The Grumpy Old Gits' Thread

[sonnetpete]

12 years ago when we first arrived in France, we were told to ring Patrice and he would fix us up with car insurance. Patrice was a partner in an insurance agency and spoke reasonably good English, making him popular with Brit expats whose French was sometimes non existant. We did sign up with him and kept renewing each year, though noticed it kept increasing on each renewal. We were reccomended to another agency much closer and were astounded to find it much cheaper with them, so naturally decided to change. Patrice was most put out, not to say angry. He'd used his bilinguality to lead expats on to an extent and because most didn't understand the system or couldn't interpret the French legalese within their contract they were quite happy to let him. (Some still are)

I pay my car and house insurance twice a year. I'm not sure whether a comparison to the UK is valid. I pay no road tax and a car roadworthiness test is bi annual. One of the girls in the office (it's an Axa agency) speaks good English but I usually manage in French, though in reality you need very little to go in with your renewal notice, hand over your credit card, let her take payment, get it back and say thank you and goodbye. I might ask about going onto a restricted mileage (ok kilometreage) contract next year, as I only go out once or twice a week now and it's quite rare I drive more than 100km in a week. AFIK, there are no 'comparison' sites in France. You can go onto a site which will take your details and pass them on to various companies who will mail you quotes and pester you interminably afterwards. No comparing meerkats here......

 

[rolfw]

Strange, as France over the years has been ahead in many things, I remember my sister's advanced minitel terminal when she lived near Rambouillet, more than 20 years ago, yet in many ways nowadays, they don't fully embrace some of the best features of the web.

Regarding motor insurance, I have had to switch several times over the past few years to keep the price reasonable, but the last couple of times they've managed to lose one or more of my no claims years, I'm on more than 10 with my van cover, but the last company would only confirm 9, whilst I confirmed more than 9 years prior to insuring with them two years previously.

 

[sonnetpete]

Strange, as France over the years has been ahead in many things, I remember my sister's advanced minitel terminal when she lived near Rambouillet, more than 20 years ago, yet in many ways nowadays, they don't fully embrace some of the best features of the web.

I find that lot's of things in France are strange. They have an exemplary fast rail system but it doesn't allow you to cover the country easily. If you want to travel from here to the south of France for example you have to go to Paris first. Their autoroutes are excellent and well maintained, maybe because it costs so much to travel on them that they don't get the traffic flow they were intended for. Air France has a virtual monopoly on internal flights and can charge more or less what they like. France still operates official departments in the same way the the UK did in the 70's, where a permission for something will have to be 'rubber stamped' by three or four different offices.

A few years back I had to have a series of tetanus jabs. Went to my local GP, who gave me a prescription for the serum, then had to go to the pharmacy and get it, go round to the local nurses and make an appointment to have it injected. Having said that I found the health system to be excellent when my late wife was being treated for cancer.

 

[Channel Hopper]

Regarding motor insurance, I have had to switch several times over the past few years to keep the price reasonable, but the last couple of times they've managed to lose one or more of my no claims years, I'm on more than 10 with my van cover, but the last company would only confirm 9, whilst I confirmed more than 9 years prior to insuring with them two years previously.

The notion that factual information can be somehow 'lost' by these corporations, is as believable as them actively searching around for the absolute 'best' price for cover, before taking it out of one's bank account via their auto-renewal system that one has somehow signed up for during an earlier call from their sales representative.

 

[Lazarus]

Ah yes: The "Continuous Payment Authority"

Designed purely to help you, the Customer, in order that you will never forget to Renew ..........

 

[Analoguesat]

Another gripe - just noticed as I was rescanning one of the satellites.

The current trend to have to have the camera moving and swooping around as much as possible.

WHY??

 

[pgh13]

I find that lot's of things in France are strange. .

I recently filled in a Prelevement (sort of direct debit) to pay the leccy bill because they'd changed the way they send them out so now take 3 weeks to arrive by which time they've sent the red reminder. Filled it in on the EDF website, then had to print it and post it to bank

 

[PaulR]

Earlier today I had possibly the most soul-sucking experience I've ever had in a "chat" with a $ly meat unit.

Ever since the sale of O2's telephone and broadband business to $ly I've been dreading the day that everything moves to their blighted system. At present I get 16.22Mbps download and 1.89Mbps upload (tested on last Thursday afternoon). In their self-congratulatory letter and booklet which I received last week they promise up to 16Mbps download and up to 1.3Mbps download - in other words a downgrade.

I went on their site to have a look around and was invited to have a "chat" online. I spent nearly two hours with someone who pointedly refused to read my posts and kept asking questions that were completely irrelevant and giving responses that were nothing to do with my questions and comments. I eventually said that he was wasting my time and demanded to speak to his supervisor. He told me that there was no supervisor available - unbelievable. I asked how to make a complaint and he eventually finished the chat with a link for me to click on.

I wanted to print out the whole pointless conversation but this somehow caused the window to freeze. Worse. the link was now non-clickable so I couldn't even express my displeasure elsewhere. All I am left with is a printscreen of the last few words of the chat which left me in an even worse mood than when I started out.

God, I hate $ly with a passion.

 

[sonnetpete]

Yes, have had much the same tiresome, drawn out scenario to pay my housing tax. I pay my EDF bills online now and enter the readings myself....they physically read twice a year in February and August.

 

[hexah]

Another gripe - just noticed as I was rescanning one of the satellites.

The current trend to have to have the camera moving and swooping around as much as possible.

WHY??

It's because the media morons take so many illegal drugs they think it is normal.



You could try to tell them it isn't but they won't listen.

Nor will they believe it makes some people feel seasick.

 

[smoggy07]

I spent nearly two hours with someone who pointedly refused to read my posts and kept asking questions that were completely irrelevant and giving responses that were nothing to do with my questions and comments. I eventually said that he was wasting my time and demanded to speak to his supervisor. He told me that there was no supervisor available - unbelievable. I asked how to make a complaint and he eventually finished the chat with a link for me to click on.

Are you sure it was a "real" person and not a chat "bot"?

You can "pre program" a chat bot to respond to any combination of keywords and answer questions based on keywords such as sentences containing the words manager/supervisor, poor speed or fault, triggering the response "there is no supervisor" or "can you goto your router and unplug the power cord for 30 seconds".

 

[hexah]

That does not surprise me the $ly gits. :mad:

 

[Lazarus]

One does not have to deal with them, though. Vote with your feet (and wallet).

That said, BT are getting as bad: All this "free" BT Sport (Where Sport = Football) amounts to the non-Football loving punter effectively subsidising the fans. Nothing is for free.

 

[hexah]

Loads of complaints out there from people who aren't getting what they paid for from BT.

 

[PaulR]

Are you sure it was a "real" person and not a chat "bot"?
You can "pre program" a chat bot to respond to any combination of keywords and answer questions based on keywords such as sentences containing the words manager/supervisor, poor speed or fault, triggering the response "there is no supervisor" or "can you goto your router and unplug the power cord for 30 seconds".

Wow, I'd never considered that. If true they've fallen from what I thought was unbeatably low position of deviousness and outright contempt for their customers.

It does sort of fit in. At the very beginning of the chat I was asked how I was and I replied angry; didn't get a response that was appropriate, in fact I don't think it was responded to at all. Then later on when I had written something else I got the single word comment "cool".

The b@rstewards.

One does not have to deal with them, though. Vote with your feet (and wallet).
That said, BT are getting as bad: All this "free" BT Sport (Where Sport = Football) amounts to the non-Football loving punter effectively subsidising the fans. Nothing is for free.

Believe me I want to move away from $ly. The problem is that O2 were the best and gave me exactly what I wanted. There doesn't appear to be any other provider even remotely close.

I've even considered, briefly, BT but having less than zero interest in sport their offer holds no attraction to me and I can't see them giving me equivalent of a $ly subs to their sport channels off a broadband/phone deal.

Besides which...

Loads of complaints out there from people who aren't getting what they paid for from BT.

Yes, don't get me started on that. When I left BT all those years ago they owed me some money that they had taken in advance for line rental. I lost track of the number of hours I spent on the phone talking to lying idiots in the subcontinent who promised faithfully and personally to refund the money to me.

 

[timo_w2s]

I'm with BE Internet and need to move ASAP. My exchange is due to be FTTC enabled any day now so hoping I can make the switch before Sky take over fully.

 

[Riverblue]

BT, Sly, Insurance Companies, Big Businesses in general, do any of them actually offer any form of "customer service"? John Lewis is one exception I can think of, but in my experience there are not a lot that do. Unfortunately that seems to be the modern world of big business nowadays, they just want your money. If you want a better service then it's generally the smaller setups that provide it, but you will usually pay a bit more for their services. This is especially true in retail, where small specialist outlets are generally more knowledgeable about their products, helpful and willing to be of assistance.

 

[PaulR]

My exchange is due to be FTTC enabled any day now so hoping I can make the switch before Sky take over fully.

Ah yes, fibre.

During 2012 fibre was supposed to be installed at my exchange sometime during 2013. During 2013 (so far) it's supposed to be in 2014. What's the betting it'll change to 2015 in a couple of months' time?

 

[timo_w2s]

Ah yes, fibre.

During 2012 fibre was supposed to be installed at my exchange sometime during 2013. During 2013 (so far) it's supposed to be in 2014. What's the betting it'll change to 2015 in a couple of months' time?

Oh dear. Hopefully that won't be the same for us. They did most of the cable laying and cabinet fitting over summer. It was supposed to go live in September but at the moment the BT site says before the end of November...

 

[PaulR]

Sounds like yours is well on its way though. AFAIK nothing has started in my exchange.