tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18862674.post1254184274247498757..comments2024-01-12T00:24:35.544+01:00Comments on St Bloggie de Riviere: Elisa Bramante's StorySarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13195684182481935384noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18862674.post-90317963625477757422008-02-03T04:40:00.000+01:002008-02-03T04:40:00.000+01:00eurorrocket, i agree with you. there is something...eurorrocket, i agree with you. there is something quite shady about a woman in poverty, living on apples, pasta, and...internet. she can't eat, but can afford to keep up an internet connection? <BR/><BR/>as for the elderly thing, she did mention that she was retired, but that doesn't mean "very old." i can't imagine a "frail old lady" leaving home for such an adventure anyway. <BR/><BR/>i've lived in italy (naples area at that!) for almost 5 years and I KNOW that people want to take advantage of others in almost any given opportunity, but this all sounds too weird to me. it's just an instinct. <BR/><BR/>i hope i'm right.Tracie P.https://www.blogger.com/profile/16220560234729129259noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18862674.post-17019362702752652462007-08-16T15:12:00.000+02:002007-08-16T15:12:00.000+02:00SarahI have not commented on Charles Bremner's blo...Sarah<BR/>I have not commented on Charles Bremner's blog, so not I am not that rocket - in fact I am eurorrocket as a result of an early spelling mistake!<BR/>You make an assumption that Elisa is an elderly woman, yet she gives no clue as to her age. <BR/>As for naive, well that's putting it mildly and then she headlines her pages as a "story of the negligence of others". <BR/>You say "...it seems that she was identified as easy pickings for all the local predators", but I can't accept that unless I believe what she says and frankly I don't see why anyone would.<BR/>Anyway, I had not intended to start a fight, just to point out that it's an incredibly one-sided, emotional tirade, not a report on someone's plight, however much Elisa might want us to think it is.<BR/>EurorrocketAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18862674.post-13170578505894178272007-08-15T20:40:00.000+02:002007-08-15T20:40:00.000+02:00The dynamic between householder and tradesman can ...The dynamic between householder and tradesman can be a very tricky one, even when one has some technical background. It's often not possible for either party to anticpate all the difficulties that lie in wait, that will then inevitably push up the cost, requiring delicate renegotiation.<BR/><BR/>The advice to get several quotations is sound, not just to avoid being overcharged, but to talk to prospective tradesmen, and see how they respond to one's detailed questions. Are they realistic and candid, or are they shifty and evasive ?<BR/><BR/>I often eliminate prospectives at that first hurdle if I'm not satisfied by the personal chemistry.sciencebodhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12051016731274875332noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18862674.post-1713726964638694412007-08-15T20:16:00.000+02:002007-08-15T20:16:00.000+02:00Thank you for your comments, eurorocket - you're n...Thank you for your comments, eurorocket - you're not the 'rocket' who comments on Charles Bremner's Times France blog by any chance are you?<BR/><BR/>What you say is very fair but I'll just say that dealing with housing repairs when you are an elderly lady in your own country is difficult enough. Builders consider you fair game to be ripped off, but can you imagine how much harder it is to deal with in a foreign language with foreign work practices? Maybe she was too naive, some would say foolhardy perhaps. Even so, it seems that she was identified as easy pickings for all the local predators.<BR/><BR/>She says she will give names by email.<BR/><BR/>ng that is very poetic!Sarahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13195684182481935384noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18862674.post-24903570979695075382007-08-15T17:48:00.000+02:002007-08-15T17:48:00.000+02:00I'm an occasional visitor to your blog and enjoy m...I'm an occasional visitor to your blog and enjoy much of what I find, but I'm not sure I understand your support for Elisa Bramante.<BR/>I do not wish to be hard-hearted, but a few things concern me about her incredibly badly-written pages.<BR/>I assume she is using her real name rather than an alias, since a quick search on google found her support for Boris Johnson's mayoral bid and a message on a peurile online petition about David Beckham. <BR/>In any case telling a story does not make it true. Everyone is a villain or corrupt except Elisa. If what she writes is true then clearly this is not someone who has done her homework and been ripped off. Rather it is someone who has an unerring ability to find charlatans and give them her trust and money. Her way of dealing with the people to whom she has entrusted work important or trivial is the same - threats. <BR/>She also gets rather coy about the important things like dates and times and specific names. If I were ripped off like this I would realise that the best way to bring attention to the matter was to drag the architect's name, the agent's name, the builder's name and all the rest through as much mud as could find.<BR/>I'm not saying she doesn't have a legitimate gripe, but if she has she's doing a very poor job of getting her point across.<BR/>Cheers!<BR/>eurorrocketAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18862674.post-14260173614937091232007-08-15T10:02:00.000+02:002007-08-15T10:02:00.000+02:00Nancy Mitford wrote a book 40 years ago about her ...Nancy Mitford wrote a book 40 years ago about her trials and tribulations of setting up house in France. However much much less dramitically unhappy. We must all give a max of publicité to the Umbria victim. Without a home, warmth and food in the nest - you just fade away like an emtying bath.nghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17825077967941261159noreply@blogger.com