OldAgeTravellers
LIFE MEMBER
This is an account of our nightmare return to the UK at the end of 90 days since the 1st January 2021 - quite long.
An early start on Monday to get to the nearby town laboratory for our COVID tests in France as soon as they started, a simple system and tests done and on our way by 09h30 with the promise that the results would be in our online account after lunch. So without too much risk as we had been isolating as best we could for months but of course a little trepidation in case of a false positive, we set off on our 1,000km journey to the ferry at Dieppe which has to be boarded within 72 hours of the test being done. Just after 2pm the phone pinged to say that something had arrived so we pulled in to the next services to put our minds at rest. Two NEGATIVE results had appeared in our account so pressure is off a bit.
We stopped for the first night in a forest just outside Vierzon which was about two thirds of the journey done, had a meal then the problems started, booking the day 2 & day 8 COVID tests for the UK while we would be quarantining on the drive at our sons house in East Sussex. Steve booked Judy’s first, a bit of a quirky form but it went through ok at £190 so a bit cheaper than Boris’s preferred lot who charge an amazing £210. Steve then immediately then did his own and payment was declined. Perhaps they don’t allow two tests on the same card so tried Steve’s card and that was declined so went through all our cards with different banks and all were declined. The security certificate was fine so had Boris allowed some scam merchants access to this system? Very worrying. Panic mode now setting in and now past midnight so decided to leave it till the morning. Not a good nights sleep obviously.
In the morning tried again and cards were again declined. Perhaps the internet is not strong enough. Although the router was showing 4 bars so motored on till about lunchtime when we found a Brico Depot and in their car park were getting a full 5 bars and 60 mbs download and upload from the 4G router. Steve had spent a lot of time researching setting up and testing home quality internet and phone in the Motorhome just to ensure that all this could be done on route. Tried phoning the company via the router to find out what was going wrong because a WhatsApp support message sent the previous evening had not been answered. Just a “mailbox full” message on the phone so Customer Service was zero, what a shower. Now in total panic as there is a 48 hour time limit for booking these tests. Phoned the bank and they said there was no problem with our cards and no requests for payment had been made other than the first which was Judy’s. So phoned Our son via WhatsApp and asked him to try with his card, he got declined as well so it must be the testing company with a cobbled together Mickey Mouse website. So tried a different company and cards were declined again. Then another company and this time it came back as “processing error submit again later” message, which was better than the others and just needed the button pressed again rather than filling out the whole form. Finally after about ten tries suddenly a green tick appeared with a successful message. Phew, total meltdown started easing so another cup of coffee to relax before heading on. What was this morning plenty of time, now was getting short and we now ran into rush-hour jams in Rouen which delayed us quite a bit more. Bearing in mind that we had to travel through two RED departments where we were not legally allowed to stop! We finally made it to Auchan Supermarket in Dieppe at 6pm with just time to fill with gas and diesel while keeping a distance from others and wearing a double mask and gloves. Then drive to where we hoped to park for the night which Steve had found on a Motorhome parking app, beside a cemetery about 5 km from the port. We arrived at 3 minutes to 7pm which is curfew time and the place seemed good to stay the night.
The stress and hard driving had taken its toll on Steve and the chronic Sciatica he was suffering from did not now allow him to sleep laying down, so he spent most of the night sat up in the driving seat.
The ferry was at 11am so we arrived early and were first in the que. The check-in was easy with just a check of the COVID tests from yesterday morning on the iPad which we had put into a plastic bag and an additional “on our honour” form to declare that we had not met up with anybody in recent days or en-route where we could have contracted the virus. The Duane however were a nightmare,not distancing or wearing masks properly and making us stand outside while one searched the van unsupervised. Then she wanted to go through Judy’s handbag checking for cash and touching everything with total disregard then she checked Steve’s wallet totally obsessed that we must have more cash as we’re only allowed to export less than 10,000 euros! Steve had €50. And she was only wearing cotton working gloves which she could have been touching anything with, not good practice at all.
Finally on to the ferry and a four hour cruise on a millpond sea. Then on to our sons house where we are now all set up for our ten day quarantine in the Motorhome and thankfully Judy’s kit has actually arrived with both tests and Steve has received an email that his will arrive tomorrow by DHL. So thank you Boris for setting up such a pathetic system to punish British Citizens who have been legally in a foreign country shielding from the virus. Not everybody is as tech savvy as Steve or have the internet on the move that he has set up. It is totally unfair to create such stress with ill thought-out laws and systems covered by the threats of heavy fines and to charge £200 for tests which they are scattering about like confetti to school kids for free. For UK citizens to return to their homeland after they have been legally abroad.
Very, very wrong.
steve
An early start on Monday to get to the nearby town laboratory for our COVID tests in France as soon as they started, a simple system and tests done and on our way by 09h30 with the promise that the results would be in our online account after lunch. So without too much risk as we had been isolating as best we could for months but of course a little trepidation in case of a false positive, we set off on our 1,000km journey to the ferry at Dieppe which has to be boarded within 72 hours of the test being done. Just after 2pm the phone pinged to say that something had arrived so we pulled in to the next services to put our minds at rest. Two NEGATIVE results had appeared in our account so pressure is off a bit.
We stopped for the first night in a forest just outside Vierzon which was about two thirds of the journey done, had a meal then the problems started, booking the day 2 & day 8 COVID tests for the UK while we would be quarantining on the drive at our sons house in East Sussex. Steve booked Judy’s first, a bit of a quirky form but it went through ok at £190 so a bit cheaper than Boris’s preferred lot who charge an amazing £210. Steve then immediately then did his own and payment was declined. Perhaps they don’t allow two tests on the same card so tried Steve’s card and that was declined so went through all our cards with different banks and all were declined. The security certificate was fine so had Boris allowed some scam merchants access to this system? Very worrying. Panic mode now setting in and now past midnight so decided to leave it till the morning. Not a good nights sleep obviously.
In the morning tried again and cards were again declined. Perhaps the internet is not strong enough. Although the router was showing 4 bars so motored on till about lunchtime when we found a Brico Depot and in their car park were getting a full 5 bars and 60 mbs download and upload from the 4G router. Steve had spent a lot of time researching setting up and testing home quality internet and phone in the Motorhome just to ensure that all this could be done on route. Tried phoning the company via the router to find out what was going wrong because a WhatsApp support message sent the previous evening had not been answered. Just a “mailbox full” message on the phone so Customer Service was zero, what a shower. Now in total panic as there is a 48 hour time limit for booking these tests. Phoned the bank and they said there was no problem with our cards and no requests for payment had been made other than the first which was Judy’s. So phoned Our son via WhatsApp and asked him to try with his card, he got declined as well so it must be the testing company with a cobbled together Mickey Mouse website. So tried a different company and cards were declined again. Then another company and this time it came back as “processing error submit again later” message, which was better than the others and just needed the button pressed again rather than filling out the whole form. Finally after about ten tries suddenly a green tick appeared with a successful message. Phew, total meltdown started easing so another cup of coffee to relax before heading on. What was this morning plenty of time, now was getting short and we now ran into rush-hour jams in Rouen which delayed us quite a bit more. Bearing in mind that we had to travel through two RED departments where we were not legally allowed to stop! We finally made it to Auchan Supermarket in Dieppe at 6pm with just time to fill with gas and diesel while keeping a distance from others and wearing a double mask and gloves. Then drive to where we hoped to park for the night which Steve had found on a Motorhome parking app, beside a cemetery about 5 km from the port. We arrived at 3 minutes to 7pm which is curfew time and the place seemed good to stay the night.
The stress and hard driving had taken its toll on Steve and the chronic Sciatica he was suffering from did not now allow him to sleep laying down, so he spent most of the night sat up in the driving seat.
The ferry was at 11am so we arrived early and were first in the que. The check-in was easy with just a check of the COVID tests from yesterday morning on the iPad which we had put into a plastic bag and an additional “on our honour” form to declare that we had not met up with anybody in recent days or en-route where we could have contracted the virus. The Duane however were a nightmare,not distancing or wearing masks properly and making us stand outside while one searched the van unsupervised. Then she wanted to go through Judy’s handbag checking for cash and touching everything with total disregard then she checked Steve’s wallet totally obsessed that we must have more cash as we’re only allowed to export less than 10,000 euros! Steve had €50. And she was only wearing cotton working gloves which she could have been touching anything with, not good practice at all.
Finally on to the ferry and a four hour cruise on a millpond sea. Then on to our sons house where we are now all set up for our ten day quarantine in the Motorhome and thankfully Judy’s kit has actually arrived with both tests and Steve has received an email that his will arrive tomorrow by DHL. So thank you Boris for setting up such a pathetic system to punish British Citizens who have been legally in a foreign country shielding from the virus. Not everybody is as tech savvy as Steve or have the internet on the move that he has set up. It is totally unfair to create such stress with ill thought-out laws and systems covered by the threats of heavy fines and to charge £200 for tests which they are scattering about like confetti to school kids for free. For UK citizens to return to their homeland after they have been legally abroad.
Very, very wrong.
steve
