Hi people!
Remember when I said the list was getting shorter because I had my accommodation and plane ticket? Well I still have my plane ticket, but plans have changed regarding my accommodation! I will live in the host family the school offered me after all, because I have found out my "landlady" scammed me! How did I find that out you might ask? Take a look at those two pictures.
Can you spot the difference?
Picture sent by my "landlady" in an email
Picture found on Google Image
The difference is striking, don't you think? How come that we can find the exact same kitchen in Ely, England and in Ontario, Canada (the second picture comes from a Canadian website)? Look! Even the lamp is the same! And both have a green plant outside! What a coincidence, I can't believe it!
The bottle of wine and glasses should have made me smell the rat. And there were some little details about my "landlady" which didn't catch my attention at first but became really fishy once I found that picture: no phone number (she's supposedly lost it at a friend's party), no bank account (she's having problems with it), the British female flatmate who makes odd English mistakes and whose email address seems to be the one of a boy, or even the fact that the contract was defined by the Housing Act of 1998 when there is a Housing Act of 2004!
In short, I was scammed! Fortunately for me, and unfortunately for the swindler, I haven't paid the security deposit (which is quite a lot of money!)! I had planned to pay it tomorrow. Well, I'm lucky I found that out before paying!
Fortunately, I didn't refuse the school's offer. I had planned to tell them after I paid the deposit. So that means I still have a place to live in England! And if I'm not happy with it, I'll find something else in Ely, and I won't be scammed again because I'll be able to actually visit the flats and meet the landlords!
Moral of the story: Internet sucks, and this world is full of crap!!!
Remember when I said the list was getting shorter because I had my accommodation and plane ticket? Well I still have my plane ticket, but plans have changed regarding my accommodation! I will live in the host family the school offered me after all, because I have found out my "landlady" scammed me! How did I find that out you might ask? Take a look at those two pictures.
Can you spot the difference?
Picture sent by my "landlady" in an email
Picture found on Google ImageThe difference is striking, don't you think? How come that we can find the exact same kitchen in Ely, England and in Ontario, Canada (the second picture comes from a Canadian website)? Look! Even the lamp is the same! And both have a green plant outside! What a coincidence, I can't believe it!
The bottle of wine and glasses should have made me smell the rat. And there were some little details about my "landlady" which didn't catch my attention at first but became really fishy once I found that picture: no phone number (she's supposedly lost it at a friend's party), no bank account (she's having problems with it), the British female flatmate who makes odd English mistakes and whose email address seems to be the one of a boy, or even the fact that the contract was defined by the Housing Act of 1998 when there is a Housing Act of 2004!
In short, I was scammed! Fortunately for me, and unfortunately for the swindler, I haven't paid the security deposit (which is quite a lot of money!)! I had planned to pay it tomorrow. Well, I'm lucky I found that out before paying!
Fortunately, I didn't refuse the school's offer. I had planned to tell them after I paid the deposit. So that means I still have a place to live in England! And if I'm not happy with it, I'll find something else in Ely, and I won't be scammed again because I'll be able to actually visit the flats and meet the landlords!
Moral of the story: Internet sucks, and this world is full of crap!!!
HI,I was a French assistant this year and still will be next year. Don't do anything via internet for your accomodation. Visit different sharedhouses in Ely before choosing and above all: meet the housemates! That's my advice as I had a rough time with mine (3 English guys who didn't care at all about the cleaning part and had loud sex all the time!).
ReplyDeleteHope you will find a cosy place to live in and will enjoy your stay!
Normally you can trust your school's advice for accomodation, that's what happened to me last year and it was very satisfactory. And if you are to have flat or housemates, they'll be nice people for sure !
ReplyDeleteHI I didn't know how to contact you so I decided to post a comment here. next year I'm going to be french assistant in the area 14 & I need to discuss to have some information about it etc
ReplyDeletepleeaassse find me on facebook at "Ben lecointre" http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1141239175
or e-mail me at : benlecointre@hotmail.fr
It will be so sweet of you thaaaankkkks !