mrsg | ExpatWoman.com
 

mrsg

mrsg
274
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Latest post on 23 February 2016 - 11:29
If taxes on a large scale - personal tax, property tax, vat etc, become a reality, then many of the western expats currently here, will leave. I would say that the majority of expats working here a the moment are not on huge salaries. Start taxing that as well, and for many, the hardships outweigh the perks.
mrsg
274
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 31 January 2016 - 17:51
I did mine at Safa, paying extra for a same day service. Don't know about Knowledge City. Phone them and ask. You need the usual visa renewal form, signed by your sponsor (husband) Copy of your tenancy and the ejari for that property Copy of dewa bill for that property In your husbands name Passport photos Passport and copy Proof of medical insurance Think that is it
mrsg
274
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Latest post on 13 January 2016 - 13:54
Sorry - clicked post before I had finished. Its difficult to recommend a doctor without knowing which clinics your insurers will allow.
mrsg
274
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 13 January 2016 - 13:51
Dr Gordon isn't at Healthbay anymore. I was told he is now at a rival clinic in Dubai Mall. Maybe your insurance covers that one?
mrsg
274
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 06 October 2015 - 13:18
Geordie Expat - we were led to believe everything was on track, filled in the million forms etc, and went off on holiday with no worries. Came back to a call from Deveres in Abu Dhabi, saying that everything is now being run from Abu Dhabi, and , when asked, had no idea about the pension. Then they tried to say that the rules had changed and we hadn't filled in the correct forms, but we had already completed the forms he then sent by email.So they were the correct forms initially anyway. Didn't fill me with confidence at all. From what he was saying PIC in Dubai , who we were dealing with, has closed.
mrsg
274
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Latest post on 05 October 2015 - 14:16
Thanks sh12, but guess which company let us down??!!! Lally, the big advantage to moving our pension is that, should anything happen to my husband (his is the much bigger pension pot), I can still have the money. If we leave it in UK and anything happens, I lose it! Geordie Expat - who did you use??
mrsg
274
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 05 October 2015 - 14:10
I use Urban Tails in DIP. My dog loves it there and I never have a worry about leaving her. I also like the CCTV option so I can log in and see her while I am on holiday :)
mrsg
274
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 04 October 2015 - 13:21
You can try, but I just pay them now when they appear against my car. I once had one for a car I had sold 4 years before the fine was issued. I had the proof of sale and the de registration documents. I still ended up paying it :( The latest wheeze is Etisalat calling to claim an outstanding phone bill from years ago. Can I prove I paid it? No, not now. But why would they transfer my lines to a new house, let me open a new mobile account, and all the other telecoms work I have had done over the intervening years, if a bill was outstanding? So now I have paid it. Peace and quiet in my life - not stress - is all I am asking for !!
mrsg
274
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 30 September 2015 - 09:10
annorman - give a call to Philippe Saad, MD at Eden Yachting. +971 43 28 29 30 He is based in Dubai. Sold our boat through him and he was excellent. Arranged to have the yacht cleaned, paint retouched, sails washed, etc, before anyone viewed it. Looked so good I almost didn't sell it :)
mrsg
274
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 29 July 2015 - 20:51
Have you called the Samsung repair centre in Deira? They are not as expensive as you think, considering they are the agent. Are you sure it is the screen and not just a cell/crystal that needs replacing? They repaired my daughters phone when she dropped it (phone worked but nothing showing in screen ) for AED200, but that was an S4 mini.
mrsg
274
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 27 July 2015 - 16:24
Their customer service called - 10 out of 10 for that - and I am not being stupid. They couldn't do it either ! Secretly pleased about that as I was beginning to think I must be doing something wrong! Their tech department will sort it out.
mrsg
274
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 27 July 2015 - 16:01
My number pad on my phone is just numbers, no option of any characters. I will email them instead.
mrsg
274
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 27 July 2015 - 15:51
Because I haven't been able to get a phone number that is answered when it rings !,
mrsg
274
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 27 July 2015 - 15:45
This is driving me crazy! I am trying to sign up for Careem but am getting nowhere. To validate my account, I have to enter a pin that careem sends to my phone. Easy, yes ? No! Every time I enter the pin that I am sent, it replies with oops, you have entered an incorrect pin. No I haven't ! And then I have to wait an hour to reapply. Aagghhhhh. If I didn't live in an area with no street names or villa numbers, I wouldn't even bother, but careem allows you to pin your house on a map, which means that they actually do turn up, unlike Dubai Taxis, who can't follow road directions! Anyone else had this problem? I have now made 7 attempts at this since last night! I think I might just remain a designated driver ?
mrsg
274
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 24 July 2015 - 19:19
I have just renewed my childrens phones again !! Children - the youngest is 18 !! I am double annoyed because my daughter has had her number cancelled as she hasn't used it for 3 months! No she hasn't, but it is /was a Wasel phone, topped up etc, and used when she came back on holiday from University ! What does it matter if she only uses it every 4 months - it is already paid for and was in credit, So now when she comes back she has no phone!
mrsg
274
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 13 July 2015 - 13:37
So, no days off extra as usual. What about the one day extra for shopping brought in a few years ago? Are we getting Thursday for that I wonder?
mrsg
274
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 12 July 2015 - 11:54
I use Al Bayan as well. If you call them for water delivery ( I do as I don't live on a regular route), just say that you want to buy a prepaid booklet and they will send it with the truck. Or, ask the van driver when he delivers and he will sell you one. They love selling them as people often forget they have them, or lose them, so the water company gets paid twice :)
mrsg
274
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 11 June 2015 - 11:56
I agree with Lolacat. As distasteful as it might seem, I would rather a vet euthanize an animal, in a kind and caring environment (the clinic) than refuse a desperate owner who thinks they have no other option than to leave the animal on its own in the hope that someone lese will care for it. Quick relatively painless death, or long drawn out , suffering terribly, death???
mrsg
274
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 04 June 2015 - 16:40
First question is, has he got his licence ? Owners now have to have a boat equivalent of a driving licence. Second question. How much free time does he have? If not a lot, preserve your sanity and pay a company to do it for you! We move boats around for a living, but pay someone else to do all the running around to register our own boat each year !
mrsg
274
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 04 June 2015 - 16:16
Update. I had to pay the so called outstanding amount to get my internet back, as, with no power in the office, I need to work somewhere. Etisalat just called. I see you have paid the outstanding. So what do you expect from us now?? I WANT MY MONEY BACK ,!! So then he asked for the name of the person we dealt with when we originally upgraded to ELife ! Can anyone tell me the name of anyone they may have spoken to last year about anything to do with phones etc!! I couldn't even remember HIS name and I'd only been told it 5 minutes before !! Yes I wrote everything down, but, really, last year!! You want me to remember from last year! I told him that when I went to pay the bill this morning,an amount that I consider stolen from me by Etisalat, all of the Etisalat office staff could see on the account what had happened and said it was obviously their fault. So why can't their customer service (ha ha ha) team?? He will investigate. Let me know when it snows in Dubai, because that is when I will expect to get my money back !!!
mrsg
274
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 03 June 2015 - 14:07
Norak - just make him aware that when he does come back in he will still be stopped at immigration. They cant stamp any new visa in before his old one is cancelled. When my daughter tried to enter on her UK passport with a visa that had expired by one day, she was taken to a small office and told to wait while immigration contacted her old sponsor (Dad!). DH had to confirm that he had no objection to them immediately cancelling her old visa, and allowing her in on a visit visa.
mrsg
274
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 30 March 2015 - 13:27
As long as they can cut European hair, I don't care what their nationality is. (although I do understand that some nationalities hair is harder to cut than others).
mrsg
274
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 21 March 2015 - 12:45
If you go on to the zoo website, there is a map on it. You can also call the zoo, and they will help you.
mrsg
274
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 18 March 2015 - 13:35
The one advertising a furniture store (I think - I usually switch over before the end!). A rooster lays 10 eggs and 4 are bad, and another rooster lays blah blah blah..... ... and click, turn it off, because as we all know - ROOSTERS DON'T LAY EGGS - AAAGGGHHHHHHHH!! Drives me crazy!
mrsg
274
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 18 March 2015 - 13:28
Just to add my thoughts - Every day I pass massive queues of traffic around Safa Park/ Horizon school, due to the Canal works. Worth remembering that when choosing a school as well.
mrsg
274
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 15 March 2015 - 14:23
Tulip - if you are taking too much for cases, come back and let me know. I can recommend who you should ask for quotes, and who you should avoid like the plague!!
mrsg
274
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 15 March 2015 - 14:04
Hi Tulip :) It depends on how much you want to take. One of the cheapest ways is to fly with BA, and buy extra suitcase s to take with you on the day. The BA price for up to 24 kgs per bag, is cheaper than airfreight. I think you can book up to 3 additional bags each! Not sure if they still do it, but Emirates used to have a scheme whereby you book the additional cases with them, in advance, and they deliver them to your house ! That was good as well.
mrsg
274
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 08 March 2015 - 13:10
Be ruthless! Seriously, when you are paying yourself, just think what the cash you are going to pay out to bring your stuff back to the UK, will actually buy you in the UK.! Especially when you do not have a house to put it in to straight away. storage rates are just horrible in the UK. We get spoiled in Dubai, we really do. Get a few rough quotes (call a couple of movers and ask them to quote for a 20 ft container of personal effects to UK), and once you know how much it will cost, you may just see why I recommend selling up :) BTW, I answered this in the Dubai forum, but you appear to have been moved to the UK forum ! Pity really, as the Dubai forum will give you advice on who to use/not use when moving, plus some members have moved and come back again a number of times !
mrsg
274
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 08 March 2015 - 12:36
A lot depends on who is paying the bill . Basically, if you don't have a place to put stuff into, don't send it! If you need to rent storage space in the UK, don't send your goods back. I always say to our customers to ask themselves if they really need to ship back their heavy furniture. Do you really love your beds and sofas so much that you are prepared to pay a huge amount to ship them home? Are your appliances more than a couple of years old? Consider selling them here and buying new in the UK. Before you ship that massive fridge that you really can't live without, do you have a kitchen big enough to put it in? People tend to forget that a typical house in the UK is not big enough for the furniture we all use here. Back to my first point. Who is paying the bill?? If you are, then it is not just the sea freight and packing costs. You also have to pay to clear it in the UK, and get it delivered. That is a hefty sum of money that could be spent on buying new, as and when you need it. Re; packing yourself v professional packing. If you are insuring the shipment, check with the insurers re their policy on self packing. Some insurers will not pay for damages or loss on anything you pack yourself, so don't be caught out. When I leave, apart from the dog, kids and husband (probably in that order too ), I have a couple of pieces of rosewood furniture that I always take with me, photos, pictures, and personal items, clothes and some really old books. That is it. Everything else will be sold or given away!
mrsg
274
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 11 February 2015 - 14:49
The rent on post boxes in Dubai is payable by 31st January each year. So I guess now is a good time to look for a new one, as people who don't renew have their boxes locked, and then the lock is changed and the box rented out to someone else. Where do you live? There are boxes available in Muhaisnah and Mirdiff.
mrsg
274
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 19 January 2015 - 10:20
Most of the food served in the UK, i.e. hospitals, schools, fast food, etc, is already halal. If it bothers you, you are expected to ask and state that you require non halal food. I have relatives who supply government organisations in the UK, and they were told a long time ago that it is easier to ensure everything is halal, than it is to fight lawsuits brought by people who cannot eat non halal.
mrsg
274
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 19 January 2015 - 09:51
I was telling my neighbour about it yesterday, and she thinks it is a crazy idea - and she is Muslim. Her comment was, what does it matter as long as it is bagged correctly? We don't get contaminated by touching a plastic bag, even if it has pork in it. However, if there are people who have to work in supermarkets who do object, then fair enough - take them off tills that handle pork. But, on days when Spinneys is busy, if the queues on those 3 tills are long, I will just buy elsewhere. I also think they should have an express till that can handle pork.
mrsg
274
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 18 December 2014 - 10:56
Its' ok - this will only happen when we all have street names...... that's only just been started and not got very far..... I'm still a street number :) Not true. I have my number already, but DM has said it will not be naming our streets for at least 2 more years. And we don't even have street numbers ! We are still giving directions the old fashioned way - left at the park, right by the yellow boat, turn onto the dirt road by the dead palm tree etc :)
mrsg
274
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 18 December 2014 - 10:53
They are not renumbering your house. They have given you the equivalent of a GPS fix for your house, so that taxi drivers, police, ambulance, food delivery services and so on, can find you by entering your 'tag' into the system. As someone who lives in an area with no street names, and no house numbers, this is a brilliant idea. It is also a great idea when you think about the number of Street 51's, or street 62's etc in the same area, which makes it really difficult (and even life threatening) for the emergency services to know which one they need to go to ! Now they will enter your tag and know where you are. I think you had a bad explanation from your DM guy :) and you will only need to give the first 5 numbers, plus the last one, (I know, hardly different giving 6 not 10!)
mrsg
274
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 26 November 2014 - 11:52
Leasehold or freehold, it hardly matters - everybody is always only 30 days away from being kicked out of the country. And I've yet to see evidence that freehold means you actually own the land outright anyway. Agree 100 per cent. Leasehold or freehold - you do not, and will not, own the land your property is built on. As owners of Springs villas discovered when the new road was approved ! I have never understood why people buy here when we have no permanent right of abode. Your right to stay here is tied into your job/visa. Without that, you have to leave. 30 days is only just long enough to wrap everything up and leave when you have no ties, but having to sell property in that time? No thanks.
mrsg
274
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 17 November 2014 - 09:06
I think I know why some people wanted the thread reversed. They found it annoying to have to scroll to the end to see what the thread originally was all about. Personally, I don't like it this way. I prefer newest message first. But there is an answer to this, and keep most people happy. Why not have the original message stuck to the top of the thread, and replies under it, from the most recent, down to the oldest?? Makes sense really :)
mrsg
274
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 28 October 2014 - 12:50
No problem with mine. I have it open now. But Hotmail is weird - it often tells me it cant connect to the internet, or has some other problem, but when I press the retry button, it goes straight through!
mrsg
274
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 26 October 2014 - 21:16
Read this post shortly before going shopping, and guess what? Spinneys Uptown in Mirdiff has 1 small , and 2 large, Brabantia rectangle bins on sale. Never even noticed them before !
mrsg
274
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 21 October 2014 - 12:35
5years it is
mrsg
274
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 21 October 2014 - 12:21
Three years, suspended for 5 years, is what has been given in the past. She seems to be building up to a similar sentence now. <em>edited by mrsg on 21/10/2014</em>
mrsg
274
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 21 October 2014 - 12:02
I have a teenager who recently went to a party. 100 16 - 18 year olds. The parents stayed in the house that was being used, and also had slightly older kids there as 'security' to make sure nothing untoward happened. DO NOT let your daughter go to this party unless you know who she is going with, whose house it is, how she is getting home, and how many are going. If you are happy with the arrangements, then have the talk about her being a confident young woman who should never feel pressured by anyone to do something she feels isn't right. For good measure, I always used to remind my daughters that no boy worth his salt will ever say " you would if you loved /like me" , because if he thought anything at all of you, he wouldn't ask you to do something you didn't want to ! Do not be fooled into thinking boys and girls here are any different because they are in a foreign country. They aren't ! I have lived here a long time, and know personally of 2 teenage girls who were raped after their drinks were spiked! If it feels wrong to you, then just say no. You really don't need your husband to confirm what you already know. And they don't hate you for long anyway :)
mrsg
274
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 27 September 2014 - 16:01
My old American top loader has just given up the ghost. I like the look of the Samsung washers, but before I spend AED 2500 of my hard earned cash, does anyone have one and if so, what do you think of it? Is it worth it or should I stick with the American top loading machines?
mrsg
274
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 26 June 2014 - 08:53
Every summer ! Unfortunately it coincides with the start of the Dubai Migration this year !
mrsg
274
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 15 June 2014 - 08:01
ITSPets, based in the airport free zone, brought in my friend's 12 year old dog from UK. She was really pleased with their service. Don't have contact details but they have a Facebook page. Can get the contacts if you want them- even if it is just to compare prices!
mrsg
274
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 15 June 2014 - 07:54
I have travelled on BA for the last few years. No problems at all, touch wood ! RB is also a good airline, and as I don't drink during a flight, I don't care that it is a dry airline. The only thing you might want to check is which airport RB is currently flying from as I think it is the new airport, not Dubai International.
mrsg
274
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 06 June 2014 - 11:09
I wouldn't bother shipping things like deodorants and shampoos. Yes they can be more expensive, but if you add the cost of actually shipping them here, plus the clearance charges locally, you won't be saving anything. Check to see if they are available here first - ladies on this site can tell you that, plus prices.
mrsg
274
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 28 May 2014 - 13:02
Health Bay Clinic in Mirdiff - Dr Gordon Bland He did physio in Healthcare City near Wafi, but I will have to check the name. Had a check up last month, and not scheduled for another one until November. His curvature isn't noticeable either, but obviously some will be worse than others, even when both are classed as border line. DS reckons exercise helped - but he's not a doctor :)
mrsg
274
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 28 May 2014 - 12:48
My DS was also diagnosed before Xmas with borderline scoliosis. He was encouraged to continue with his exercise (various gym workouts included), and do physio. Luckily it is not getting any worse. Maybe go and get a second opinion if you can?
mrsg
274
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 21 May 2014 - 13:05
Thank you ladies. Unfortunately for him, I've just checked the listing for MoE and they are not offering Gold Class for the ordinary 2D version of X-Men. So, ordinary standard seats all round. Pity really as it was going to be his treat for working so hard on his exams!
mrsg
274
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 13 May 2014 - 17:27
Thanks Izzy. It's probably just my luck. Every time I go in to Ace for something / anything - they don't have it! It's got to the stage where we never say out loud what we are going to Ace for - we just try to sneak in and find what we want before the Ace Imp knows that we are there and disappears everything :)
 
 
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