It's started.

It's also a hardware issue, where US card issuers haven't caught up
with the imbedded chip on European cards. I've read where they'd
_like_ to, but it will take a massive investment for the changeover of
all the Merkin machines.

 

EU machines could operate a dual system, accepting the chip & pin cards or
older style magnetic strip cards. However, banks will no longer underwrite
fraudulent transactions from the mag strip cards so, understandably, the
retailers reject them in automated transactions. Most retailers will accept
magnetic strip cards in face to face transactions, where a signature and
maybe ID is given.

 

Apparently what's happening in some places is a maximum charge. One of
the guys in the office was bitching about it this morning...

 

That is the most common response to shortages in Britain, and to me it
seems absolutely daft. The biggest problem, as you say, is motorists
topping up their tanks with small amounts to keep them full. That
ought to be discouraged rather than encouraged.

Just like I have ...

 

That would lead to difficulties returning hire cars.

 

It depends though. If I know I've got a long trip the following day
I'll always top the car up the night before so I don't have to mess
around looking for fuel the next day and know I've a 500 mile range.

Better to pay supermarket fuel prices than motorway ones.

 

£1.32 a litre last night at Membury, due to lack of regular unleaded.

Yuk.

 

Too bad.

 

I've already suggested it above.

 

Is it? I've travelled extensively in BC, nearly always in a hire car and
don't recall such a thing. Generally I just stick the card into the
reader at the pump, fill up, retrieve the receipt. Can't remember the
strict sequence of events now. I've not been since the pound caved to C
$1.6.

 

I imagine your card was being checked for funds before the pump
started. If not, it certainly will be nowadays. IIRC it's only become
compulsory, by law, for garages to do this fairly recently. People
were still grumbling about it.

 

Oh well, if just one life can be saved, then it will all have been worth
it. Proud indeed.

 

The situation is obviously very patchy. I did my bit for panic buying
at my local Spar just now. Well, if you can count buying petrol with
no queue, no minimum, no limit, except for a jerrycan ban, and not
another car at the pumps, as panic buying. I confess I could only get
20 euros worth of SP98 in - well in fact 19.50 but I told the very
nice chap operating the pump (it's not self service ) that I didn't
want any change. When asked if there was plenty of petrol he said "le
semaine". I'm not sure if that meant that there was still a weeks
supply. Anyway, the range on the Mazda 6 trip computer is showing 525
miles now. That was extended by playing full on gravity games to get
there. Once out of 'the chateau' on to the D road I didn't have to
touch the throttle except twice. All uphill on thge way back though
naturally.

 

Just got back. Some autoroute filling stations had long queues: some
were normal.

We got down to the Paris Nord exhibition centre, back to Chantilly where
we were staying, back to PN, and then all the way home to London on the
tankful of fuel we left Blighty with. Gotta love diseasels sometimes.

This is Sarkozy's Miners' Strike, innit? He has to winm or be thrown
out. Only instead of taking on one union like Maggie, he's taking them
all on. Fun to watch.

 

From a distance. So far the trouble seems to be around the major
cities as you might expect. I saw about 20 vans full of CRS at an
autoroute services on my way down on Wednesday. Heading for Toulouse
would be my guess. It's all still very laid back round here, but I'm
wonderinng if SWMBO's flight to Limoges will be cancelled on
Wednesday. If so, I think she and the lad might as well stay put and
I'll sit it out at least until I get news about the Voxan.

 

That'll be fun: Toulouse always kicks off early )

 

Tuesday is the day to be wary of. Wed should be fine(ish)

Riots in Nanterre today apparently.

 

You could have given me a shout, you bugger. I'm on that side of Paris
too.

 

No time for anything except work and sleep, seriously.

 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newsvideo/8070842/French-fury-over-pensions.html