PS I do have all the necessary pic/video/audio clips required to back up any complaint!

Sorry to be stereotypical, but i've always thought the French only look after the French, so i'm wondering just how affective such a complaint regarding these very valid issues would be?

OUCH!!

Really sorry to hear what happened to you. The fact it could have happened anywhere does apply ... and it's not just in France that this sort of nuisance can spoil a holiday.

I don't think we even have a H&SE! But you could start by telling the following people what happened ...

The local Tourist Office
The Departmental Tourist Board
The Regional Tourist Board

(these three are often not the same gang).

The Town Hall (who should maintain a list of accommodation providers in the region)
The membership body if your accommodation owner belongs to one ... eg Gites de France or Clévacances (two of the majors)
The 'Union des Consommateurs' (the equivalent of 'Which')

A personal letter to the local MP in the area and to the local Mayor (in addition to contacting the Mairie)

and finally the expat French newspaper The Connexion might be interested to hear your tale of woe.

Do hope these will help put you on the right track and at least make you feel a bit better!

Thanks for the reply, Alsacienne, really appreciated .... sorry about the stereotype .... i actually admire the French for sticking up for their own people actually, i wish the UK would do it more, however in this type of situation i'm concerned that this trait might go against me

I would imagine France must have a health and safety executive as we are all governed by the same H&S laws, will look into this one further

I have contacted the owners letting agency (Clevacance) with pics and videos, and popped a few bad reviews where i can, but i will be pursuing your suggestions too. At the end of the day, i'm only telling the facts and truth, nothing personal, so i don't feel i'm doing anything wrong

Cidermonster 11, you could name and shame them on this forum! so that other members avoid having the sort of holiday that you experienced
If you are not happy about naming the owner at least name the villa so that others can stay well away.

Regards
Alan

mobile fitter wrote:

Cidermonster 11, you could name and shame them on this forum! so that other members avoid having the sort of holiday that you experienced
If you are not happy about naming the owner at least name the villa so that others can stay well away.

Regards
Alan :cheers

He already has

http://www.holidaytruths.co.uk/forum/villa-abri-marin-noyalo-morbihan-region-brittany-t158263.html#p1604030

You have several issues here and only one (the crane) is H&S related however UK regulations and French may not be the same.

The worker using “high decibel” tools were wearing ear protection so was actually complying and the tools could well comply with the regulations – they can however be very irritating. It is however a matter for environmental health – noise pollution.

The behaviour of the workers urinating is again not an H&S issue but as you say Public Health and again environmental. Bad management is the problem here although a complaint to the appropriate authority might result in action does not solve your problem it happened whilst you were there.

As for the owner if he had informed you he may well have lost the booking and I doubt there is anything he could have done.

As Alsacienne has said there are several different bodies to whom you may complain which is in my opinion the way to go on this. Trying to go via the H&S executive or whatever body is responsible would not I think help you as you are trying to compare the regulations that you may know in the UK against those you do not know in another country.
The issue of building work disturbing/spoiling holidays is something often raised on HT but to be fair to the owners of property/hotels etc. they are probably just as frustrated we are but have no control over such things.

fwh

Thanks, but i work in a industry where i know enough about health safety and environment. Regardless of the worker being protected you would have to restrict access or provide PPE to others. You wouldn't have someone welding with a mask and have others standing watching. Yes, the other is public health i agree but still an issue worth reporting

The owner wouldn't have lost the booking, i had my ferry booked well in advance, but he should have compensated. He was in the wrong, plain and simple

Should have said also that in communication on my return, the owner admitted the work should have been done by March but was delayed by the rain

Understandable, but hard to feel sympathy for him when he doesn't pass this info on

Judith, where did you find that it was not shown on my screen?

Cidermonster posted Judith's link in the France forum Alan.

Have complained to the letting agency, and contacted the local town hall to raise the issue ......

.... silence so far, but i'll keep my fingers crossed (although i fear arthritis may set in first! )

Well, absolutely nothing back from anyone in France.

Looks like I need to go and contact some higher level folk as recommended, but not sure I'll be returning to France now, seems that they just don't care when someone has a problem :-(

but not sure I'll be returning to France now, seems that they just don't care when someone has a problem :-(

I'm not sure that you can apply 'they' to a whole country, and really this isn't the fortnight in which I'd expect you to hear anything .... too many Bank Holidays - 1st, 8th and 9th, with many schools and holidays having taken an extra day on 10th, and another one to come on 20th!

Thanks Alsacienne, i hope you are right ... but i don't really expect a response to be honest, sad but true! I did try La Mairie, but i might still try the local Mayor

Just put us off, closest we'll get to France next year will be the Channel Islands i'm afraid!

I doth my cap, Alsacienne, as you were spot on ... things clearly don't work quickly and i did eventually get an answer from La Mairie, and the letting agency which looks positive as they agree we should have been told about the works

Could have been my 2nd batch of snotty emails that prompted the response though, but regardless it's looking more positive now .... although very very slow progress!

Well you know how much the French love snails! Glad to hear that you are making progress albeit slowly!

hey there been a while since i posted ;-).
Firstly if this was an issue in the UK you would not complain to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) as they deal with very serious issues such as major accidents and incidents. You would however contact your local council to speak to Environmental Health. I would suggest that they are who you would want to contact about this. (good luck with the language barrier though unless you can speak french).
As regards noise and nuisance, the similar laws will apply in Europe as they do in the UK. I know the uk laws such as the environmental protection act 1990 and .Noise and Statutory Nuisance Act 1993. In the EU its a couple of other laws which are very similar.
Don't know if this helps. in case you are wondering i'm now a final year of a degree in Public and Environmental Health student.