Fuel probs France

[PHILinFRANCE]

No strike news here , but then again we are in the booooonies

[daveuprite]

Tracie just filled up on her way to work this morning - no problems.

(That's in Bellac, Haute Vienne - 60kms north of Limoges)

[92kk k100lt 193214]

Cards are still an issue in France. I carry three and it seems quite random.

The other thing that can happen is the automated fuel pumps can block off €150 for a week....on a bike 4 fuel stops in 3 days can leave you with €600 or more blocked off on a card until the transactions have washed through the system.

Manned pumps can be found at supermarkets but now seem to be only manned up to noon. These are not usually signposted as services stops. Even a lot of the services pumps are automated.

[daveuprite]

One of the more noticeable differences between France and the UK is the way that shops tend to be fairly function-specific.

You buy cigarettes at a Tabac, not at a supermarket, and the Tabac rarely sells newspapers alongside your fags. For those you go to a Presse. Etc etc. Things are more varied in the big supermarkets, which usually include a boulangerie, patisserie, boucherie etc - although you have to go to a dedicated Pharmacie for prescription and other drugs.

Petrol stations have nearly always been solely places to buy fuel. Except at large motorway service areas, they don't generally have shops selling all the stuff you get in the UK these days. No 'wild bean cafés' here. You fuel up and bugger off to somewhere proper for lunch, and to a supermarket for your groceries.

There was a story the other day on UK tv about some guy at a Shell garage in England who bought fuel, got some stuff in the shop, stopped for a coffee and then decided to take his car through the car wash. A week later he got a £100 parking fine from some private parking company employed by Shell to punish people for loitering on the forecourt! He exceeded the 'half hour limit' which was announced on some small sign tucked away somewhere, even though he spent that whole half hour spending money with Shell ! It's things like this that make me glad I left the rat-race UK.

[garyboy]

must say, I love France, always have, and was always impressed with the shops .. patisserie .. those egg custard tart things,.. the fresh milk, the clean pharmacies, the small road side cafe's .. the huge hypermarkets that French families used to take a day out in …. not to mention the fabulous scenery, beautiful climate, French attitude .. etc etc etc ….. must try to get there next year (I always say that)

[chunky butt]

Plenty of fuel about at the mo, apparently 7500 protesters descended on Angouleme this morning, convoy "escargot" from Cognac, good job I didn't need anything from there.

[garyboy]

glad to hear it, the fuel …. it is a disgrace what ordinary people have to suffer in the name of Austerity .. at least the French, as has been said many times before, have the gaul to protest about it

[Scott_rider]

Cards are still an issue in France. I carry three and it seems quite random.

The other thing that can happen is the automated fuel pumps can block off €150 for a week....on a bike 4 fuel stops in 3 days can leave you with €600 or more blocked off on a card until the transactions have washed through the system.

That happened to me earlier this year. I had a £1000 limit credit card for petrol and within 4 days it was blocked because I'd used it 6 times for fuel...which was about £160 of fuel but each time £150 was pre-authorised so it soon added up to about £1000 and I was Fubared.
It took about 5 to 7 days for the £150's to start coming back off the card, during which time I had to use my mate's card as he had a much higher limit on it.

[lebowski]

No fuel problems in the southern Gers, down near the Pyrenees, mind you we are pretty rural. There weren't any problems last time either.

Postie still working, schools still open, can't say we've seen anything different to normal, but as I say, we are very rural.

As to the card problem, we have trouble with our french bank card in certain pumps, often totally random too. We always find if we use another pump on the same forecourt, it works fine.