Vol 4 Edition 2 December 2003
Costa Blanca Netguide Newsletter
http://www.costablanca-netguide.com
This newsletter is only sent to subscribers
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CONTENTS:
1) Editorial
2) Suzanna's Article
3) B. R. I. T. S. 3
4) Your Questions
5) Consumer Advice
6) Spanish Resources
7) Sticker/Screensaver Information
8) 2004 Publishing dates
9) Subscribe/Unsubscribe Information
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1) Editorial
Hi ,
Hi and welcome to the last newsletter of 2003. Its amazing
how quickly it comes around. I am very proud of the fact
that I have actually written my Christmas cards. They have
not however progressed as far as the postbox yet but I can
always blame their late arrival on the post!
You'll find some interesting articles in this months edition
with the next episode in our BRITS story. Pam and Barry are
settling nicely and give you an insight into their first
year of visitors. I have added a story of consumer rights
following an episode in a multi-national franchise. This
month also sees the beginning of our Question and Answer
section as promised last month. We had an email regarding
purchasing a property with a mortgage so we contacted J Dee
International Properties in Javea to find out their advice.
We did let you know in October about a new publication due
out by Merrick Publications called "Spanish Magazine". Well
it is now in the newsagents and I have seen a copy. More
resource information for all of you looking to come to Spain
either for a holiday or more permanently plus you can see me
and the family at home.
Our office has been receiving calls from around the world
from various bods trying to claim El Gordo lottery winnings
- apparently our phone number appears on some of the
letters. Having written an article some time back we assumed
these people were desperately looking for more information
but more was revealed when I started doing some research. If
anyone out there has received the same please email us with
any information you feel may be useful. Hopefully by next
month I will be able to conclude the research and tell you
all about it. For now though I must just say if you get any
emails or letters saying you have won a lottery beware. Do
not send any personal information or funds. To win the El
Gordo Lottery you must first buy a ticket.....I've got
mine!!!
And on that note even if I win the jackpot I promise to
e-see you in the New Year. So wherever you are in the world
have a very Merry Christmas and a Prosperous New Year.
Feliz Navidad.....Bon Nadal.....Happy Christmas.
Suzanna.
Suzanna Editor - Costa Blanca Netguide.
editor@costablanca-netguide.com
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2) Suzanna's Article
Hello ,
In the interest of research I went shopping with a friend
recently... well that's what I told hubby when we came back
laden with bags! Seriously though, whilst out an incident
did occur which I thought worthy of a mention. Consumer laws
are something that I have never needed to pay any attention
to here. I knew the rights for the consumer in the UK as
would be expected but it had never come into play here. The
situation was this, I was in Mango, a multi national
franchise in a shopping centre near Benidorm. As you enter
the shop there are about half a dozen hanging displays but
the type you can take the garments from. I found a pair of
trousers on these displays and decided to try them on. The
price tag was marked 36,90Euros. I tried them on in the
changing rooms and decided that the next size would be
better so my friend went off to get them for me. She had
found a rail of the same trousers just outside the changing
rooms but discovered that it only held larger sizes so
returned to the displays we had originally taken the
trousers from. She located the size I wanted, brought them
to me, I tried them on and very happily decided these were
perfect for Christmas. All very simple...until we got to the
cash desk. I very rarely carry a lot of cash, especially on
a day trip out, and tend to use my Spanish debit card. There
were two assistants behind the counter and the girl serving
me was obviously being trained by the 2nd one. She passed
the wand over the ticket, bagged my trousers and handed me
the bag and then passed my card through the machine. Whilst
waiting for the transaction to go through I was talking to
my friend who noticed the price on the till showed 39,90
Euros. I questioned this and showed the price tag on the
trousers which by now were in a carrier bag in my sweaty
little hand. The assistant who was training the cashier
quickly waved this aside with the comment that the computer
was right! I argued that this could not possibly be correct
or they could price everything in the shop as they wished
and then charge a different price at the till. I was told
that there would only be one or two things in the entire
shop priced incorrectly. At this point another assistant was
standing by my side with a pile of clothes over her arm,
presumably pricing them, and said "Well it's only 3 Euros
more" and walked off. Now I will tell you at this point I
was a manageress of a retail outlet in the UK for a while
and just the attitude and comment of that girl was enough
for me to stand up to this. My friend was finding this all
quite amusing as she is new to Spain and doesn't speak
Spanish so was enjoying me being able to stand my ground in
the situation. My shortfall at this moment though was that I
did not know the actual law in Spain concerning this issue
so my argument had to be curtailed slightly. Whilst all this
was occurring another girl had gone off and found another
pair of the same trousers with a sticker over the original
price showing the new price. This too I found amazing, that
they could put a higher price over a lower price. Sure
reduce the price but raise it? With my card receipt in their
hands I was asked if I wanted the trousers. Well, I know a
lot of people would have said no and walked off but I did
actually really want these trousers so I went ahead with the
transaction but that would not be the end of it! Exiting the
shop my friend and I looked at the rest of the displays
where I had taken the trousers from. Of the half a dozen
only one had the new sticker on!
After returning home I decided to start the research the
next day. Firstly I found the Spanish National Consumer
Institute website at www.consumo-inc.es. According to the
site the consumer has the right to be informed of the
correct details of a product or service. Now as I take that
the price shown must be correct. I did contact the institute
by email but so far have not received an answer. I'll be
interested to see if they do answer. I then found Mango's
website. Their offices are up in Barcelona so I gave them a
call. A really helpful and very pleasant girl took my call.
I explained the situation and told her I wasn't sure of the
law in Spain regarding pricing etc. She told me that they
are within their rights to tell you of the correct pricing
beforehand and withdraw it from sale if you do not wish to
pay the price shown on the computer. As this didn't occur in
my case, and I pointed it out to them, she telephoned the
branch involved for me and called me back immediately. I was
to call the manageress of the shop with the model number of
the trousers and she would arrange the refund. I put the
call through and spoke to a pleasant mannered manageress.
When I gave her the model number and described the trousers
she commented that they were the ones by the door. She asked
me to wait a moment whilst she presumably checked them. On
returning to the phone she confirmed that yes they were
incorrectly priced...amazing that the fault wasn't put right
immediately, and asked me to come in and collect the
difference. Luckily I had planned to go back the following
week anyway as its quite a distance to travel for "only 3
Euros". Yesterday I did the deed and popped in. The
manageress was just about to go out to lunch but I managed
to catch her and she quickly and efficiently told her
cashier to give me the three Euros and put a note in to say
she had said so. I asked if it was necessary for me to sign
anything but she declined. So now I have the trousers I
wanted, at the price I wanted, with a receipt that says I
paid more. So for future reference, you are within your
rights to pay the price shown on the label unless you are
informed of any difference at the till before it is
processed.
Being able to speak the language is obviously of great
advantage in any situation and knowing the law before you
launch into an argument is also important. In general I find
the Spaniards extremely helpful and polite and those people
I know who say otherwise very often don't speak Spanish and
don't allow for language barriers.
Researched and Written by Suzanna
info.es@costablanca-netguide.com
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, if you know someone who may benefit
from any of the articles in this newsletter please feel free
to pass it on.
PLEASE NOTE: These articles are for personal use only and
may not be posted on any website, newsgroup or bulletin
board. If you wish to use any of our articles for commercial
purposes please contact us articles@costablanca-netguide.com
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3) B. R. I. T. S. 3 (Being Retired in the Sun - episode 3)
Last month I told of our experiences getting a phone
installed, which I'm pleased to say still works. A short
additional story regarding Telefonica comes from an
acquaintance who was working in Madrid a number of years
ago. He moved into rented accommodation and applied for a
phone and was informed that it would probably take a few
months. So he patiently waited and nearly 12 months later
was finally informed that it would be installed the
following week. However by this time he was due to move to
different accommodation very close by and he asked for the
phone to be installed in the new apartment. He was told it
wasn't possible and that he would have to reapply and start
the whole process all over again. I think he stuck with his
mobile phone!!
Visitors - that is what I was going to write about this
month - those friends and family that you've missed since
moving to Spain and can't wait to see again. Well that's
the theory anyway. People say that you very quickly
discover how many friends you have when you live somewhere
warm and sunny and all sorts of long lost relatives appear
from out of the woodwork, but to be honest we haven't had
that experience yet. We have only had a few visitors so far
and they have all been invited guests. Of course we didn't
have our swimming pool ready in time for this summer so it
will be interesting to see if it is different next year when
the sun shines and the pool is glistening in the heat.
The Spanish have a saying about visitors - that they are
like fish. On the first day they are fresh, on by second
day they are starting to go a little stale and by the third
day,
well by the third day - they stink!!, these are the very
words used by our Spanish teacher, who is from Madrid ( not
Barcelona) We don't think like this yet, but who knows,
after our 10th visit ti Quadalest things could change.
One quite alarming thing however, is that so far 2 of our
'friends and family' visitors have decided to move to Spain
also. The 'family' is my sister and she has decided on an
apartment about 25 minutes away, near the coast so that
gives us an excuse to go to the beach, and quite a
satisfactory result. The 'friends' however, are looking
much closer to 'home' which is a worrying trend if it
continues with any more of our visitors in the future. Its
quite acceptable for our friends to realise that we have
made the right choice in moving here and it's a wonderful
place to live, but that doesn't mean that we want them all
to join us out here. Apart from anything, if they all move
out here that will ruin our plans of staying with them when
we need to make visits back to the UK!
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4) Your Questions
Question from Ben and Kelly of Moraira:-
We are buying a house through an estate agent and have
secured a mortgage through the bank. The bank charges
include notary and registry fees. Our question is does the
bank check everything paperwork wise to make sure it's OK
before they will except the mortgage? We don't want to go
ahead and find out at a later stage that we have bought
something that is not legal or is missing some vital
paperwork.
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5) Consumer Advice
Answer from Dee of JDee International Properties, Javea:-
Yes, when you go to the bank to request a mortgage, a valuer
is appointed by the bank which will do a valuation on the
property to enable this the valuer and bank must have a
copy of the Escritura and copy of the Nota Simply.
They will also ask for a copy of the Contract you have
signed when you paid your 10% deposit. On the day of
signing, the bank will be present to pay over the monies
to the vendor when all the relevant documents have been
signed.
I must stress, it is always better to have a solicitor
present to dot the "I's" and cross the "T's".
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5) Spanish Resources
Books
i) It's Not About the Tapas
This is a tale of one woman's epic adventure travelling
around Spain and is a humorous introduction to the country
and everything within. OK! Magazine says "this true
triumphant tale of her travels will appeal to anyone who's
eager for adventure".
http://www.costablanca-netguide.com/bac/books/inatt.html
ii) Manana Manana: One Mallorcan Summer
This is another entertaining tale which tells of a Scottish
man who left his homeland with his wife and two wary sons to
set up a little valley farm growing oranges in the Mallorcan
countryside.
http://www.costablanca-netguide.com/bac/books/oms.html
iii) The Most Beautiful Villages of Spain
"The Most Beautiful Villages of Spain" reveals over 30
uncovered areas far from the beaches of Spain's
Mediterranean coast in four sections and includes places to
stay and eat, and sights to visit.
http://www.costablanca-netguide.com/bac/books/tmbvs.html
CD's
i) Romantic Piano Adagios
This is a beautiful 2-cd compilation containing many of the
best-loved pieces and movements for piano - includes solo
piano works and movements from the most popular piano
concertos. Perfect for a romantic evening to wind down after
a long day.
http://www.costablanca-netguide.com/bac/CDs/rpa.html
ii) Tinto - Music from 17th century Spain
If you're looking for a CD that will truly move you, then
this is for you. A bestseller with 5-star recommendations,
"Tinto - Music from 17th Century Spain" has been called "an
essential CD in your collection".
http://www.costablanca-netguide.com/bac/CDs/tinto.html
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6) Sticker Information
We have available our Costa Blanca Netguide car or shop
window stickers that we will send out to you free of charge.
Just email stickers@costablanca-netguide.com with your name
and postal address and how many you require (3 Max) and
we'll post them out to you anywhere in Europe at no cost.
Screensaver Information
Version 1 of the Costa Blanca Screensaver can be downloaded
at http://www.costablanca-netguide.com/screensaver.html.
The Free version has a few limitations but gives you a good
idea of what you can expect from the Full version which is
priced at 7 EUROS
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7) 2004 Approximate Publishing Dates
Jan 19th | February 16th | March 15th | April 19th | May 17th
June 21st | July 19th | August 16th | September 20th
October 18th | November 15th | December 20th
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