Switzerland to England.
England to Switzerland.
Switzerland to England.
England to Switzerland.
Switzerland to England.
England to Switzerland.
All in this month. The last mentioned being tomorrow morning, leaving home at 0500.
Then on Wed/Thurs another Switzerland to England.
Then the following week
England to Switzerland.
Switzerland to England. Whereupon, the plan is, that we shall be fully and completely moved.
We had originally arranged for a mover but he stopped returning my calls and left texts and eMails unanswered. (Website could be mentioned ...)
So I had to find someone else.
Found and arranged.
Somewhat expensive.
I rang them last but one Thursday (5th July) to ask for their bank details so I could transfer the funds.
At 1800 on that Thursday evening, after 2 weeks of negotiations, they sent an eMail: "... And I'm sorry to report that our van is currently in Switzerland this week, not next week as we told you. Their next availability is in August. ..."
We had made flight and hotel bookings, cancelled the services on our flat etc etc etc.
So that Friday morning, I had a 4 hour telephone hunt, and found someone who could move our stuff ... but it would have to be on the following Tuesday!
So I had to hot-foot it over to Switzerland sharpish, got there in time to dismantle wardrobes and beds, and so on and so forth. Loaded the van Tuesday morning, then had to leave Tues afternoon (because we no longer had a bed) to beat the van back to England to help/supervise the unloading.
And then UK customs charged me import duty - including on a number of items that I had bought in England, FFS1!!!!!! - and that had to be paid before the van would be allowed back into the country.
***sigh***
And then we unloaded the van on Wednesday, and I have been remantling the said wardrobes etc etc etc etc
And now, I have to shoot back to Switz because of electrical problems in the flat that D can't cope with.
So back tomorrow morning, sort those out, clear out the cellar, drive back to England for my appointments on Thurs and Fri.
Then FINALLY drive back at the end of the month, to hand over the flat to the new tenants, pick up D and at long last move to the UK finally and completely.
Please don't expect anything from me for the next three weeks or so that involves anything like measured and calm tones!
Have fun y'all.
J
Comments
Moving
Your experience is an Awful Warning. If and when we move to the mainland (our status is uncertain because of Brexit and the sprogs are already over there) we will take the cats, the bikes, the books and the mobiles. Everything else will go to the community furniture service and charity shops. I hope you have the chance to relax soon.
Speaker
Switzerland is not in the EU
AFAIK, that's why the duties were charged.
Things are going to get mightily complicated after March 2019. I think I need to go over to France in the Car and replenish my Wine Cellar before then. A 4 or 5 day trip to Normandy and Brittany in September appears to be on the cards.
Samantha
I hope you have an itemized
I hope you have an itemized list of what they charged you duty on, so you can go back and send them a refund request for the items purchased originally in England.
Good luck with it! There's a reason why I simply rented a 20+ foot moving truck, loaded my wife's belongings myself, and drove them from Detroit to Houston.
I'll get a life when it's proven and substantiated to be better than what I'm currently experiencing.
and
Thanks to wonderful Brexit your experience will be typical of any trip across the Channel from next year.
Honestly, I can't understand why you bothered coming back to the UK, if I had two happenys i'd be off like a shot to escape the madness. No free movement, taxes due on everything, long queues at the ports - yep the shortsighted won't be the only ones reaping the reward of their folly.
Madeline Anafrid Bell
If there is a 'hard exit'
Then it will cost us £70 just to hop over the channel for a Schengen area visa. Don't all rush at once, some Schengen countries including France require a personal interview and that can take months for an appointment. My GF had to do that because back then, she was on a Russian passport. The Holiday tour companies are going to take 'one hell of a beating' next year if this does come to pass.
And ... Gaby will be somewhat stuck 'Im Deutchland' methinks. {excuse my german it is very rusty}
Samantha
Hard exit?
Can you imagin what that would do to the expats, who settled in France?
I fled the UK immediately after the vote, having experienced the "debate" that was hardly more than a mud slinging campaign of two completely irresponsible and ignorant groups. I never heard or read a proper argument. Now all sensible people are going to pay the price.
I have it easy being German by birth I will probably go for French citizenship anyway. Germany is becoming more and more crazy, too. there has been a moderate German version of UKIP for a while gathering more and more followers.
How did Terry Pratchett phrase it in his stories: "May you live in interesting times." is more a curse than anything positive.
Monique.
Monique S
The whole EU is going crazy.
The whole EU is going crazy. Just look at Greece. The idea of having your laws dictated by all of the countries around you just doesn't sound like a great idea. That'd be like letting Taxachusetts and California determine how Texas should operate.
I'll get a life when it's proven and substantiated to be better than what I'm currently experiencing.
It happens in the US all of
It happens in the US all of the time, it's called the federal government. That's what they created, a newer, higher government group that didn't learn from the past. It's multiple countries squabbling over economics and putting the burdens on one another until some got fed up and left. The few who benefited the most from the benefits that the EU gave are complaining the most...
I'm told STFU more times in a day than most people get told in a lifetime
The main difference is that
The main difference is that the EU apparently didn't understand the concept of why there is a Bill of Rights - which specifies many areas the Feds aren't supposed to play in. The US government doesn't tell a business in Texas that they have to pay for Massachusetts having a shortfall, at least :)
I'll get a life when it's proven and substantiated to be better than what I'm currently experiencing.
No
Thats part of the job of the federal reserve as a government rub central bank in the form of lending out some where its needed and emergency funds where applicable.
And there are notable exceptions where federal tax is to disproportionately aid a select few states over others, even when not truly needed, there are excellent examples of this in Huntsville, Alabama AKA Shelbyville a disproportionate amount of their tax revenue is federal, they have an airport far bigger than traffic there justifies, they have Aerojet Rocketdyne whom are probably the master of obtaining corporate well fare. You think its a coincidence that CCP was underfunded for 5 years and that SpaceX has a lot of opposition from Republicans traditionally? Its not, it has to do with fact that they have no facilities in Huntsville and threaten ULA, Senate Launch System and any future jobs program rocket.
Huh
sounds like it could be wise to invest in moving companies.