robertandjean Posted October 4, 2013 Share Posted October 4, 2013 Good news, municipal police came round this morning checking parking tickets and ensuring all payed. About time too as fed up with meeting Brits on here saying how they have never payed and do not intend to. One Brit van drove off at sight of police only for police to stop in coming past on road junction! One other point many drivers pull out of aire and turn wrong way on what is now a one way system, clearly a dangerous thing to do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JudgeMental Posted October 4, 2013 Share Posted October 4, 2013 There were a few UK vans blatant about not paying when we were there in August..they seemed proud of the fact..Grown men acting like naughty school boys..shameful..Hope they get whacked with a healthy fine. Maybe thats why barriers being installed a lot of places, as the trust system failing...sad or what! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bojitoes Posted October 4, 2013 Share Posted October 4, 2013 We have stopped at Gravelines a few times over the last couple of years and have always paid, albeit sometimes with great difficulty. I would certainly understand anyone who said that the reason they did not pay was because they did not understand how to use the machine. I was about to use the machine a few weeks ago when a Frenchman came up to pay as well, I let him go first just so I could see how it was done. After several minutes fiddling with his credit card and pushing buttons at random with no success he gave up and walked off without paying - the technology was beyond him. I succeeded in paying at my second attempt, but, it ain't easy. bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin Posted October 4, 2013 Share Posted October 4, 2013 On a similar note, we have stayed on a municipal where the office was only open 9am till midday, all the french reg vans disappeared before then, one morning a coincidence possibly but three mornings in a row, I don't think so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goldi Posted October 4, 2013 Share Posted October 4, 2013 Morning folks, When we tried earlier this year we tried with different cards, all to no avail. We then watched as various nationalties had various degrees of success. If they cannot make the machines work then it is their fault A place we will avoid in future. norm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JudgeMental Posted October 4, 2013 Share Posted October 4, 2013 colin - 2013-10-04 11:14 AM On a similar note, we have stayed on a municipal where the office was only open 9am till midday, all the french reg vans disappeared before then, one morning a coincidence possibly but three mornings in a row, I don't think so. Don't get me wrong, the french themselves particularly guilty of this as well...hence the barriers *-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelly58 Posted October 4, 2013 Share Posted October 4, 2013 We were on the Aire at Souppes Surlong where the local Office De Tourism staff come around at 19.30 pm to collect the 5e and issue a receipt after they had moved off a number of motorhomes " French " turned up ,but the best thing was at 7.45 am the next morning so did the staff to collect the unpaid 5e and blocked the entry road with their car until they had collected all the unpaid money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muswell Posted October 4, 2013 Share Posted October 4, 2013 Good, but isn't it depressing that they have to do that. It's like all this dodging where those who are honest end up subsidising the cheap-skates. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foxy Posted October 4, 2013 Share Posted October 4, 2013 JudgeMental - 2013-10-04 10:39 AM There were a few UK vans blatant about not paying when we were there in August..they seemed proud of the fact..Grown men acting like naughty school boys..shameful..Hope they get whacked with a healthy fine. Maybe thats why barriers being installed a lot of places, as the trust system failing...sad or what! Didn't Have Honda 2 I generator with them eh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JudgeMental Posted October 4, 2013 Share Posted October 4, 2013 foxy - 2013-10-04 4:19 PM JudgeMental - 2013-10-04 10:39 AM There were a few UK vans blatant about not paying when we were there in August..they seemed proud of the fact..Grown men acting like naughty school boys..shameful..Hope they get whacked with a healthy fine. Maybe thats why barriers being installed a lot of places, as the trust system failing...sad or what! Didn't Have Honda 2 I generator with them eh. Foxy, I'm not revelling in your loss by any means! they are the rolls royce of generators, lovely bit of kit... But why necessary on a show for just a few days camping.....and why they have to be run at night beats me... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zydeco Joe Posted October 4, 2013 Share Posted October 4, 2013 On using Credit cards to pay for using an aire. Just a few weeks back while staying on a Austrian Stellplatz at Traunsee the payment machine took cards, we tried and tried to get one of our two cards to work with no avail. We ended up with 4 German speaking MH's trying to help again no avail the local collector came over to again help and he told us that one of his cards did not work on this machine we then paid the 12 euros in coins. In Germany and Austria most cards have a "EC" logo on them that UK cards do not have and that was the reason we failed to use our cards. As for not paying, on a campsite in France at Rocamadour we had a couple in a tent come into the site late ( after the site people had left) the tent couple got up very early and hopped it before paying the 10 euros( the female was on crutches as she had a broken leg). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest searchforsites Posted October 4, 2013 Share Posted October 4, 2013 When we attempted to pay the attendant turned up. He was drunk as a skunk. We gestured the machine would not accept our card (or anyone else's) and he just gave a Gallic shrug and went on his merry way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wints Posted October 4, 2013 Share Posted October 4, 2013 We stopped for about an hour on thursday, just for something to eat before carrying on to the ferry terminal at Dunkirk. Would I have been expected to pay ? I noticed that the fee was only 3 euros / 24 hrs now that we were into October. Another thing, the french Hymer that was always parked sideways on has now relocated to the grassed area adjacent the garage, and he's now got ehu ! Allen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 1footinthegrave Posted October 4, 2013 Share Posted October 4, 2013 robertandjean - 2013-10-04 10:27 AM Good news, municipal police came round this morning checking parking tickets and ensuring all payed. About time too as fed up with meeting Brits on here saying how they have never payed and do not intend to. One Brit van drove off at sight of police only for police to stop in coming past on road junction! One other point many drivers pull out of aire and turn wrong way on what is now a one way system, clearly a dangerous thing to do. This is simply " learnt behaviour " learnt mainly from the French, as is the French habit of setting out tables and chairs and rolled out awnings,so often seen, and so many of them arriving late on paid Aires just to avoid paying. We are currently in France, and only two nights ago on a paid Aire I took the trouble to see how many others were displaying a ticket, some may have been obscured from my view, but we were the ONLY Brit registered van, and the only other thing that made us stand out was we were very much in the minority in paying for and displaying our ticket, so let's have some balance eh. I should add however they would have to pay me to stop at Gravelines! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JudgeMental Posted October 5, 2013 Share Posted October 5, 2013 whats wrong with gravelines you old grumble..:-D as least it's quiet, convenient for restaurants and bars and 10 mns from ferry.......dont want much for a fiver do you!lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 1footinthegrave Posted October 5, 2013 Share Posted October 5, 2013 JudgeMental - 2013-10-05 8:59 AM whats wrong with gravelines you old grumble..:-D as least it's quiet, convenient for restaurants and bars and 10 mns from ferry.......dont want much for a fiver do you!lol I've got an aversion to buses Eddie, spent too many years driving them I guess, Tardinghen for us, quiet as the grave, lovely views over the channel, and just the same at a fiver. ;-) The nice lady calls up to the top field around early evening, most of the French must know that as they arrive around 9 PM. :-S Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goldi Posted October 5, 2013 Share Posted October 5, 2013 JudgeMental - 2013-10-05 8:59 AM whats wrong with gravelines you old grumble..:-D as least it's quiet, convenient for restaurants and bars and 10 mns from ferry.......dont want much for a fiver do you!lol MOrning all, Yes and a pleasant hour can be spent watching the rats come from the earth bank to the roly dustbins norm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robertandjean Posted October 5, 2013 Author Share Posted October 5, 2013 One foot, not sure what you mean about buses. Yes a few years ago buses used to come on road past aire but no more. Regarding other nationalities not paying on Aires then this is true but we have come across a lot of Brits here at Gravelines who seemed proud not to pay, and that is the point we were making. Regarding the French Hymer then he has come to an arrangement with the garage, to stay on what is private land and have use of services. Yes aire here could be improved by for example putting in hook-ups, barrier entry etc, then would happily pay 10€ night. Regarding ticket machine here then follow this procedure: Insert credit card. If at first does not go in slot, wait a few seconds then push a little harder. When prompted push the large blue button on ticket machine once. Again when prompted enter your pin no on key pad and press the long green key on pad, not green button on machine. When prompted take out card, press no more buttons and ticket will come. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robertandjean Posted October 5, 2013 Author Share Posted October 5, 2013 goldi - 2013-10-05 9:51 AM JudgeMental - 2013-10-05 8:59 AM whats wrong with gravelines you old grumble..:-D as least it's quiet, convenient for restaurants and bars and 10 mns from ferry.......dont want much for a fiver do you!lol MOrning all, Yes and a pleasant hour can be spent watching the rats come from the earth bank to the roly dustbins norm Norm, not seen these creatures in many visits, but you might be disappointed now as bins are no longer in middle of vans but moved well away to road side on entry to aire. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 1footinthegrave Posted October 5, 2013 Share Posted October 5, 2013 I'm bemused by your statement "proud not to have paid" do you conduct market research there. A few days ago we were at St Jean De Luz, to a man they were ALL French registered vans, what they had done with the two FREE electric points had to be seen to be believed, so shocked by what we saw I've taken a picture that I will post on the forum when we are back in the UK the end of the month, the Aire is free, and yet they were all clearly there for one reason, free electric as well. We endured one night there, clearly the French were happy to ignore the constant train and road noise for a freebie to watch their TVs. Daisy chaining around a dozen vans to two free points. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JudgeMental Posted October 5, 2013 Share Posted October 5, 2013 robertandjean - 2013-10-05 10:14 AM goldi - 2013-10-05 9:51 AM JudgeMental - 2013-10-05 8:59 AM whats wrong with gravelines you old grumble..:-D as least it's quiet, convenient for restaurants and bars and 10 mns from ferry.......dont want much for a fiver do you!lol MOrning all, Yes and a pleasant hour can be spent watching the rats come from the earth bank to the roly dustbins norm Norm, not seen these creatures in many visits, but you might be disappointed now as bins are no longer in middle of vans but moved well away to road side on entry to aire. never in what must be 10 overnights over the years, have we seen a bus or a rat..they do say you are never more than 6 feet away from a rat wherever you are.....and being by a river/estuary even more of a chance. listen... If moi can get a ticket out of the machine anyone can! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arthur49 Posted October 5, 2013 Share Posted October 5, 2013 robertandjean - 2013-10-04 10:27 AM Good news, municipal police came round this morning checking parking tickets and ensuring all payed. About time too as fed up with meeting Brits on here saying how they have never payed and do not intend to. One Brit van drove off at sight of police only for police to stop in coming past on road junction! One other point many drivers pull out of aire and turn wrong way on what is now a one way system, clearly a dangerous thing to do. Excellent news. We encountered lots of miserable cheapskates in our 4 week trip. All nationalities but mainly French. On one Aire - can't remember which - it cost 2 Euro to empty cassette so the 'miserables' were dumping in the shrubs........... didn't see anyone do it but could see and smell the evidence.. :'( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muswell Posted October 5, 2013 Share Posted October 5, 2013 I think that rat statistic, if not completely made up, was generated using the whole area of the UK, the whole human population, the whole rat population then coming up with an average. You don't see too many in the Welsh mountains. No jokes please. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 1footinthegrave Posted October 5, 2013 Share Posted October 5, 2013 arthur49 - 2013-10-05 10:55 AM robertandjean - 2013-10-04 10:27 AM Good news, municipal police came round this morning checking parking tickets and ensuring all payed. About time too as fed up with meeting Brits on here saying how they have never payed and do not intend to. One Brit van drove off at sight of police only for police to stop in coming past on road junction! One other point many drivers pull out of aire and turn wrong way on what is now a one way system, clearly a dangerous thing to do. Excellent news. We encountered lots of miserable cheapskates in our 4 week trip. All nationalities but mainly French. On one Aire - can't remember which - it cost 2 Euro to empty cassette so the 'miserables' were dumping in the shrubs........... didn't see anyone do it but could see and smell the evidence.. :'( Let's be quite clear, the average Frenchman has no qualms at all taking a pee with no attempt to disguise what he is doing, and many a layby shrubbery area has the telltale copious amounts of discarded tissue paper as the ladies use them to catch the drips, charming stuff eh. Mind you given the dreadful state of those stoop over loos,that are still around is it any wonder. We love France in general, but I'm very glad we've got our own sanitary arrangements. And it's heartening to see some areas getting to grips with that other menace, dog crap everywhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest pelmetman Posted October 5, 2013 Share Posted October 5, 2013 1footinthegrave - 2013-10-05 10:21 AM I'm bemused by your statement "proud not to have paid" do you conduct market research there. A few days ago we were at St Jean De Luz, to a man they were ALL French registered vans, what they had done with the two FREE electric points had to be seen to be believed, so shocked by what we saw I've taken a picture that I will post on the forum when we are back in the UK the end of the month, the Aire is free, and yet they were all clearly there for one reason, free electric as well. We endured one night there, clearly the French were happy to ignore the constant train and road noise for a freebie to watch their TVs. Daisy chaining around a dozen vans to two free points. We made the mistake of staying there once 8-)................I thought Biarritz was noisy.........but at least it usually quietens down at night ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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