There is competition - SFN, Guide2 sites etc - you just need to start using them instead of AI 
SFN is national and good for some things, the Guide2 sites are regional like AI, but have not been running as long and are good for different reasons compared to SFN. Room for both.
Despite all the complaints about AI, people continue to use them. Part of the problem is being comfortable with what you know and resistance to change. Itâs why large companies employ âChange Championsâ - not a term I like, very American - but it is someone that makes sure everyone understands the reason for change and the advantages. Not so easy in this case to connect with people.
Luckily I have never been on Anglo info so maybe I wonât bother now I will just stick with this site
I do share your view - unfortunately AI is the same wherever it appears - I belong to several different AI area forums - because I am interested in them, used to live in them, or may visit them ! However, a lot of my replies are deleted - and I receive the usual wrist slap from the Neo Nazis that run the forum ! I have used it to buy and sell things - all it seems to be useful for ! I do note that whilst anything I post that has any capital letters anywhere in it is removed âŚwhereas some posts containing capital letters are left ! I wonder why that is ??? I have changed my name several times âŚwhenever someone discovers who I am âŚ
I have belonged to it now for a very long time, since it started, but in a different country. At that time it was a useful source of info on our intended move to France - now sadly it seems to be run by, as a judge put it in the UK several years ago, âpetty little sawdust ceasersâ Shame - there are other fora (?) that are good, funny, and to the point !
They are indeed bossy and rather dull too
I totally agree with Martin,
I was dubious at first I must admit, but what I admire most about SFN is the honesty
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The Anglo info sites in my area are way past their sell by dates, If, like me, you live on the borders of two of their regions,and if you advertise something on both area sites, they pull it off the one you donât live in. I am always honest and put my commune and post code to help people locate me as itâs no good getting enquires say 100kms away from people who are too far to come.
I am moving to Ireland and trying to sell my hay, they wonât accept adverts for what they call "professional farm produce"i.e. hay & straw unless as a paid for ad, yet accept trade adverts which are concealed as private ads
Sadly, a lot of these forums simply provide a place for people to behave badly without any comeback as they are hiding behind usernames.
There are other forums, such as SFN, that insist on real names and I think they are much better for it.
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The censorship is feisty and anachronistic. I once suggested on a heated thread about expats learning - or not bothering to try to learn - French, that perhaps one should try.
I was called a bigot and accused of infringing civil liberty by implicating that it was an obligation to communicate in oneâs hostâs tongue. My post was deftly removed; the âYou are a bigot, why should we learn Frenchâ? post was leftâŚ
Load of Daily Mail readers
Yes - I agree ! the AI site is useful for selling or buying some things - not a lot else seems to be going on - itâs just one enormous for sale site - ok I have sold or bought several things, so ok for me, but no discussions are allowed - most of my posts have been removed - although those of a similar vein are left ! I was admonished once for putting capital letters as the heading for my post - although many other posts also have capital !!! I give up âŚ
Went to a nice BBQ tonight, maybe some shopping tommorrow.
I get my local info from a local Herault site.www.heraultwhatson.info. Prefet gives pre-warning of road blocks and random tests, scam where women bullied to give a driver who claims to have had his wing mirror smashed âŹ100 and Hornets more into the Aude. That is really local and valuable news and info - have a look
Interesting - it claims to be local butâŚI get my local info from a local Herault site.www.heraultwhatson.info. Prefet gives pre-warning of road blocks and random tests, scam where women bullied to give a driver who claims to have had his wing mirror smashed âŹ100 and Hornets more into the Aude. THat is really local and valuable - have a look
hi Alex, reading your reply I notice that you mention Russel James, who has been a close friend of mine for the last 6 years. Is it me having a senior moment, or do I understand your post to imply that Russ is a freelance moderator for AI? If so, this has to be the joke of the year because he has NEVER worked for AI, & would not. Is this a little scheme between you to give his Indie radio show a little publicity?
Peter, the site is called AngloINFO & the site offers âAll the independent, accurate and up-to-date information you need for your life in another country.â There is no mention of it being based only on personal experiences. Pick a topic from the list & you will get âThe focus is on hard information - not speculation, editorialising or personal experiences that may be irrelevant to you. Working from the best sources (including extensive government contacts), AngloINFOâs editorial team and its guest experts - all specialists in their field - are able to provide you with the authoritative information you need.â What you actually get is exactly what you say - authors personal experiences! If I ask a question of forum members I would expect that, but these âfactsâ are given as gospel.
But still worth commenting on apparently.
There seems to be two main topics here regarding Angloinfo; 1, the accuracy, or otherwise of information given and 2, the question of censorship. The second is inexcusable except where common decency is concerned or where a posting is clearly unlawful. However regarding the accuracy of information, I have said time and again that the answers given are invariably the authors personal experience and no more. For example; I asked, on Angloinfo, some years ago how to go about swapping my English driving license for a French one. None of the answers offered came close to my own experience which was nothing short of amazing, I submitted all the documents to the Prefecture here in Manche on a Thursday afternoon at 3pm and was told I would receive my French one in about a week. It arrived the following morning in my post box. According to Angloinfo at the time it could take up to three months. Compare this to a friend of mine across the border in Calvados. Identical situation age wise, both of us old age pensioners. He asked for assistance and between us we prepared the identical documents except that he was unable to produce a recent bill as proof of residence. (He lives in a âgranny flatâ with his family.) We took one of his sonsâ electricity bills which was eventually accepted but it still took FIVE months. In this respect I donât think it matters which social networking site you use you need to remember that the answers and views given are those of the author only.
Feel free Emma! Cx
Yes - all surveyors are specialised, I did part of the old ISVA training as a building surveyor and wouldnât have touched quantity surveying - totally different! as for the local builder thing - of course it has to be a builder you trust otherwise youâll end up getting ripped off and no better off than a dodgy surveyor! Sorry I should have worded it better, I should have also added that it helps being fluent in French and having specialised buildinbg vocab etc! one thingâs for sure - property projects without the knowledge or experienced/qualified experts can often turn into a nightmare - very pleased for you that everythingâs obviously working out/worked out well. if only more people took your approach there wouldnât be so many disaster stories!
RICS does have a RICS France membership and through the internet we have found a firm of properly qualified chartered building surveyors.
Our lawyers checked they are properly qualified, registered with the French authorities and are insured in France. The surveyor spoke fluent French and English, has been living and working in France for ten years. His wife is French and works in the business. Both of them are fluent in English and French. Three references were provided which included one from the French architect who the surveyor worked for producing building designs and technical darwings.
What my due diligence lawyers told me was there are many different types of rics surveyors with different specialisms.
The RICS list Nick Ord as a chartered âquantityâ surveyor registered with the RICS France (there is a directory on the internet). We wanted a chartered âbuildingâ surveyor because of their special training. The big problem we found was sorting out the honest and genuine ones. I would never take a local builder because anyone can set up as a builder and they do not have the correct training. They also have a vested interest in telling you there is work to be done becasue they want to do it!
Hello Carl
I agree with both of ideas but the one good thing about SFN is that the debate is open (and polite) and although things often go off subject⌠they often go on to very interesting info - the immo one which lead to a whole discussion of fees, not just agency ones but translation fees, teaching rates which both affect me and which were, for a number of us, extremely interesting and of direct impact on our daily work. the key for me is keeping the debate open and the discussions polite and friendly
Ă bientĂ´t