are you being ripped off ?

[Richardbk]

are you being ripped off because you are a foreigner. I only ask as we are relocating from here south of Paris to Toulouse for a while and whilst the people are very friendly there has been a few occassions when people selling/proving service have obviously tried it on a bit. Having been in France for many years we are somewhat aware of what things cost, but I get the impression that at least in the South West some obviouly think the Brits are easy pickings.

regs

Richard

[Lori]

Here in the Southeast, the same thing applies. When we bought our house, we wanted our property fenced. It is 3000 m2. We wanted a cement wall on one end, to separate our home from the only other home by us (they wanted the wall too). The wall was to be finished in the normal exterior crepi. We then wanted a chain link fence for the remaining three sides of the property. The first macon that came to offer his devis was recommended by a friend.. His estimate - 40,000 EUROS !!!!!!!!!!!!! No not Francs EUROS !! We ended up getting 4 devis and the closure cost us 9,000 euros. It is also of a very good quality. We have had a few things like this happen to us. If you do your homework, you will know when someone is taking you for a ride. Seems extremely important in this part of the world - perhaps everywhere.

[Pucette<P><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3>Pucette<FONT><P><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt">"Qui ne connaît pas la campagne lhiver, ne connaît pas la campagne et ne connaît pas]

The Brits and other foreigners are often easy pickings but anyone unaware will be ripped off by anyone who can get away with it... anyone. I have always done business on the basis that both parties are honest and a deal benefits both parties; here people start with the assumption that everyone is a crook at heart and bargain accordingly.
There is also an extent to which some people will not deal with foreigners unless they pay over the odds.
(24/87/19)

[Liz]

I am not sure that it is necessarily foreigners that get ripped off. I think there is a certain kind of tradesman that will try it on no matter what the nationality. I have seen this in some of the quotes a french (and native of the area) neighbour had to do up a house. It always pays to get several quotes for all but the most minor works.

I was in Mr Bricolage the other day. The french chap in front of me had paid for something costing just under 50 Euros with a 100 Euro note. He was only given change for 50 Euros. He noticed it almost immediately and Florence at the till did a lot of flouncing, eye rolling, shrugging and, most strangely of all, some sums on a bit of paper, and eventually gave him the correct change. When it came to my turn the item I wanted, which was priced at 28.29 on promo, came out at 30 Euros. More eye rolling and shrugging. I left it and walked out of the shop.

Liz (29)

[Teejay]

Do you mean buying property or purchasing products/services. If it is the former, then I'm in total agreement. Having recently perused the many immobilier sites for an acquaintance who has the desire to live north of Toulouse, I'm appalled at the hike up of prices. If the property has, yes, wait for it..... gites potential the mark up is frankly silly numbers. The area in question is, I've been informed, very beautiful and the proximity of the newly completed autoroute(A 20) has enabled less accessible places to be reached more easily and in less time, but..... one does begin to get paranoid about being Brtish.

What happens if one wants a house, rurally situated, no swimming pool, and a small barn without gite potential? Has this desire to go into the gites/b&b market completely messed it up for others? Furthermore for every house advertised with gites potential you see just the same number for sale as a going concern. Who do they think they are kidding!!

Sorry, I'll get off my high horse now.

[Val_B]

Glad you raised this - on a smaller scale, I have been short-changed at the local tabac, overcharged at a toll booth (18 euros instead of 3.50!!) while we were still UK-based, I should add, and twice overcharged at Castorama (which I managed to get back later). Those are just the things I know about!!

[SaligoBay]

We got a load of devis done recently for various pieces of work on the house we're now just about to leave.   Two or three of our French friends and neighbours told us to be careful, because somewhere along the line someone would try to rip us off because we're forrin.   Nobody with any axes to grind, just a comment on Real Life.

As for rude shop staff and the like, give as good as you get.  It's you or them!   And in spite of all their rudeness and eye-rolling and sighing, you'll get your way, and then you give them a nice big smile and a happy "Merci".  As you leave the shop, you will hear them exploding with Gallic indignation.   Got to find fun where you can

 

 

 

[Mersons]

We found that, during our first few months here in France, when we had a british car ourside the house, we had all sorts of people knocking on the door trying to sell something or other.  We had bogus charity workers at Christmas trying to collect money, bogus chimney sweeps, gypsies wanting to sharpen knives and tools or selling baskets or whatever, etc.  We needed our chimney swept and, being the trusting souls we were (past tense), we allowed the sweeps to do our chimney.  They did half a job and tried to charge us a very high price.  We didn't know how much it should cost at the time but knew that it shouldn't be that much and I refused to pay until they brought the price down.  As it turned out, we still paid too much and now we know better.  We noticed on many of these occasions that the people didn't go to the doors of our neighbours.  After we changed to a french car, it all stopped, presumably because its not so obvious now that foreigners live here.

[ChezShells]

not sure

just got my car back from main dealers, booked in for cam belt change and oil change and filter, went to pick car up, really impressed with the service, no extra charges, no we had to do this or that, got the car back paid up 434euros and went home, the next day i checked the oil to see if it needed topping up and the oil was black like tar, the filter had changed but had the oil or more imprtantly had the cam belt?

dont know what to do next!

[Russethouse]

What you do is mark (where practical) old parts. We have used nail polish sometimes.

My father was once charged for a new bumper where in reality the old one had been fixed (a spot of yellow car paint from a DIY touch up was the tell tale sign & I have to say my father kicked up merry stink and got the old one replaced as promised in the end)

This is in the UK - I'm afraid that sort of thing is pretty universal - bet Miki will tell you the same !

[Teamedup]

[quote]not sure just got my car back from main dealers, booked in for cam belt change and oil change and filter, went to pick car up, really impressed with the service, no extra charges, no we had to do thi...[/quote]

Sorry to hear about this, only took us 18 years to find a garagiste we have confidence in and seems to be very good. I reckon we have been well ripped off by many garages over the years until recently.

[Miki]

[quote]What you do is mark (where practical) old parts. We have used nail polish sometimes.My father was once charged for a new bumper where in reality the old one had been fixed (a spot of yellow car paint ...[/quote]

Gay,

OK, the car trade is legendary for its tricks and although I won't swear that I didn't pull a few strokes in my early days, I learnt pretty quick that customer satisfaction was the best way to get ahead.

I have to side with TU a little bit here. We had a great garagiste in the Dordogne but here, it has taken me 5 years to find a pretty decent chap in the next village. 

Strangely enough, I am off to the "newish" car auctions outside Rennes on Monday week (might be the following week) will seem a bit strange at first, but the buzz will come back I'm sure once I see something useful !

All I need then is a night at the dogs but unless I am mistaken, I have never seen it advertised here or is there such a thing?

[Ad]

We live in the Correze, our french neighbours have been waiting 2 years for a french painter and decorator to find time to decorate their house, they are paying 1500 euros a room, and would rather do that than have someone 'on the black' do it for 500 euros a room, or even less. Its not just the Brits, or french workers, its worldwide.

Aileen