can't stand this place anymore
Discussion
Russwhitehouse said:
I think it extremely unlikely that the security guards are on any form of dodgy contract or are considered bottom of any ladder. Such things don't exist in France.
Saying that, I think you overreacted a tad there driller. The stamping bits of paper bulls
t is nothing new, especially at Christmas. Far easier and less stressful to just let them do their thing and go on your way with jaunty bonne journée. At the risk of sounding patronising, be careful not to go out of your way to find things to be pissed off and annoyed with. There is plenty of it every day without looking for more. There comes a time when going with the flow makes life easier for everyone (says Mr calm and pious!)
Saying that, I think you overreacted a tad there driller. The stamping bits of paper bulls
t is nothing new, especially at Christmas. Far easier and less stressful to just let them do their thing and go on your way with jaunty bonne journée. At the risk of sounding patronising, be careful not to go out of your way to find things to be pissed off and annoyed with. There is plenty of it every day without looking for more. There comes a time when going with the flow makes life easier for everyone (says Mr calm and pious!)
Yeah, I do agree with most of that and at any other time I probably would have just kept quiet and got stamped but there comes a point where it all builds up and you feel so constantly beat up by the place that you want to stand up for yourself a bit.
At the end of the day it's extremely tiring fighting the system and as you say you have to go with the flow.
Geekman said:
Haha, yes, of course I realised that! I suspect if you adopted a similar attitude in England and challenged anything and everything which offended your principles, you'd find just as many things to complain about. As I said before, France isn't perfect, and I agree with a lot of what you've said previously, but when you move to a new country, there's a definite element of your experience being what you make it.
Oh I'd certainly find some things to complain about that's for sure 
(no country is perfect least of all the UK) but I just don't think they would be as extreme. And there just seems to be so many things that annoy here but that don't exist in the UK.I can tell you I am not in the habit of getting accosted by security guards anyway!
This wouldn't have happened in the UK because like the priorité a droit and impots sur la revenue, it's ambiguous:you've paid for your stuff but there's still doubt whether you've paid for it. The UK system would be clearer, simpler.
Here's a question for you, if you like, parallel it with being stopped in the middle of the street and being asked for your ID by the police when you're walking minding your own business. Sure, you can cough up your ID, it takes a second but why should you have to be made to defend your innocence against an implied guilt? (profound stuff!)
You're over-reacting Driller, it's standard practice here in Florida at stores selling high value items to have a couple bods at the exit stamping the receipts while giving your caddy a quick glance over. Who cares, they're only doing their job? T'as cherché la crotte, bien, tu l'as trouvé!
Driller said:
Oh I'd certainly find some things to complain about that's for sure (no country is perfect least of all the UK) but I just don't think they would be as extreme. And there just seems to be so many things that annoy here but that don't exist in the UK.
I can tell you I am not in the habit of getting accosted by security guards anyway!
This wouldn't have happened in the UK because like the priorité a droit and impots sur la revenue, it's ambiguous:you've paid for your stuff but there's still doubt whether you've paid for it. The UK system would be clearer, simpler.
Here's a question for you, if you like, parallel it with being stopped in the middle of the street and being asked for your ID by the police when you're walking minding your own business. Sure, you can cough up your ID, it takes a second but why should you have to be made to defend your innocence against an implied guilt? (profound stuff!)
Much to the horror of all my liberal friends, I'm afraid in that situation I'd quite happily show them my ID and allow them to search me. I've never been stopped whilst walking on the street, but being a very young guy driving a Jaguar I've been pulled over many times in the UK by police, and once at a checkpoint in France. Of course, they always give excuses like "we thought you took that roundabout a bit quick" etc, but we all know the real reason is that there's a high chance the car is stolen / not insured. I'm always polite and I've always been allowed to continue my journey after a few quick checks - in a way, I find it reassuring because it shows that if my car was ever stolen by someone who didn't fit the usual demographic, it would likely get pulled over and I might stand a chance of getting it back. (no country is perfect least of all the UK) but I just don't think they would be as extreme. And there just seems to be so many things that annoy here but that don't exist in the UK.I can tell you I am not in the habit of getting accosted by security guards anyway!
This wouldn't have happened in the UK because like the priorité a droit and impots sur la revenue, it's ambiguous:you've paid for your stuff but there's still doubt whether you've paid for it. The UK system would be clearer, simpler.
Here's a question for you, if you like, parallel it with being stopped in the middle of the street and being asked for your ID by the police when you're walking minding your own business. Sure, you can cough up your ID, it takes a second but why should you have to be made to defend your innocence against an implied guilt? (profound stuff!)
There's also times when I've been pulled over when I've been going too fast and have been given an angry, rude lecture by the officer. Again, I'm always polite and co-operative and I suspect that's why I still have a clean licence: I think throughout life in general, being aggressive towards others rarely works in your favour (perhaps more so if you're an English guy living in France
)Driller, the reason they stamp your receipt on leaving if you haven't passed through a till at the exit is so that you can't take the receipt back into the store and walk out with another mac that you've taken off the shelf.
When you take the goods you have collected out of the store the security guy is expected to check that the receipt hasn't been previously stamped and that the goods and receipt match.
To them your refusal to stop and have your receipt stamped must have looked downright suspicious and that's why you got treated as you did.
Steve
When you take the goods you have collected out of the store the security guy is expected to check that the receipt hasn't been previously stamped and that the goods and receipt match.
To them your refusal to stop and have your receipt stamped must have looked downright suspicious and that's why you got treated as you did.
Steve
Fatt McMissile said:
Driller, the reason they stamp your receipt on leaving if you haven't passed through a till at the exit is so that you can't take the receipt back into the store and walk out with another mac that you've taken off the shelf.
When you take the goods you have collected out of the store the security guy is expected to check that the receipt hasn't been previously stamped and that the goods and receipt match.
To them your refusal to stop and have your receipt stamped must have looked downright suspicious and that's why you got treated as you did.
Steve
Just checked my FNAC receipt for a recent purchase, no unique identifying number for that particular product, just a description of the product.When you take the goods you have collected out of the store the security guy is expected to check that the receipt hasn't been previously stamped and that the goods and receipt match.
To them your refusal to stop and have your receipt stamped must have looked downright suspicious and that's why you got treated as you did.
Steve
I have to confess I get shirty about this sort of thing. I'd go back to see the manager, suggest that he might like make some sort of commercial gesture and that your lawyer has recommended a formal criminal complaint with constitution de partie civile.
[quote=
There's also times when I've been pulled over when I've been going too fast and have been given an angry, rude lecture by the officer. Again, I'm always polite and co-operative and I suspect that's why I still have a clean licence: I think throughout life in general, being aggressive towards others rarely works in your favour (perhaps more so if you're an English guy living in France )
[/quote]
G... You speak sense. ... Driller read and chill old chap....A
There's also times when I've been pulled over when I've been going too fast and have been given an angry, rude lecture by the officer. Again, I'm always polite and co-operative and I suspect that's why I still have a clean licence: I think throughout life in general, being aggressive towards others rarely works in your favour (perhaps more so if you're an English guy living in France
)[/quote]
G... You speak sense. ... Driller read and chill old chap....A
Tis an Ile de France thing I think. I've noticed that the security at FNAC's seems to vary according to what you may assume is the worst of their clientele. The most notable is that at FNAC La Defense which despite the surrounding offices gets a lot of kids from the more interesting suburbs. The last time I wandered through with a small rucksack they asked me to either leave it at the counter or to seal its' zip with a tag (that they'd take off when I left). That doesn't seem to happen at FNACs in central Paris.
It does feel like the UK in the late 70s/early 80s here in a lot of ways, such as politics, petty officialdom and customer service; but then I suspect that those of us who were around in the UK in the 80s would have been upset at foreigners making some of the comments on this post about the UK.
I think France is still, on balance, a far better place to live than the UK provided that you have a long term employment contract with a large company - which I do. I can appreciate that the perspective will be different if you are self employed and trying to deal regularly with Frecnh officialdom.
It does feel like the UK in the late 70s/early 80s here in a lot of ways, such as politics, petty officialdom and customer service; but then I suspect that those of us who were around in the UK in the 80s would have been upset at foreigners making some of the comments on this post about the UK.
I think France is still, on balance, a far better place to live than the UK provided that you have a long term employment contract with a large company - which I do. I can appreciate that the perspective will be different if you are self employed and trying to deal regularly with Frecnh officialdom.
V
trunnie said:
...I think France is still, on balance, a far better place to live than the UK provided that you have a long term employment contract with a large company - which I do. I can appreciate that the perspective will be different if you are self employed and trying to deal regularly with Frecnh officialdom.
...or retired with a pension.Well, the French administration have struck again. I declared my 2013 income back in early 2014. I quit my firm to set up on my own back in February, so I also sent a partial declaration for 2014, and re-declared being open for business. I have been sent several reminders about 2013, each of which has been answered with a repetition of the initial declaration. My accountant assured me that she was on the case, but that RSI had a bit of a backlog. They sent me, at the end of last week, a bill for 4,946€, based on the information they had on file, i.e. none whatsoever, as my 2013 declaration and 2014 partial declaration have failed to make it to their system.
Yesterday, they sent me a "reminder" for the slightly different amount of 10,880€.
fkING USELESS.
Funnily enough, I pay actual tax (rather than social charges) by QR code through my phone, it always works flawlessly, there are never any problems. Why oh why are the RSI so rubbish?
Yesterday, they sent me a "reminder" for the slightly different amount of 10,880€.
f
kING USELESS. Funnily enough, I pay actual tax (rather than social charges) by QR code through my phone, it always works flawlessly, there are never any problems. Why oh why are the RSI so rubbish?
Some new that could benefit the leavers
http://www.oliviercadic.com/au-senat/plus-values-i...
And for the 'fans' of the dreaded RSI http://www.oliviercadic.com/au-senat/les-dividende...
http://www.oliviercadic.com/au-senat/plus-values-i...
And for the 'fans' of the dreaded RSI http://www.oliviercadic.com/au-senat/les-dividende...
ACl I feel for you, I had exactly the same sort of ballsups with the URSSAF people (always makes me think of the American airforce that) except they sent round a balif without saying anything to my dental practice.
So I arrive in the morning, patients in the waiting room and this ominous looking bloke all dressed in black hands me a notice in front of all my patients.
@JBL, another nail in the coffin. These fking stupid idiots.
So I arrive in the morning, patients in the waiting room and this ominous looking bloke all dressed in black hands me a notice in front of all my patients.
@JBL, another nail in the coffin. These f
king stupid idiots.Driller said:
ACl I feel for you, I had exactly the same sort of ballsups with the URSSAF people (always makes me think of the American airforce that) except they sent round a balif without saying anything to my dental practice.
So I arrive in the morning, patients in the waiting room and this ominous looking bloke all dressed in black hands me a notice in front of all my patients.
@JBL, another nail in the coffin. These fking stupid idiots.
Yeah, they sent me bailiffs, but in a law firm clients just assume it's for another client So I arrive in the morning, patients in the waiting room and this ominous looking bloke all dressed in black hands me a notice in front of all my patients.
@JBL, another nail in the coffin. These f
king stupid idiots.
The URSSAF even have the right to just take your money without asking a judge.
SOOOOO, my accountant just emailed me: the previous notices were in error, RSI owe me more than 1k€, and the cheque was sent on Monday, the day I received the second ballsed-up notice. RESULT! THE DRINKS ARE ON THE RSI!
Here we go again! Mobile phone repairs this time. My son broke the screen on his phone, so after some Internet research, we found an outfit in Paris called Mobile24. Seemed the very people for the job, so we posted it off to them recorded delivery as instructed on their website. A few days later, we get an email from la Poste to say that the phone is held in a post office in Paris as no one was there to sign for the phone when they tried to deliver. We phone up Mobile24 who say there is nothing they can do, offer no explanation as to why no one had been around to sign and in typical French fashion throw the ball back into our court by refusing to collect it from the post office. We phone la poste to see if they will redeliver, they won't and insist it has to be collected. We explain Mobile24 refuse to collect it. They say there is nothing they can do and it will have to sit in Paris for two weeks before it will be returned to sender. We ask them to return it to sender straight away so that we can get it repaired elsewhere, they refuse and say it is policy it has to be held for two weeks. We phone Mobile24 again, by now getting irate, to no avail and are simply palmed off with the usual bullst about getting someone to phone us back, sending us an email etc. the final straw came yesterday when after yet another lengthy phone call,to Mobile24, the girl on the other end said she would deal with it tomorrow and send us an email . When asked why she couldn't deal with it now and why it had to wait till tomorrow, she said she was about to go off shift! "Then why are we wasting our time talking to you" says I, as opposed to talking to someone who is starting there shift and can deal with the matter. She says she will hand it over to an oncoming colleague and they will phone us back. They don't.
So the upshot of all this is my son has no phone, we have to wait for two weeks (at least) till we get the phone back and then start all over again, and we just cannot be bothered to waste any more time and effort trying to resolve things, which is exactly what these inept wkers are banking on!Vive la France!
t about getting someone to phone us back, sending us an email etc. the final straw came yesterday when after yet another lengthy phone call,to Mobile24, the girl on the other end said she would deal with it tomorrow and send us an email . When asked why she couldn't deal with it now and why it had to wait till tomorrow, she said she was about to go off shift! "Then why are we wasting our time talking to you" says I, as opposed to talking to someone who is starting there shift and can deal with the matter. She says she will hand it over to an oncoming colleague and they will phone us back. They don't.So the upshot of all this is my son has no phone, we have to wait for two weeks (at least) till we get the phone back and then start all over again, and we just cannot be bothered to waste any more time and effort trying to resolve things, which is exactly what these inept w
kers are banking on!Vive la France!Gassing Station | France | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff