Outdated laws are unfairly restricting your right to buy and sell goods freely. Even if you are reselling something you have already bought you could be targeted by brand owners for alleged illegal behaviour. This also impacts small businesses and can result in higher prices for consumers.
Take 60 seconds to watch this video about why you should support this campaign for consumer choice.
In my last four years in Belgium, I think only once the waiter came to me and ask me what I would like to drink in less than a minute!!!!!
Sun 01/11/2009 - 14:50 www.flandernews.be From now on it is easier to change banks than it was before. All the customer has to do is go to the new bank and it will arrange everything for the client. One signature is all it takes from now on Changing banks is now easy in Belgium. The customer just has to ask the new bank they want to use to arrange everything for him or her. The bank accounts will be transferred and payment facilities set up. The new bank also arranges the fixed payments that go out. The new bank will also arrange the activation of new bank cards, and the deactivation of the former bank's cards. The entire administrative operation takes a bit of time at the moment. From next year the entire operation should be able to be completed in 8 working days. quoted from http://www.deredactie.be/cm/vrtnieuws.english/news/091101_changing%2Bbanks
Brussels, rue Montoyer, does it sound familiar??
P.S. Apologies for not being very active in this blog lately. I have to find the time, it is not because I don't have the contents!!!
As you can see a very standard one, rather very common type of key.
Well, he was charged 6.95 eur for one single copy of the key. Can you believe it???
The funny think, and I told my friend, is that in Mr. Minit, if you make two copies of the same key, you get one extra for free!!!! ....Hilarioius!!!!
THIS IS THE NEW STRATEGY OF ELECTRABEL: a product called GREEN PLUS ("VertPlus")
First question I ask myself. Does Electrabel tell me how much CO2 I am producing with my energy consumption???? or how much CO2 will I save???? NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOPE
Another question: 100% renewable means 100% green???? NOOOOOOOOPE
You probably have already received their season free magazine in your mailbox "Energique". Again, I ask myself, how many tons of CO2 have they produced it to create and bring 4.5millions copies to our homes in Belgium???? They used recycled paper yes, but that does not mean anything when it comes to CO2 emissions.
OKAY. Less CO2 emissions, but, at what price ELECTRABEL offers this? I honestly admit I am not able to calculate it exactly, but I am estimating it between 20% and 30% more expensive (price per KWh, including everything)
Well you have to read 6 documents in order to really understand it 100%:
Quite simple right???? This is because they want to hide the dark side of it. IT IS MORE EXPENSIVE!!!!!! So basically what ELECTRABEL is offering is: pay more for the same service, and feel.... better????
Green electricity is produced anyway in this country, and it will be more and more produced in time, whether ELECTRABEL wants it or not. It is not their decision, it is the Government decision. Will you change the world paying more for your energy?? Not with ELECTRABEL. Because they are selling smoke....CO2 smoke.
It is no wonder why they promote energy savings among its clients in its magazine. They want us to consume less energy, but pay it more expensive!!!!
Besides, the small letter, which you always need to read carefully, says that you need to engage for at least two year period, three year if you live in Brussels.
Still interested in paying money for nothing in the next three years????
One year ago I started my adventure creating www.serviceinbrussels.info
I told you before about what happened with the company of my friend...they did not have internet for two months.
IF YOU PLAN TO SHOPLIFT, PLEASE LET US KNOW
When you arrive for the first time at Brussels, you normally look for a place where to live...and of course, one of the first things after that is to get an internet connection at your place.
In Brussels, the first thing you need to know is: which are the ISPs (Internet Service Providers) that provide services where you live. This information is not easy to find, it is not posted anywhere, and depending to whom you ask, and you will get different responses. Ideally, your "Commune" (City Hall) should provide an official list, but it will probably take you a lot of time and hassle to get that through them.
Today I will list some of the ISPs that work in the area of Belgium, but I warn you this is not an extensive list. I will also give you some guidelines and criteria that will help you to choose your ISP.
MOBISTAR www.mobistar.be
BASE www.base.be
BELGACOM www.belgacom.be
SCARLET www.scarlet.be
NUMERICABLE www.numericable.be (it was called CODITEL before)
TELENET www.telenet.be
E-LEVEN www.e-leven.be
It is important to remark that the mobile phone companies (e.g. BASE or MOBISTAR) are also offering internet access through cable or phone lines.
HOW DO I CHOOSE INTERNET PROVIDER???
Well, I will tell you what I did BEFORE SIGNING OR FILLING ANY APPLICATION:
1) Check out carefully the information on the website. Many providers announce VERY TRIICKY offers online, but you must be very careful. I have witnessed how Belgacom announces one price lower, and then when it comes to registration the price is much higher than the announced!!!! Personally, I mistrust a provider when their website is not clear, tricky, and there is missing information (e.g. download/upload speed of the connection, monthly volume of data, etc.).
2) Call the client service to ask for further details and to compare what it says in the website and the reality. My experience showed me that in the case of Belgacom, I tried to call three times in the same day in order to get extra information about their offer, and every time I called an artificial voice told me I had to wait at least 8 minutes for someone to speak to me. Imagine, if they leave a potential new client 8 minutes waiting, what they will do when you have signed your contract with them??? Will they answer the phone if there is any problem? So, calling them will give you a better idea of how they will treat you later.
3) Try to do a “false” application online before you make the real one. In other words, start the registration process with a false name and address….you will most likely find surprising charges (e.g. activation cost, renting of modem/router, ….etc) coming up, like when you buy a flight with a low-cost company. Besides, you will notice that they will show you the links to the “CONDITIONS OF SERVICE” or any other relevant documents, once you have sent the application to them….oh my friends….TOO LATE TO GET BACK, you already applied for it!!!!! This tells you about the tricky practices they make in order to trick you, or make you pay more. Be careful and read all conditions and details before signing or applying for anything. If you have doubts you can always, try, to call them.
As I said before, I feel so happy that I do not need to take the metro in Brussels to go to work everyday.
Once upon I time....I decided to take it! like today.
8:45am
This is the picture of the Metro in MONTGOMERY, and I was going towards the centre:
(click on the image to make it bigger)
Welcome to Brussels South Charleroi Airport.
That is what you read when you arrive for the first time in this small airport located 60km far away from Brussels. This distance can be a small one if we think of big capitals (London, Paris, etc). But in Belgium 60km is a big deal. Actually, if you drive double that distance, you will probably have crossed the whole country.
Being Brussels the Capital of the European Union, you would expect it to have superb connections to its airports. Well, let's be clear. Connections with public transport to the ZAVENTEM Airport are OK; however, connections to Charleroi Airport could not be worse. Only one bus every 45 MINUTES!!!!!.
Despite of the outrageous trip fare (13 euro), the buses sometimes are so full of people that you have to wait the next one, or take a taxi to Charleroi Airport (150 euro approx.) since you have no other choice to get there.
Last month, a friend booked a flight to arrive in Charleroi. His flight was scheduled early in the morning (something like 6:30 am). When the plane arrived to the sky of Belgium, everything looked grey. Yes, grey because of the intense fog that covered the country those days.
The thing is that The Brussels South Airport is not equipped with special anti-fog RADAR systems. In other words. When the weather is foggy, bye bye Charleroi Airport. It is in fact unusable under those weather conditions.
The plane of my friend remained in the sky of Charleroi turning around during almost two hours, waiting for the sky to clear up. Since they were running out of fuel, they were forced to land in the Liege Airport (I call it aerodrome). After that, a Bus took one hour and a half to go there and pick everybody up and bring them to ....Charleroi!!!!!!
I think my friend lost one whole day....he woke up 4:30am to arrive in Brussels at 5:30pm. That was indeed a long day for him.
