I'm a member of a local Google group for ex pats run by a volunteer who works very hard on it. The site primarily is a free advert site & source of advice. I get many emails a day & have bought a few bargains, sold a bit, too. Most of the postings are straightforward but a surprising number do show the postees to have rather limited common sense! I reproduce a few below.
1)Where can I dispose of old gas cylinders?
Well, you know where you fill your car with fuel, there are those big cages with gas cylinders in....
2) Where can I buy a bache to cover my logs?
Tricky one! It would need to be somewhere that sells garden & house type stuff - er.
3)Where can we purchase bottled gas regulators and connecting pipes?
See above.
4) Where in France can I get an english MOT?
Duh!
5)we have about €25 in copper coins where can i exchange them for
notes?
Lehman Brothers?
6)Since the storm/high winds last week we have not been able to get the tv through our sky digibox. We have tried to do the procedure to re-set it which (unlplugging at socket and waiting and then trying again) which has always worked in the past but alas not this time.
Perhaps the dish...?
7)I changed my car last year & swapped it straight over no problems (both on UK plates). I have since had a letter from my insurance company saying if I don't conform it to french plates they will no longer insure me. Does anyone know of an insurance company that will insure me on my UK plates?
You could always comply with the law.
& seasonally:-
8)Does anyone know where I can re-cycle my Christmas cards in France?
Perhaps the recycling bin???
There are always lots of requests from people who need their dishwasher or washing machine fixing. The man who regularly advertises this service on the site must think his emails are invisible!
Happy New Year!
Oh, I forgot to add that I did not ask for money, so the owners were just glad to get a valuable resource back. So no point in pinching them.
That's odd, Christa, they took mine! But I can see that perhaps some won't.
I have come across a few more on-line questions which throw a little doubt on the intelligence of our fellow Brits!
"I am looking for a catflap, since our dog destroyed our last night! "
"Today someone is advertising installing French tv via satellite for 350 euros.
My question might seem too simple but why don't people just do like French people do? Buy a tv here and plug it in and hey presto the TNT channels plus the other French tv channels.?"
"half siamese cat needs good home"
This might explain where the other half of the cat went...
"1/2 violin for sale,"
@JB. They say that assumption is the mother of all cock-ups. You assume that these people do not know their questions are here. You do not know the site, the people, my earlier replies to their questions or their responses.You do not know if they are known to me. Why should these anonymous people have to defend themselves? From what? Do you think I should name them here? You ask if I would do the same here if the recycling question had been asked. On its own, no, but as a collection of "bloopers" yes! In you first reply you used the royal "we", how dare you assume to represent all the members on this site! This is a discussion thread, where members are free to comment as they feel, including your good self. You speak for you & you alone. Others on this site have, & will, "mock" each other, & it is usually treated as friendly banter with no intent to insult or upset.
You sense of humour is not the same as mine. I get it, thank you.
You keep mentioning how things are done in the UK, but we live in France, mate, it's not the same!
@ Everyone
Another failure to engage brain.
A couple had an overnight stay in the city of Arles. The woman mentioned that her favorite picture was "the Night Cafe" by Van Gogh. They found the actual cafe but too late to eat there. The man promised that they would return in the morning & have breakfast before continuing their journey.
It was closed... & I'm not going back!
@ James Burton.Thank you, James. I'm pleased that you also found the postings amusing. I think perhaps to call the postees stupid is a bit unfair just because their question has not been thought through! There are plenty of stupid questions about & many form the basis of humour. You comment that "we" don't mock people on this site did concern me a bit. Are you now a moderator, setting policy? Or do you represent the total membership of this easy going network (bar one - I will mock stupidity, but I don't target individuals. The aim is to make people smile, not p*** them off)? I have been known to ask the occasional stupid question usually because I have not heard/read something properly & have been ribbed by my friends mercilessly! A lot older & wiser now, my stupid questions are deliberate. I laugh at the stupid people who can't take a joke!
Ah yes, but if you work legally as an electrician you are only insured to work on electrics and petit plumberie! We work legally :) He does all those things at home and has replaced a roof, done floors, etc, but not for work.
Mark, Yes, we like this site and have laughted at most of the ones you mention! Great bargains to be had but we spend a fortune getting to the area.
Jayne, our plumber can do all these things: + replace roof tiles; look after/replace/reline pools and so much more. Just not very good at turning up!
Ha ha, they remind me so much of people who have phoned to ask my husband if he can do certain jobs.
As an electrician he has been asked: can he install a satellite dish or repair the TV, replace the glass door on a cooker, sort out an IT problem, sort out a washing machine leak, etc. If it has a plug on it, then it must be the electricians job. :)