have to repeat it as you simply fail to understand, opening our doors to guests is on our terms, it simply has to be that way, or as I also said a while back, none of would last longer than a few years (probably less to be honest) before giving it up as a bad job.

“That is really it in a nutshell, as with respect, I can't be bothered to write reams of stuff.”

For obvious reasons, as stated above.

“...Two things I don't understand, first of all, why are you surprised at your guests behaviour? from what I read you have been in the business a long time.”

I think you are rather making things up here, none of us running CdH are ever surprised at what some brainless selfish idiots get up to.

"....Secondly, if somebody has the temerity to disagree with you, why do you seek to belittle them in your replies?"

I don’t, unless they are as obnoxious as you so often are. I will always take peoples advice if they truly have the knowledge or experience of their trade, in fact I really do like to listen to people who really know their stuff, gaining knowledge is one of lifes great gifts, listening to people who just rabbit without any clue to the business in hand, to simply get their share of air space, cheeses me right off !

I read lots of threads on the forum, especially the electrics, building etc and rarely post as I do not know that stuff anywhere near as well as those regulars (and others although I know the building trade very well in the UK but, things are quite different here much of the time) who answer enquiries and often I realise I have picked up something I did not know before. Whereas you will too often get someone who just posts for.....well I am sure you know what I am talking about !

[opas]

Miki, just being nosey now. What time did your guests get up again and are they still with you?

Mr o and I could never run your kind of business......He is too much like John Cleese 

Mrs O

[Miki]

Hi Mrs O,

They were down for breakfast, the next day, bright and breezy at 08h00 and away by 09h30, we chucked them out !! No not really, they had a ferry to catch so left early for Saint Malo.

Don't worry, the urge to act like John Cleese is always present and I fight it whenever the feelings arise to say "out, out, get out, ......I nearly told them to f*** off Tina but I think I got away with it"

All we need is a chap from Barcelona and I think I would "flip" out !!

[Debra]

Miki - what would you have done in the case of the elderly lady and the toyboy??!!

[lynarth]

I have every sympathy for all the horror stories that you tell. That said i do object and I would have thought the forum administrator would have done something about it to the suggestion that police officers are either bent or dozy. I having been one for 31 years and retiring to France can tell you that the vast majority are neither but hard working just like the rest of the working population.

Lynarth

[Russethouse]

Given him a medal I expect !!!!!

I just can't get my head round people who pay to be in a different country, within a stones throw of wonderful places, town, country or sea in Miki's case, and then stay in bed. (There are OTHER types of meaningful shared experiences.....)

If I wanted that sort of 'chill out' holiday I would go for a gite or possibly if I was chilling out with Mr Russethouse on a romantic break, an hotel.........for one thing I couldn't stand all those 'nudge, nudge - wink, wink' looks from other guests or the hosts in a B&B -

[JohnM]

[quote]I have every sympathy for all the horror stories that you tell. That said i do object and I would have thought the forum administrator would have done something about it to the suggestion that police ...[/quote]

I guess they've left it because the legal test of defamation is whether the ordinary person would believe that every police officer was as claimed. I guess that if a police officer tried to claim that their (individual) reputation was tarnished by that claim the courts would throw it out.

[lynarth]

Yes

You are right, that said I don't want to hi jack what is obviously a serious topic for owners of B and B's etc, but some people obviously don't know what they are talking about to labour all coppers bent or dozy, shows their intelligence level. Ah well currently Oxfordshire soon to be in 66 permanently.

lynarth

[Miki]

[quote]Yes You are right, that said I don't want to hi jack what is obviously a serious topic for owners of B and B's etc, but some people obviously don't know what they are talking about to labour all copp...[/quote]

The number of coppers over the years we were in London who were bent or rather dozy were legendary. Trying to defend the impossible shows an even greater lack of intelligence. It takes just one bent copper and I am afraid, the reputation of their station is tarnished for an awful long time. I also know of some coppers who stitched up a couple which led to the man being sent to prison. He was helped to find a good solicitor for the appeal and the charge were justly dropped and the two dodgy bill were put away ! This type of affair is not so rare as most people would like either. Please don't think that I said ALL but if you want, why not surf the net for all the cases, where the police and/or the evidence were found to be somewhat "iffy".

Sure defend yourself but do not tell me I am not intelligent enough to know just how bad the police can be at times, not all of course not but, sufficient numbers for me to take a little jibe with bent and dozy.

Oh dear though, hang on a minute.... aren't you the person back in July who posted this :

7. RE: The Germans & Luverpudlians ... Posted 05/07/2005 15:40 by lynarth

"Too late with the warning, some of us scousers have already arrived. Watch your wheels" lynarth

I wonder how that kind of post ranks with fellow Liverpudlians or do you see that as a fair cop if some scousers have that reputation then all must be tarred with that same brush (touché eh !!)....Dozy posting perhaps, that backs up my case I believe!!