groslard Posted January 6, 2008 Share Posted January 6, 2008 [quote user="Logan"]The postmen are the worst offenders.[/quote]That bit is true. In the middle of a three month stay in Eastern Europe last summer I suddenly found that I couldn't access my bank (Crédit Agricole) website, to get my balance etc.I sent them an email, and they said that the postman had reported that 'I no longer lived at the address on my account' so could no longer access the website: the only way to get back on was to call into my local branch, not easy to do from the Black Sea!It turned out he had knocked at the door with a package, and because I wasn't there, and the neighbour hadn't seem me for a few weeks, he had reported me as missing, and this had got a far as the bank. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Logan Posted January 6, 2008 Share Posted January 6, 2008 You are right WB. Modern life is unfortunately like that.If you live in France you should assume that all your personal activities are monitored. telephone, web mail, snooping neighbours, postmen, shopping behaviour, vehicle ownership, kids in school, et al. Its not a subject that is often discussed. I personally hate it and as a concequence try to limit the amount of my personal information in the public domain. In the end you have to either accept it or move to an atol in the South Pacific and live on coconuts.[:)]Even this forum will be monitored by someone[6] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scooby Posted January 6, 2008 Share Posted January 6, 2008 Agreed Logan - this is a big big negative for me too. Nosy neighbours and lack of privacy. I feel at times like I am in a goldfish bowl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bugsy Posted January 6, 2008 Share Posted January 6, 2008 [quote user="Scooby"]Agreed Logan - this is a big big negative for me too. Nosy neighbours and lack of privacy. I feel at times like I am in a goldfish bowl[/quote]Thats the negative side S.The positive is that we all keep an eye on each other. Looking after each others properties and animals when anyone is away. Looking out for the old lady who lives on her own. Dropping in for coffee, helping out with heavy jobs, the list is endless.I never feel like I'm being spied on, but then I've got nothing to hide ......[:)] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scooby Posted January 6, 2008 Share Posted January 6, 2008 Our neighbours here in the UK are quite a distance from us but, the lack of someone to 'pop in', keep and eye on the house, help out etc has never been an issue - in fact the isolation of the property was a conscious reason for us choosing this house. Personally, I prefer to choose who I invite to share my life and don't like getting an inquisition wheneever we go anywhere or do anything. LOL that, and the ongoing commentary/criticism etc on work we have done to the house.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
groslard Posted January 7, 2008 Share Posted January 7, 2008 [quote user="Scooby"]Thats the negative side S.The positive is that we all keep an eye on each other. Looking after each others properties and animals when anyone is away. Looking out for the old lady who lives on her own. Dropping in for coffee, helping out with heavy jobs, the list is endless.I never feel like I'm being spied on, but then I've got nothing to hide ......[:)][/quote]If anybody thought I was away from home it would be burgled in a day! a few weeks ago there was the corpse of an old man taken out of a flat 200 metres from me , who had died of gangrene in his legs, which meant that he couldn't get out..and the landlord didn't need to call for the rent as it was paid directly from the CAF.The quarter is infested with semi-feral cats that nobody wants, and the only way to get a job done is to pay a 'sans papiers' cash.I think some people live in a France that exists only in the imagination. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tresco Posted January 7, 2008 Share Posted January 7, 2008 [quote user="groslard"]...a few weeks ago there was the corpse of an old man taken out of a flat 200 metres from me , who had died of gangrene in his legs, which meant that he couldn't get out..and the landlord didn't need to call for the rent as it was paid directly from the CAF.[/quote]What? Someone vulnerable, who wasn't in touch with the services they needed in France?You must be mad. That never, ever happens here.[;-)] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chancer Posted January 7, 2008 Share Posted January 7, 2008 [quote user="groslard"][quote user="Scooby"][/quote]If anybody thought I was away from home it would be burgled in a day! I think some people live in a France that exists only in the imagination.[/quote] I live in a rough area as well (by choice I should add) and whereas in England I would tell the neighbours if I was going away so that they could look out for me, here like you if I were to do so I would probably come back to find something missing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woolybanana Posted January 7, 2008 Share Posted January 7, 2008 why by choice JR? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mint Posted January 8, 2008 Share Posted January 8, 2008 [quote user="groslard"]I think some people live in a France that exists only in the imagination.[/quote]I am most interested to learn that I am only imagining where I live here in the Charente. Perhaps that's why I have to pinch myself everyday to check that I do really, really, really live here in fact! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chancer Posted January 8, 2008 Share Posted January 8, 2008 [quote user="woolybanana"]why by choice JR?[/quote]The property (an ancient hotel/bar/restaurant) was "une bonne affaire" that I snapped up immediately that a notaire friend informed me of its availability, direct from the liquidator for the price of the debts owing without even being put up for auction or going out for sealed bids. The system works somewhat differently here than the UK in that the responsibility of the liquidator is to claw back enough money to cover the debts not to get the best or fair market price for the debtor.So the location was really secondary, in that it is not where I would have chosen to live but for investment purposes it was/is in a fantastic location for the rental apartments that I am creating.I am living in the first apartment that I finished but will probably move myself to somewhere of my choosing when I have finished the work and have an income stream. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scooby Posted January 8, 2008 Share Posted January 8, 2008 Our house in France has been broken into as well - several shutters and window casements were jemmy'd open. Fortunately nothing was taken. There wasn't much in the house of value at the time but it cost us quite a bit to put right the damage. I've already said in another thread that the son of one of my neighbours was found dead in the house from a heroine overdose - I think he and his friends were using the place as a place to store / use drugs - probably because its on the edge of the village -so a bit away from the other houses. (This was when the house was unoccupied for a while before we bought it.) France has problems with crime, vandalism, drugs, alcohol abuse etc - just like anywhere else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bugsy Posted January 8, 2008 Share Posted January 8, 2008 [quote user="groslard"]I think some people live in a France that exists only in the imagination.[/quote]That is such a incredibly stupid comment, even from you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kitty Posted January 23, 2008 Share Posted January 23, 2008 [quote user="Logan"]If you live in France you should assume that all your personal activities are monitored. telephone, web mail, snooping neighbours, postmen, shopping behaviour, vehicle ownership, kids in school, et al. Its not a subject that is often discussed. I personally hate it and as a concequence try to limit the amount of my personal information in the public domain. In the end you have to either accept it or move to an atol in the South Pacific and live on coconuts.[:)][/quote]I thought that the UK was the most "policed" state?Or is it that in the UK, it's the state that keeps an eye on you, but that in France, it's the neighbours? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Logan Posted January 24, 2008 Share Posted January 24, 2008 [quote user="Cathy"] in France, it's the neighbours?[/quote]That's true in the countryside but in the cities the paid informers are alive and well and doing nicely, as in UK. How else would MI5/6 operate. The CID are also dependant on community intelligence and gossip. It's just the way of the world. People like to snoop and if they can earn from it so much the better. It's not an attractive human activity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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