electrical goods

[brynithel3]

Hi all

While we in Italy we bought a television and DVD player from the Center Grosse ( above the Spa) We chose the DVD player because it player +/- R RW DVD and had a USB port and a card reader. The first player refused to recognise any discs. We took it back they tried another one which had a similar fault but the third was OK. During the last evening there I had a slight shock (minor like a static shock) from the case of the player. I realised I didn't have any shoes or slippers on and therefore created an earth. In trying to determine the fault I also noticed that the terminals from the television to the DVD player were live. I thought that the fault might lie with the television not the DVD player. It was too late to take it back down to the shop and so when a friend of mine arrived from Naples I got him to test it and he had the same results. He telephoned a friend, in Torre del Greco, who told hiom that the outputs should be live and that a small current passes through them.

I have left the problem in the apartment and will try to resolve it when I return. has anyone else had similar experiences with Itaklian electrics?

Thanks

John

[Italy4me]

Hi John,
Pleased to meet you and Joyce (albeit fleetingly) at the Pier Bar.

Would you know how your place is earthed?

Our house was built some time ago (to different standards to current day) and we have just recently had a copper earth pole buried in our garden to earth us as we didn't seem to be earthed previously.

If you have a new-build or recent renovation I'd hope you would be fine though!
Regards, Lesley

[brynithel3]

Hi Lesley

I am Parco Meridiana, A new build and we are still using the site electricity. So I don't know what the earth situation is.

Thanks for the reply perhaps when we are on mains electric all will be well. I hadn't thought of that link until you mentioned it.

Thanks again for the prompt reply it has eased my mind. I'll talk to our site geometra ( I think that's how they spell it.) about it.

Ciao

John

[tom]

I find this post quite amusing and if you read on you will see why.

I bought a 28 inch TV from the shop above the Spar about two years ago.

When the TV arrived, the screen was not broken but was inside the TV. Hard to explain, but certainly not in working order. Trying to explain this over the phone was a struggle to say the least but we managed and got a new TV delivered the same day having carried the broken one back to the shop. (getting caught in a storm might I add)

I had brought a portable DVD player from London which can be used as a DVD player.

This would then be spoilt by the fact that everything was stolen along with a guitar and brand new playstation and 15 games when I left for London.

When I went back, this discovery made me upset but I needed a telly and DVD player so I went to purchase these items, again. (cheaper versions no doubt) To my surprise (or lack of) the DVD could not read DVDs. Off again I went to the shop above the Spar and replaced it with a now working DVD player. To my knowledge both TV and DVD player still lie in my flat.

Thanks for reading my story.
Tom

[patmc]

Dear Tom,

That's not a funny story. That's terrible. But can you clarify: Everything was stolen from your flat after you left for London, while you were away? If so, how was the entry made? Through the door, window, other?

This may be naive of me, but I don't associate Scalea with much crime.

Has anyone else experienced a burglary while they were away? Or even while they were there?

PatMc

[tom]

Well there was theft when I was there and when I was in London.

When I was there first, a friend of mine had 1000 euro stolen from his bag inside the flat.

Me and my other friend had thought that maybe he lost the money himself but there was nothing we could really do.

I was back about 2 months later and had two credit cards taken whilst we were there. Because there was no break in, I assumed someone had a key. I was leaving the next day and had no means of changing the lock in time so did a DIY job of sticking a huge bolt on the door with a pad lock.

It was on my next trip that everything mentioned above had happened. Obvously the bolt was simply screwed off and the key was used again. I have since had the lock changed and have had no problems to report, (to my knowledge)

I didnt have insurance on the flat so I presume it has to be my fault. Insurance or not, its not ideal to have it happen to you.

[patmc]

Tom: No, it's not something you would want to happen to anyone. What a bad experience. But the explaination is obviously that someone had a key. I hope your new lock puts paid to the problem and you you have no futher trouble from now on out.

PatMc