GDF (gaz de France and just about anywhere else you care to mention, who said those wily French don't like capitalism) have been remarkably - or perhaps not - tricky about reconnecting us to the gas mains. This was one of the few things I left to C - my French is really very good but I don't have the cultural understanding to be able to deal with the gasman here. However C has the incredibly irritating habit of giving our home phone number to people he doesn't really want to deal with so I always end up having to sort the gasman or the taxman or the dentist or any number of bogeymen out anyway. If I'm feeling mean (often the case) I give them his mobile and his direct line at work.
One day last week the gasman called to tell me he was coming to fix the meter. I said that as far as I knew we needed to be connected to the mains before we could have a meter fixed. 'Then why did you call me?' he said irritably. I pointed out that he had called me. I asked him if he could fix us to the mains. He said he could only do one thing which is fit a meter and what's more he couldn't do that if we're not on the mains. I said 'I know that, that's why I'm telling you we need to be attached to the mains before you do the meter'. We continued in this somewhat circular vein for a few more minutes before he got tired and told me that he had other things to do besides talking to me. I had rather the impression that this wasn't the case since he was so keen to continue the conversation, but still.
My genius solution was to call the plumber on my mobile and hold the mobile to the phone in order to let the two of them clarify the situation without any intervention on my part other than holding the two phones next to each other.
Yesterday GDF turned up, dug up the pavement and whacked in a tube that I guess will carry the gas to the future meter. They didn't of course fill in the hole. Cleaning up after yourself is clearly not the way to become a multimillion euro multinational concern. Perhaps that suggests a great future for each one of my children?
3 comments:
as far as i can tell, you lack the cultural understanding to deal with idiots, which may be a good thing.
of course they didn't clear up. of course our insurance policy does not cover us for the hole the builder makes in the ceiling to find and stop the leak from underneath our bath, just for paying him to make good the damage... (Charles phoned them up and frightened them - slightly embarrassingly while I was also phoning them up and trying to resolve the situation - 'we've got your husband on the other line, saying he wants to close the policy'...). who in their right mind wants to speak to any of these people about any of this??? sigh. love the rolltop bath, and very much the impromptu conference call.
The bath is lovely but really really small. I think I'm going to end up sneaking into the kids' bathroom to bathe in their lovely Villeroy and Boch bath.
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