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Deckname

Deckname
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Latest post on 07 April 2014 - 18:47
How about you pay for it like everyone else!!! Just a thought....... ;) As an ex purser on Emirates....not a chance! The Purser has heard it all before and will just go to the Flight Deck and have a laugh at the latest "upgrade try hard" Pretty harsh statement. Paying for an upgrade with Skywards miles is not a free upgrade in my view but actually deserved because you must have been quite loyal to the airline to have enough miles to upgrade... If I try to get it "for free" with some tricks, that's a different story but since the question here is whether it's realistic to get award seats on a Friday flight and pay for them with miles, I think "have a laugh at the latest upgrade try hard" is a pretty arrogant statement...
Deckname
156
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 07 April 2014 - 17:00
Don't know if anyone else has noticed but recently I feel as if Satwa traders are becoming more and more unwilling to haggle with or give discounts to "white women" (sorry for the stereotype but that's been my observation). I recently had a key copied which I had copied 2 years ago already and I went back to the same shop. It's a security key so I know the price is higher than normal copies but the guy asked for 200 AED initially which I thought was a joke. However, he was absolutely unwilling to negotiate and only when I said I'd get 2 copies, he came down to 150 AED per key with tons of complaining. All the other key shops either said they don't do this type or were exactly the same price (weird), so I had it done. However, one of the copies didn't work so I had to go back to the shop to have it fixed and there I witnessed that a local customer who had his car key copied (much more difficult apparently) was charged 50 AED and a Filipino-looking customer came with 2 keys (admittedly probably regular house keys) and paid 20 AED! Next experience in a fabric store where I ordered multiple small fabric samples for a friend to try out how they would look like for upholstery etc.. I used to do this all the time a while back and very often got either a few for free or only paid nominal charges because of the prospect that I would order a larger quantity once the decision has been made. This time, 3 shops insisted on charging the full per yard amount even for the samples and didn't offer any discounts whatsoever, even when prompted. In the same store I observed a family debating with the shopkeeper about fabrics and styles for children's furniture and they seemed to be very unhappy that there was no willingness whatsoever from the shop to give discounts on what seemed to be quite a larger order they were willing to make. Similar experience in framing/glass store.... I don't know if it's only me experiencing this, but I've always liked coming to Satwa for the odd home improvement/haberdashery needs and normally found good bargains and friendly shopkeepers. But somehow this seems to have changed because some of the prices that are asked for are on mall-levels and there seems to be a general attitude of "white women have money and can pay" in many stores that I really dislike.
Deckname
156
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 07 April 2014 - 16:40
Do you really mean "Airmiles" (as in: Airmiles card) or "Skywards miles" (as in: the EK frequent flier program)? Do you have a status with EK? Friday afternoon in itself is not so telling, it's more the destination's popularity and distribution of booked classes on a flight (eg, if you're flying to a "business destination" like Doha, chances are the flights are quite empty on the weekend and you might be able to upgrade; but if you're flying to a weekend/ holiday destination which is code-shared with Qantas, it might be tricky because you have lots of transit passengers that fly longhaul and might have already secured all First/Business seats so they don't have upgrade seats available). Operational (meaning: free) upgrades only happen when your travel class is overbooked (but the higher ones aren't) and they need to bump passengers up to the next class. In that case it goes according to status, starting with Platinum members. Skywards reward upgrades: it depends on your booking class (each travel class like Eco, Business etc. has multiple booking classes), some booking classes are not eligible for upgrades with miles. You need to check your booking confirmation and maybe call EK. Also, the number of seats available for upgrades with miles in advance is very limited for each flight. You might not be able to do it in advance, but you can then always ask at the counter for an instant upgrade. If you want to make sure you can upgrade a flight with miles, call EK IN ADVANCE of purchasing the ticket and ask them to check for which flights in your route you could eg, purchase an Eco ticket and could instantly upgrade with miles to Business. That of course only works if you're a bit flexible with your dates. You can always call EK and ask them about the status of your flight, whether it's overbooked and whether there are still upgrade seats but they often simply answer "no seats, you need to check at checkin counter shortly before the flight". In any event, if you have an ineligible ticket class, you can't upgrade even at the counter so better to check that in advance to avoid disappointment.
Deckname
156
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 07 April 2014 - 16:16
They're all useless..... Currently am using Smartmaids.... which the girls are for sure not.... one ironed a basket of dirty clothes and another questioned if i needed the bins emptying.... no love, let me do that for you..... Lets see how the next one is... Hahaha, loved that! I use Readymaids for years now and have so far had very good experiences with them apart from a few "holiday" or "sickness" covers which weren't impressive. However, my regular maid's contract ran out recently and they sent a new one along with her (2x and both times free of charge) to learn how I like my stuff done so she can take over. When I observed that girl, she first cleaned the sandy outdoor furniture, dunked the sponge cloth into the dirty outdoor floor water and then ran it over my windows. When I pointed out the usefulness of newspaper and windex and generally fresh water for different cleaning jobs I got a giggle and an "ah sure, can you show me". Next she tried to pry open my washing machine and I had a flood in the kitchen - turns out she forgot to drain the water as the laundry inside was in gentle mode without spinning. Almost broke my washing machine. I clearly wasn't too impressed. However, to their credit, they react to feedback very quickly and exchange maids and are also quite flexible with ad hoc additional requirements (eg, you had a party and need 2 instead of only 1 maid to do stuff). 35 AED with minimum of 4 hrs.
Deckname
156
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 06 April 2014 - 11:01
Picking up this thread again... 2 days ago there was a really negative article in Gulf News on Jumeirah Park, esp. the lack of actual Parks, Security, Community facilities... Rents seem to be very high (4BR at 280k??) and people start moving out already.... Any positive developments to report that would justify buying/renting there?
Deckname
156
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 06 April 2014 - 09:57
Careem is very good. Alternatively, have you tried Uber? Found the drivers to be very reliable, great cars.
Deckname
156
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 30 March 2014 - 18:09
West Elm in Dubai Mall has some really nice natural floppy baskets that are perfect. Biggest one is bigger than a Moses basket and is 230 AED.
Deckname
156
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 25 March 2014 - 13:23
Just got their latest pricelist for a newborn shoot- insane prices! 299 AED for each hr of shooting (most photographers have 2-4 hr packages) and it only includes 1 (!) 30cm framed image. If you want digital copies in high res, it's in addition to the shooting costs 720 AED for 1 image (!) and then a staggered pricelist (the more images, the "cheaper" each image gets). 10 picture package is 5000 AED!!! I'm willing to spend good money on a good photographer for newborn shoots, but this is off the charts rip-off...
Deckname
156
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 25 March 2014 - 12:29
Would absolutely never go to Al Zahra! Facilities are new and all but patient service is not good and quality of doctors questionable as they were in a real scramble to open up the hospital (similarly to Saudi German). A friend of mine chose it for delivery and despite having a birth plan and having clearly discussed beforehand that she wanted an epidural, the midwives continued pushing back on her request when she was in labor, claiming that she had kids before and shouldn't be such a wimp. They didn't call the doctor until very late. She and her husband were furious. Apparently the nursing staff in general is very anti medication (pain and others) and my friend's clear take-away was that it was a huge mistake going there in the first place. American Hospital is an established hospital with lots of experience and also has good NICU etc.
Deckname
156
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 18 March 2014 - 09:37
I don't know, it seems to be very difficult here because the site doesn't allow for personal messaging and email addresses are taken down... Sorry, I really don't know how to do it...
Deckname
156
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 14 March 2014 - 20:17
My company is currently looking for a PA. How can I get the job description to you via personal mail?
Deckname
156
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 08 March 2014 - 08:28
Agree, really bad and small selection in Dubai!! I ordered a dress from http://www.blushandbloom.com/shop/index.php (Dubai-based online shop), which was quite nice although the fabric was a lot more flimsy than it looked like on the online pic. Nevertheless it fitted nicely and the delivery was fast (1-2 days). Alternatively, try Marina Mall upstairs, there's a shop next to Destination Maternity (forgot the name) which has some dresses (pricey though).
Deckname
156
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 08 March 2014 - 08:14
The Cure in Media City (BBC building) does Lycon wax. Amazing, you really don't feel too much because of the oil applied beforehand. Ask for Julie, she's great and puts you at ease at once with her bubbly personality.
Deckname
156
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 17 January 2014 - 08:13
Answer's a bit late, but: Try the Freezone hospitals as they might have different supply chains. I had my YF vaccination done in Jebel Ali Int'l Hospital in Jebel Ali. Hospital's a bit run down but very professional travel medicine doc, was done in no time with all proper documentation.
Deckname
156
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 17 January 2014 - 08:10
Life as a pedestrian in Dubai is very dangerous. I live on the Palm and there are pedestrian crossings with traffic lights and speed humps everywhere, but even when the traffic light is green for pedestrians and clearly red for cars, motorists manage every time to just ignore it and drive on instead of stopping. In fact, when you stop you get honked by the person behind you. I've never seen a police car there to actually fine this people who jump red lights and even though I mainly move around Dubai in my car, I get annoyed by this irresponsible behavior every time.
Deckname
156
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 17 January 2014 - 08:03
I have ~10 evening and party dresses (long and short; sizes 10-14), some even still with the original tags attached and never worn, some only worn once, that I'd like to sell at very reasonable prices. Am pregnant at the moment and realistically don't expect to be able to fit into any of them in the next 1.5yrs so they're just clogging up my closet... Let me know if you're interested and I can send pictures and details.
Deckname
156
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 12 January 2014 - 19:12
Holly1902, thank you so much! Your experience with AH sounds indeed very comforting, so different from what I heard/read from others. Wonderful to hear that your twins have been taken care of so well in the NICU. Will tour AH and also take some antenatal classes there to get to know some midwives/nurses and hopefully get an impression myself.
Deckname
156
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 12 January 2014 - 19:07
Wow, this is really interesting!
Deckname
156
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 12 January 2014 - 12:35
My LL made me sign the eviction note (12 mo notice) TOGETHER with the renewal of the contract for this year. He increased the rent correctly according to the rent calculator for this year (5%) but immediately gave me notice with the reason that the LL is "thinking about maybe using the apartment herself". Now, our LL has 24 (!) apartments across Dubai and even in the same building in the same size so I wonder why it's our apartment that she considers moving in to. Also, according to my knowledge from the real estate agency, she has never set foot into Dubai (she's Russian) therefore I think the explanation is quite obvious... because we've been living in the apartment for 3yrs now, she can't force the rent up to the ridiculous prices currently asked and therefore pulls the trick. I heard that if the reason given for evicting the tenant doesn't materialize (ie, if we can prove she doesn't move in herself next year), we could take her to the rent committee and she would have to pay us 1yrs worth of rent as a penalty but honestly- I'm not sure how much chance you have in a) getting and proving this information after you moved from the apartment and b) actually getting this through the rent committee or even court... I'm doubtful this would work... even if it sounds great on paper.
Deckname
156
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 14 July 2013 - 13:33
Burj Khalifa
Deckname
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 14 July 2013 - 13:31
In textile street in Satwa where all the tailors are, there are a few stores like Fida that have lace, perls etc. If you look for true haberdashery, go to Umm Suqueim Road. Coming from SZR on your right hand side you'll see a large Arts & Crafts supply that have a very good selection. There's also Paperchase in Jumeirah Beach Center with a good selection.
Deckname
156
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 14 July 2013 - 12:28
I had a very disappointing experience with them last year, when my sister visited and since then haven't been back. She wanted to buy quite a lot of things (eg, table, shelf, 50 boxes as gifts for employees etc.) and they not only refused to give a volume discount but they also tried to con us by telling us one price one day and when we came back the next day, they told us a much higher price for the same items! Also, they tried to show us on the second day a different piece than the one we had selected the previous day (in much worse condition). Manager very unfriendly and unhelpful. So we left and didn't buy anything there, instead went to Lucky's in Sharjah and got a great deal on much nicer pieces!! Would never go back to Antiques Museum, they've turned into a scam-operation.
Deckname
156
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 14 July 2013 - 12:15
I can tell you where NOT to go: Kempinski on the Palm! No real atmosphere, A/C blasting so loud in the tent that at some tables it's hard to talk. Very thrifty with food and incredibly slow/unattentive servcie (eg, at Suhoor we always had to ask for the Shishas to get new coals, they never came around...). Would never go back.
Deckname
156
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 22 June 2013 - 10:45
Hi Ladies, update on this: went to Ibn Battuta yesterday- there's nothing next to Geant but there is a counter opposite the GO Sports in China court. However, they charge 75 AED per t-shirt and give a 10% discount when ordering more than 10 shirts. The counter in Dubai Mall next to the waterfalls (almost opposite QHome) charges the same price (75 AED) but said quite condescendingly they don't offer any volume discounts. That's daylight robbery. I just got a quote from hltme.com for 45 AED (they deliver within a few days) and still waiting for a few other quotes. Not sure about the prices at Virgin but I have a feeling the mall stands are really overpriced...
Deckname
156
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 01 May 2013 - 22:10
I just lost a filling and part of the associated tooth. Couldn't get an appointment at my regular dentist so went to Dr. Nicolas and Asp in Jumeirah. Immediately recommended root canal as only treatment. And while looking at the xrays I can believe that I need it, I have 2 issues with them: 1) Quote is 8200 AED for 1 rootcanal, crown (which is alone 2700 AED) and another smaller filling. 2) The next appointment they gave me was in 10 days! I am missing half a tooth and they tell me to come back in 10 days because they currently don't have appointments available... That's insane. I'm not convinced of them at all even though the practice looks very professional. And the quote seems to be ridiculous. Will try for a second opinion tomorrow. Was thinking of trying Dr. Michael's because they have an emergency service- I need to start treatment this weekend because I am not in Dubai during the week and really can't wait for another week... Such a mess.
Deckname
156
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 09 March 2013 - 21:50
Well, they charged me 10%, so if what you say is true they scammed nevertheless in charging 10% instead of 6%. I never heard of the tourism charge, maybe that's a new thing..? no is not a new thing, there are two separate things, there is a tourism charge which they can all charge for which is 10% and then they can add the service charge, which they havent done as they are not a hotel. i thought it was 10 and 6 but it may well have gone up i dont know the exact figures, as i dont go to them in dubai but they are within their rights to charge the tourism charge, which i am sure is 10% edited by busybee2 on 09/03/2013 This is really interesting, I didn't know about the tourism fee. So I guess that's what they did then. Wow, so if you go into a tourism restaurant in a hotel, that's 20% add-on to your bill! I never realized that up until now, I always only saw the 10% service charge...
Deckname
156
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 09 March 2013 - 21:49
I was under the impression that there is no longer any service charges in any restaurant n dubai. I think they were trying to scam you. Call them up and ask to speak to the manager. There are many restaurants that still have service charge, mainly in hotels I think. The sad thing is that this money never goes to the staff, the restaurants pocket it for themselves, esp. when you pay by credit card. So adding a service charge often means that the staff doesn't get tipped anymore...
Deckname
156
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 09 March 2013 - 21:41
Well, they charged me 10%, so if what you say is true they scammed nevertheless in charging 10% instead of 6%. I never heard of the tourism charge, maybe that's a new thing..?
Deckname
156
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 09 March 2013 - 21:28
So I thought the 10% service charge can only be charged by restaurants in hotels? And on all bills that I know of, it's usually labeled as "service charge" so it's clearly recognizable. I just came back from Anar (Persian restaurant) in Madinat Jumeirah, which is not affiliated either with the hotels or with Jumeirah Group. By coincidence I looked at the bill: they charged an item called "municipal tax" (never heard of that term) of 10% which looks suspiciously like a hidden way of charging service charge... Any similar experiences? Is this tax a new thing or is it a scam by the restaurant which normally wouldn't be allowed to charge service charge?
Deckname
156
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 09 March 2013 - 17:00
I love EW, but I'm always wondering why the process to find the forum is so complicated: click on "Dubai", Forum, then again on "Dubai forum".... shouldn't it be clear that if I select "Dubai" as the EW site I'm interested in then I'm logically also interested in that particular forum? It's a bit complicated really... Just wondering if there could be an easier way...
Deckname
156
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 09 March 2013 - 16:54
It doesn't have outdoor seating, but Seaworld on SZR (next to Indigo Living) has amazing fresh seafood that you can select yourself and have done according to your liking. Very reasonable prices too.
Deckname
156
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 09 March 2013 - 16:49
The Cure in BBC building in Internet City is great. Full Brazilian is ~100 AED. Ladies are very skilled, never had any issues.
Deckname
156
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 18 February 2013 - 10:40
I would be interested in this as well.... Bedding bought in Europe and US has left me with lots of different sizes and it seems most of the bedding sold in Dubai is UK size, which doesn't fit. Any experiences with how tailors do on bed linen and where to get nice Egyptian cotton to have it made? Thanks!
Deckname
156
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 03 February 2013 - 13:21
You can activate your EK Gold card and renew your Egate also in Terminal 3 (Emirates terminal) in the small office on the right hand side directly after the passport control LEAVING the UAE. Very helpful staff. I assume they could also do new Egates since they're processing renewals and Gold card activations, but haven't tried that myself.
Deckname
156
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 03 February 2013 - 12:43
Just FYI- they pulled their UK lending operations: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/personalfinance/expat-money/9665271/Lloyds-bank-pulls-out-of-expat-mortgages.html
Deckname
156
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 03 February 2013 - 12:40
I now had a few experiences with this terminal and have to say: I really hate it. Outbound: you check in in terminal 3 as usual and only when you look at the gate name you will know where your plane leaves from. Although it's advertised as the A380 terminal, they also have 777ers landing/departing from there so the fact that you're not flying an A380 is no guarantee that you're leaving from T3 or T1. Budget in ~30min additional time to walk from T3, take the train, take the elevators, walk again to reach the new terminal. It's a pain. Also: 2x the elevators didn't work (got stuck or didn't move at all), resulting in huge time delays. Business lounge in new terminal is huge and modern and a lot more private than in T3, so that's a nice touch. Inbound: you land in the new terminal, need to take an elevator to leave, then train, then immigration in T3. Really annoying fact here: there are no escalators or stairs when you land with an A380 in Business class, you HAVE to use the elevators and 2x they got stuck or didn't move at all. I wonder what happens in case of a fire as there is literally no other way to leave as my co-travellers and I had to find out. And the useless EK stewardesses and ground personnel couldn't help either, we just had to wait until someone fixed the stupid thing. Overall, you have to budget in a lot more time to get there and since it's not exclusively for A380s, you need to be aware of surprises when traveling intercontinental. So if you're usually cutting it close with boarding, be aware.
Deckname
156
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 23 January 2013 - 07:46
The reason behind the high prices here is simply that there are import monopolies granted to certain families on many product categories. Eg, there is only 1 importer for a certain brand of car or for a certain type of medication or luxury good etc. These monopolies were favors to some local families and since there's no competition, there's no incentive to lower prices on imported goods (and most stuff is imported given the location of Dubai). The franchises (food, chain stores etc) are also exclusive, so yes, Zara clothing in the UAE is sometimes double the price of the same item in Spain or Portugal. That being said, it's also about smart buying: eg, German cars here are much cheaper than in Germany where they're manufactured (even with normal, not GCC specs) so get the car here. Baby and children stuff (strollers, toys etc.) is WAY more expensive here than it is anywhere else- this is a culture that generally likes to incredibly splurge on kids and never ask for the price, many things are multiples of their prices in Europe. So get visitors to bring you things, order it online or bring it when you travel home. Food- clearly the 22 AED for 1 mini pack of cherry tomatoes from Holland at Waitrose is insane but the tomatoes from Saudi at Lulu's taste the same or even better and cost a lot less... Where and how we buy are personal choices just as they would be in many other countries and we should just be conscious that very often our consumer behavior here is different from home. Eg, in Europe I would buy staple goods in discounters just because that's the normal way to do it. I wouldn't dream of buying milk, sugar or flour in a Spinney's-type store with insane price level but only use these markets for specialty items or brands you otherwise can't get (and where the brand matters). Here, out of convenience or laziness, I sometimes pay prices for simple things that are clearly not justified. But in the end, it was my decision so I can't really complain. On balance however, having spend some time as a European in Australia eg., I have to say there are some ways of getting around the superhigh prices here which you don't have in some other countries. The no-tax argument is wrong, by the way. The social contract in the UAE which you sign up for when coming here is a clear one and not paying taxes is not a "favor" given by the government. It's part of the contract: you come and work and keep your salary. But in return, you can't make any demands and don't have any rights towards the state and if you want the state to do something for you (visa etc.), you have to pay a fee for it. In most other countries, you pay taxes but you get services and political rights in return: social system, public education, right to select your government etc. That's what you "buy" with your taxes. (No taxation without representation and all). Hence, not paying taxes has nothing to do with higher grocery prices here.
Deckname
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Latest post on 22 January 2013 - 08:27
I've gone through our stuff as well.... Will contact Rama to see what's going on and what they actually need... Also have a work colleague who's collecting donations (money) for the Syrian refugee camps in Lebanon, supporting the building of concrete structures (rather than the tents that are flooded in rain and not heatable in the cold) and the distribution of blankets, food, clothes etc. Work is organized by a local Lebanese charity. If anyone is considering cash donation to someone who's personally going to the camps, let me know and I'll connect you to talk to her about it.
Deckname
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Latest post on 22 January 2013 - 08:20
That's a good point... Guess at some point I'll have to check with the Labor Ministry directly... Thanks!! Deckname, I *think* you can work from home for a company abroad as long as you are having no dealings in the UAE or with any UAE companies/no money changing hands here etc. If it was all happening outside of the UAE with regards to work/money etc then wouldn't he really just be a house husband in terms of UAE law? so no need for NOCs etc? If nobody on EW knows then you could check with ministry of labour directly!
Deckname
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Latest post on 22 January 2013 - 08:06
Agreed, you do get a "labor card equivalent" ID card from the freezone you're working in.
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Latest post on 22 January 2013 - 07:59
Try www.dmd-consulting.com www.coiexecutives.com Whitewater Executive Search CT Partners www.sritalent.com Good luck! Please can anybody advice which recruitment consulatancies I should send my CV to for Health and Safety and Project Management roles. TIA
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Latest post on 22 January 2013 - 07:53
Thanks for the answers! I guess the issue in my case is that my husband is self-employed in his own company abroad, thus no local UAE-based company is involved that would issue a labor card. Suze63 wrote in below threat: "My DH doesn't work here although he does do his UK work remotely from home (this is legal, and was checked out by my Employers's Government Affairs Department and external legal advisors)." I wonder if that's the same case for us?
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Latest post on 21 January 2013 - 22:35
Picking up this threat with a special question: Want to sponsor my husband, who is self-employed but his company's registration is not in the UAE. Can he work legally on his company while being sponsored by me if I write him an NOL? Thanks for any experiences you might have with this!
Deckname
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Latest post on 07 January 2013 - 16:53
http://www.lovesweetstuff.com/ http://www.cakesnbakesdubai.com/
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Latest post on 06 October 2012 - 17:51
Yes, think that's true. I went this weekend and we had to have a hotel booking and submit passport numbers etc in advance. At the border we were on a list and the border patrol ticked off our names.
Deckname
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Latest post on 14 August 2012 - 16:00
Milk & Honey on the Palm stocks a nice little selection of delicious glutenfree bread.
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Latest post on 10 August 2012 - 10:11
For curtains and blinds I can definitely recommend Avenue Home in Al Quoz on Umm Suqueim road. Very professional, endless selection of fabrics and designs, perfect quality and good customer service. But- it's relatively pricey. Not sure if they do curtains with fabric bought from somewhere else, eg from Satwa. That would be fantastic because the main cost-driver was the fabric.
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Latest post on 10 August 2012 - 10:03
Hi! Been to Posh in Burj Al Arab when they had a voucher offer on. They were re-designing the salon, the atmosphere was pretty awful- and of course this small detail wasn't mentioned in the offer or voucher before buying it. People quite unfriendly/not interested, especially the Lebanese (?) hairdressers just sat together, talking and laughing which made me feel really uncomfortable. The manicure/pedicure without water (!) was the worst I ever had in Dubai and was interrupted 3x because they asked me to go wash the hair or other stuff. So my first impression was dreadful and I started getting really worried about the haircut. I had asked for light layers in my long hair, starting at about chin-length. The hairdresser tried to convince me that a proper fringe would suit me, I told him that I don't like it. Sulkingly he went to work, I started reading a magazine. When it came to cutting the hair in the front he asked me to close my eyes and put the head down- which I did and when opening the eyes again: I had a fringe. Shock. I asked him why he disregarded my wish and he said "Trust me, you'll love it, it suits you better". I was pretty ****** and of course left the salon vowing to never return- voucher or not. Coming home the first comment I got from DH was "Wow, you look great, that suits you so well". And comments continued like that. After the first hairwash and me drying the hair in my usual way, I actually started to getting really fond of the new cut and it definitely did make me look younger and fresher. Ever since then, I have a light fringe but I so far haven't found a hairdresser who is able to cut it in the same expert way (the layers by the way were amazing and the movement lasted forever). So would I go back? Probably not because the overall experience was awful and stressful and I don't like my wishes being disregarded even if in this case it worked out very well. But without a doubt- the man knew what he was doing, had an eye for faces and what works and the haircut was indeed the best I've had in Dubai.
Deckname
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 06 August 2012 - 19:59
Thanks ladies, some interesting reactions. I didn't know that these scams are so common, guess I was mostly lucky with my maids so far. Yes, she's an agency maid, I'm not sponsoring her so don't have issues with that. She's not leaving the country indefinitely, she is going on "emergency medial leave" so will be coming back in a few weeks and I guess I need to decide if I want to have her back (she's a fantastic maid, really) or not... I will definitely take back the key. I have till next week, when I see her again before her leave, to decide whether I wanna ask her about the date stamps or not.
Deckname
156
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 06 August 2012 - 12:46
You're right. I guess I'm a bit afraid of the answer bec I don't want to lose her in case it really turns out to be a scam-attempt. Was thinking of simply ignoring it without giving her money or mentioning it again.
 
 
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