allanb Posted July 30, 2008 Share Posted July 30, 2008 I'm not sure whether "culture" is the right place to post this; perhaps "anti-culture" would be better. I invite readers to find anything to beat this for sheer stupidity in a public place.The CPAM of Lot-et-Garonne has a sub-office in Marmande. In order to get to it, you have to climb a substantial flight of steps from the street. There is no escalator and no lift; it's quite a challenge if you are old or infirm or burdened with a pram, for instance.At street level they have considerately put a notice on the wall showing their office hours: Monday to Friday, it says, with the opening and closing times. So far, so good.When you have climbed the stairs and reached the door, you find another notice which says: "Closed on Wednesdays".Normally I am a kind and gentle person, but I would like to find the person responsible for this and (to borrow a phrase from Pulp Fiction) get to work on him with a pair of pliers and a blowtorch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pads Posted July 30, 2008 Share Posted July 30, 2008 Time for a nice glass of wine and a lay down I think ......[:)] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woolybananasbrother Posted July 30, 2008 Share Posted July 30, 2008 This is the power of the untouchable civil service in France. Do what they like when they like. Just look at the Europoean bureaucracy which was modelled on it and which is being adopted throughtout all European states. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
red Posted July 30, 2008 Share Posted July 30, 2008 To all of those out there , resident in France , and forever 'bashing ' the french and their culture, administration, and even ,yesterday, their coffee ! Let me suggest that the 'Administrations ' are the same the world over, if you still think that the UK is paradise, then the answer is simple.'Bxxxxx ' off back. For future would be 'ex pats ' a word of warning ,France is not the UK with cheap housing . And please if you do come over never ever say 'but we don't do that in England 'A last word , not everybody , in France , speaks English indeed why should they ? Would you expect every ,butcher , baker ,vet , doctor in the UK to speak french ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woolybananasbrother Posted July 30, 2008 Share Posted July 30, 2008 Seems a really irrelevant post. You got a problem? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
red Posted July 30, 2008 Share Posted July 30, 2008 suggest you read again the first posting under this heading 'insanity in action ' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard T Posted July 30, 2008 Share Posted July 30, 2008 [quote user="red"]suggest you read again the first posting under this heading 'insanity in action '[/quote]Well I read it again and I can't see that it justifies your response in any way. The OP was asking if it is stupid or not to have two signs relating "opening hours" with different messages. Yep, that's stupid and it doesn't matter whether it's in France or anywhere else - it's still pretty stupid.Nowhere did the OP suggest this was a perculiarly French problem, nowhere did he suggest that the "UK is paradise", nowhere did he suggest that all French people should speak English.Perhaps it's you that need to re-read the OP's post.Richard T Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gardian Posted July 31, 2008 Share Posted July 31, 2008 [quote user="red"]To all of those out there , resident in France , and forever 'bashing ' the french and their culture, administration, and even ,yesterday, their coffee ! Let me suggest that the 'Administrations ' are the same the world over, if you still think that the UK is paradise, then the answer is simple.'Bxxxxx ' off back. For future would be 'ex pats ' a word of warning ,France is not the UK with cheap housing . And please if you do come over never ever say 'but we don't do that in England 'A last word , not everybody , in France , speaks English indeed why should they ? Would you expect every ,butcher , baker ,vet , doctor in the UK to speak french ?[/quote]Complete waste of time response to a legitimate rant from a regular contributor. If that's the best you can offer, then (to use your phrase) Bxxxxxx off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
red Posted July 31, 2008 Share Posted July 31, 2008 I apologise , did'nt realise that the legitamacy of a comment was dependant upon being a regular contributor. Perhaps I have'nt been in France long enough to understand how the forum operates Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Panda Posted July 31, 2008 Share Posted July 31, 2008 [quote user="red"] Perhaps I have'nt been in France long enough to understand how the forum operates[/quote]OK, red I'll explain how this and any other forum works:Someone posts a comment, other contributors post a response (read slowy this is the important bit) to the posters commentsJust for clairity:No one said everyone should speak french (you will actually find that most contributors have a good grasp of the language) No one said France was the UK with cheap housing No one knows why you went off on a rant, come on give us a clue... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powerdesal Posted July 31, 2008 Share Posted July 31, 2008 The legitimacy of a comment depends, to a great extent, on the relevence of the comment. Its not related to how long you have been in France or even being in France at all. Neither is it related to how regular a contributor you are.Your sarcasm is mis placed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Posted July 31, 2008 Share Posted July 31, 2008 Back to the original theme? - this kind of thoughtlessness just seems to be human nature. I treasure the story of a Benefits Office (I think) in England a while ago. They were proud of their signage in Braille: to keep it pristine they covered each sign with perspex........ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catalpa Posted July 31, 2008 Share Posted July 31, 2008 [quote user="woolybananasbrother"]Seems a really irrelevant post. You got a problem? [/quote]Yeah, I reckon s/he has... but somehow I can't bring myself to care.[;-)] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cat Posted July 31, 2008 Share Posted July 31, 2008 @ Catalpa, you just made I spit coffee on my keyboard [:D]http://www.lastlemon.com/dailydose/images/vim_strip2540.gif Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
allanb Posted July 31, 2008 Author Share Posted July 31, 2008 Red, I promise you it wasn't an anti-French rant, it was an anti-stupidity rant. I have lived in eight different countries and I think I could report similar examples from all of them; the CPAM in Marmande just happened to be the most recent that I saw.Also, of course, it just happened to be Wednesday when I went there. If I had gone on Tuesday, this thread might never have happened. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil & Pat Posted July 31, 2008 Share Posted July 31, 2008 Perhaps it was the same chap who ran the EDF sub-office in Falaise. The published opening times were Monday and Friday afternoons only. I turned up on a Friday only to see stuck next to the opening hours in the window "Fermé exceptionnellement vendredi". It wasn't until I turned up again the next Friday (Monday was inconvenient) that I realised that the fermé exceptionnellement was on a piece of paper every bit as old, wrinkled and faded as the Horaires, they never had been open on a Friday. [:'(] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cat Posted July 31, 2008 Share Posted July 31, 2008 Phil and Pat, that sounds just like our boulangerie. They were "fermé exceptionnellement" so often that I even began to wonder if there was a second, lesser known translation for exceptionnellement, that meant often [8-)] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
odile Posted August 1, 2008 Share Posted August 1, 2008 admin is the same all over - apart that it's much worse in France! Are you like my husband though - moan moan moan but doesn't actually DO something about it! Hope you have telephoned or written to said admin, quitetly and politely (yeah i know it's hard) to ask them to make signs re opening times more explicit in view of difficulty of access. It's good to vent off here - but ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
allanb Posted August 6, 2008 Author Share Posted August 6, 2008 [quote user="odile"]Are you like my husband though - moan moan moan but doesn't actually DO something about it! [/quote]Mine was a rant; I'm not sure whether that's technically the same as a moan. However, it's a fair point and I accept the challenge. I undertake to write to the CPAM office in question and report on the reply, if any. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
odile Posted August 7, 2008 Share Posted August 7, 2008 Bonne chance et a bientot salutations Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
allanb Posted August 23, 2008 Author Share Posted August 23, 2008 [quote user="allanb"]I undertake to write to the CPAM office in question and report on the reply, if any.[/quote]I was hoping to provide a satisfactory conclusion to this story, with the CPAM sending a grovelling apology for their stupidity in putting the sign (about the Wednesday closure) in the wrong place.Well, sorry, but I can't. I was a bit slow in starting work on my letter, and in the meantime they put up a copy of the sign at ground level, where it is of some use.I suppose I could still write and say "Why didn't you do that in the first place, dummy?" but I don't think it would do much for the entente cordiale, so I won't. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chancer Posted August 23, 2008 Share Posted August 23, 2008 [quote] Perhaps it was the same chap who ran the EDF sub-office in Falaise. The published opening times were Monday and Friday afternoons only. I turned up on a Friday only to see stuck next to the opening hours in the window "Fermé exceptionnellement vendredi". It wasn't until I turned up again the next Friday (Monday was inconvenient) that I realised that the fermé exceptionnellement was on a piece of paper every bit as old, wrinkled and faded as the Horaires, they never had been open on a Friday. [:'(][/quote]The office de tourisme in my local town is open all day sans interruption (according to the horaires d'ouverture) except for 21/2 hours every lunchtime when the "fermeture exceptionelle" sign is once again put up.It has been like this every day for the last 4 years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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