Technological meltdown (1 Viewer)

[Wildman]

hi all we have just returned from the first trip in our own van in France. We had a great time but suffered lots of problems. Just call me "Black Cloud",
On arrival at the tunnel credit card at the ready and booking reference number in hand, the terminal greeted me by name, said I was 4 hours early and gave me the option of paying extra to go on the next available train or take the one after for free. well having booked the cheapest rate at 1.30am being able to travel at 10.30pm was a big bonus, my credit card was not required and the gremlins managed to hide it on the floor whilst I gleefully pressed numerous buttons on the terminal. Strange experience the tunnel, so quiet, no clackitty clack from the rails and so smooth we failed to notice when we moved. So arrival in France no problem at all, even remembered to drive on the correct side of the road. Straight down the road toward St Martin stop for fuel, ah yes automated 24hr service. Great just what the weary traveller ordered. Open wallet, no credit card, damn I thought must have left it in Barnstaple when I filled up before leaving, ah well get it when I get home. I have a spare card that I use for online transactions. Oops no pin number can't use it I never bother to set one as didn't need it online. so there we were early hours of the morning dark, and fuel Gauge reading empty, no idea what that means on this van so stay the night on the forecourt. In the morning I am directed to another station that takes real money (of which we have precious little) so fill up and go find a bank. Try to phone and cancel my credit card, phone will not work, it is a PAYGO, so maybe not allowed. right set up the satnav to the next aire, "please find the nearest road" but I am on a road, sugar, the French maps are corrupt, no satnav. Aires book relies on satnav, our map crap and sue know where we are going but not where we are so when a junction presents itself there is a problem. I get out the laptop for which I have a plug in GPS, it refused to boot, the hard drive is knackered. by this time I am ready to turn around and go home. Four days later when I had calmed down a little my mind remembered I must have had the credit card with me so I go to the front and search, there it is The gremlin had hidden it under my guitar. We had to backtrack a few times because of low bridges and didn't know the height of the van. We only found one cyber café, tried to log into fun only to be told i am not a member and have to pay, yeah right, never in a million years must be a virus and someone trying to con me so I just switched off. It was only when I got to Frankie's, that I was told the truth of it. We had a fantastic time Frankie treated us like Royalty and truly made it the best holiday of our lives, THANK YOU. However I now have to sort out the silly things.

1) So what satnav and I will be looking secondhand will allow POI input, lat and long input as well as postcode. Must of course have street level Europe maps. Anyone updating to the latest all singing all dancing jobbies?

2) I don't use a mobile phone so pay monthly or contract is out of the question how do I get around roaming?

3) The laptop is a dell Latitude what is the largest hard drive I can squeeze into it.

4) where can I get a new memory chip for my brain?????????

5) nearly forgot, the satdish failed to tune anything but Hotbird. And the inverter constantly overheated (no built in fan)

6) also forgot the windscreen, massive stonechip on the first day there and spent the rest of the holiday waiting for the screen to shatter.

 

[TDH]

It went well then!!

 

[scotjimland]

1) So what satnav and I will be looking secondhand will allow POI input, lat and long input as well as postcode. Must of course have street level Europe maps. Anyone updating to the latest all singing all dancing jobbies?

TomTom One XL Europe .. ticks all the boxes :thumb:

2) I don't use a mobile phone so pay monthly or contract is out of the question how do I get around roaming?

Activate roaming on your PAYG BEFORE leaving UK , call your provider

3) The laptop is a dell Latitude what is the largest hard drive I can squeeze into it.

can't help

4) where can I get a new memory chip for my brain?????????

nor here


5) nearly forgot, the satdish failed to tune anything but Hotbird. And the inverter constantly overheated (no built in fan)

practice tuning in the uk .. buy new invertor

6) also forgot the windscreen, massive stonechip on the first day there and spent the rest of the holiday waiting for the screen to shatter

call Autoglass

hope that helps Roger .. hee hee

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[JayDee]

hi all we have just returned from the first trip in our own van in France. We had a great time but suffered lots of problems. Just call me "Black Cloud",
On arrival at the tunnel credit card at the ready and booking reference number in hand, the terminal greeted me by name, said I was 4 hours early and gave me the option of paying extra to go on the next available train or take the one after for free. well having booked the cheapest rate at 1.30am being able to travel at 10.30pm was a big bonus, my credit card was not required and the gremlins managed to hide it on the floor whilst I gleefully pressed numerous buttons on the terminal. Strange experience the tunnel, so quiet, no clackitty clack from the rails and so smooth we failed to notice when we moved. So arrival in France no problem at all, even remembered to drive on the correct side of the road. Straight down the road toward St Martin stop for fuel, ah yes automated 24hr service. Great just what the weary traveller ordered. Open wallet, no credit card, damn I thought must have left it in Barnstaple when I filled up before leaving, ah well get it when I get home. I have a spare card that I use for online transactions. Oops no pin number can't use it I never bother to set one as didn't need it online. so there we were early hours of the morning dark, and fuel Gauge reading empty, no idea what that means on this van so stay the night on the forecourt. In the morning I am directed to another station that takes real money (of which we have precious little) so fill up and go find a bank. Try to phone and cancel my credit card, phone will not work, it is a PAYGO, so maybe not allowed. right set up the satnav to the next aire, "please find the nearest road" but I am on a road, sugar, the French maps are corrupt, no satnav. Aires book relies on satnav, our map crap and sue know where we are going but not where we are so when a junction presents itself there is a problem. I get out the laptop for which I have a plug in GPS, it refused to boot, the hard drive is knackered. by this time I am ready to turn around and go home. Four days later when I had calmed down a little my mind remembered I must have had the credit card with me so I go to the front and search, there it is The gremlin had hidden it under my guitar. We had to backtrack a few times because of low bridges and didn't know the height of the van. We only found one cyber café, tried to log into fun only to be told i am not a member and have to pay, yeah right, never in a million years must be a virus and someone trying to con me so I just switched off. It was only when I got to Frankie's, that I was told the truth of it. We had a fantastic time Frankie treated us like Royalty and truly made it the best holiday of our lives, THANK YOU. However I now have to sort out the silly things.

1) So what satnav and I will be looking secondhand will allow POI input, lat and long input as well as postcode. Must of course have street level Europe maps. Anyone updating to the latest all singing all dancing jobbies?

2) I don't use a mobile phone so pay monthly or contract is out of the question how do I get around roaming?

3) The laptop is a dell Latitude what is the largest hard drive I can squeeze into it.

4) where can I get a new memory chip for my brain?????????

5) nearly forgot, the satdish failed to tune anything but Hotbird. And the inverter constantly overheated (no built in fan)

6) also forgot the windscreen, massive stonechip on the first day there and spent the rest of the holiday waiting for the screen to shatter.

Well that sounded like fun (NOT).
Glad Frankie was able to soothe your fevered forehead.
Really must pay her a visit sometime. She's a delight on the Forum.

You don't need a new brain, Roger - just Jim's Checklists.


John

PS What's Hotbird, or shouldn't I ask (in which case it sounds like fun). :Blush:

 

[DBSilverfox]

I am so looking forward to my first trip to France now. sounds a blast!

 

[Wildman]

Well that sounded like fun (NOT).
Glad Frankie was able to soothe your fevered forehead.
Really must pay her a visit sometime. She's a delight on the Forum.

You don't need a new brain, Roger - just Jim's Checklists.


John

PS What's Hotbird, or shouldn't I ask (in which case it sounds like fun). :Blush:

Hotbird is another satellite, we found an English spearking Japanese program on there, plus a good horse channel (Italian) for sue and an interesting Polish channel. Well multinational.
As to the checklist I have one, it is in the van and never remembered to consult it once, however I didn't forget anything it was all in the van just couldn't remember where, hee hee.
Frankie is coming to shepton Mallet show so get booked and come and meet her.

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[markymark]

Hi Wildman.

That doesnt sound like a enjoyable start to the trip. Well done for making the most of it.
We spent June in France and travelled to Montpillier on the south coast from Dover. This was our first trip abroad in the buggy and we used a Tomtom GO730 with european mapping. It worked a treat for avoidng tolls and got us to all our destinations problem free using long & lat. I use it a lot for work driving around Antwerp and Rotterdam to find different ports of loading. God send:thumb:
We also had the ACSI dvd which had the choice of downloading all the sites to sat nav or it will print of the routes for you prior to departure.
Mark

 

[sedge]

Bless!

I cannot go on holiday without forgetting summat, and can't really relax until I know what that thing is, this time! It might just be meaning to get a new packet of adhesive plasters and totally forgetting to, or it could be summat important, you know - like having bought new loo roll and putting it in the hall ready to put in the van - and having walked straight past it!

Glad you enjoyed it despite the glitch!

 

[chatter]

Roger you wouldnt be happy if you didnt have a glitch or two - go on admit it those glitches allowed you to have a moan or two and allowed you to impress Sue with your ability to cope under stress:shout:
:Blush::Blush:

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[Wildman]

Roger you wouldnt be happy if you didnt have a glitch or two - go on admit it those glitches allowed you to have a moan or two and allowed you to impress Sue with your INability to cope under stress:shout:
:Blush::Blush:

slight correction Maggie

 

[chatter]

 

[laneside]

laneside

Hi Roger

When we had to work for a living and a member of staff said things were not going to plan we always said well the PLAN must have been crap then
go and re-write it.

Glad it all came good in the end though, it really is all part of the FUN

Alan

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[Dalek]

Thanks for the tips on what might or might not happen when we go next week

 

[Landy lover]

Well Roger there is a simple solution - just get yourself this side of Exmoor there is some excellent cider - may not help you sort your problems out but after a few pints of Somersets best scrumpy you won't remember what they are

 

[jhorsf]

go on the tomtom site and have a look at the refurbished ones they sell they are cheap I do not know how long the warranty lasts tho


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[pappajohn]

anything within budget here Roger ?

all come with 12month guarantee

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[TinaGlenn]

Sounds like that Holiday you will always remember for all the wrong reasons oh:

We have a basic Tomtom One europe, it does all you want. We used it all around France in April and then again in June and never had any problems. Glenn just put in the GPS co-ordinates and we got to the aires and camp sites with very little trouble....it was only His shortcuts that made things tricksy
If you think France is "interesting" you want to try driving through the centre of Madrid at rush hour:Angry:

Glad you both made it back safe and sound

Tina

 

[JayDee]

Hotbird is another satellite, we found an English spearking Japanese program on there, plus a good horse channel (Italian) for sue and an interesting Polish channel. Well multinational.
As to the checklist I have one, it is in the van and never remembered to consult it once, however I didn't forget anything it was all in the van just couldn't remember where, hee hee.
Frankie is coming to shepton Mallet show so get booked and come and meet her.

Hello Roger,
Yes I heard she was being chaperoned by JJ.

Unfortunately we'll be on our way back home from Austria and Bavaria at the time of the Shepton Show (not in the MH), but we may call in for a day to have a look, and meet some Funsters.


John

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[champers]

but we may call in for a day to have a look, and meet some Funsters.





Oh do hope you can manage it !:thumb::thumb::thumb:

 

[Bubbles]

We have just returned from France and boy am I glad none of those things happened to us as we had 3 small kids with us. There would have been divorce before we got home.

Glad it all worked out tho.

Cheers