The Chateau Diaries #12 Carry on grifting

[LimogesFairy]

I would just love to see random fans showing up at the shat-o without calling ahead or being invited. Swarming around, oohing and awing over every little piece of kitsch, plugging up the plumbing, asking for tea, making themselves at home in the grand salon, and then leaving without cleaning up their mess. After all, SJ has invited fans to stop by but only on the weekends but you know how rabid fans are, they only hear what they want to.

People

Superb additional info. and welcome here. Your comment on everyone jumping on the ‘money train’ particularly Michael and the rude Marie are on point. They all want something from others who frequently have less than they and both of those give back nothing or little in return. In life there are givers and takers and these two (and obvs SJ) are take, take, take.

This is why I was so disappointed to see Anna and Phillipe not only teaming up with SJ et al, but also handing out the begging bowl before they have barely begun. It’s so ugly and offensive.

Am so pleased to know there is a chateau owner out there with principles (and no begging bowl) who was prepared to advise and challenge the grab grab grab of SJ and Marie. Well done. Seriously a good move

Not at all surprised to learn Floral Roadkill is rude, even allowing for a language difference, her surly, sulky nature cannot be disguised, no matter how faux-happy she appears from time to time nor what she dresses up in.

Apologises i have no idea how to utilise this site to respond correctly - here is hoping.

As i said she showed respect (or faux) due to our ownership status and knowing her. However, she claimed to 'need' this economic avenue of income and was providing vlogs in return. My point was made that she now has thousands of 'masters' directing her vlogs via their likes and dislikes. This Chateau will never be her's, it will be completed on the backs of stupid Americans who are willing to pay up for a dream of FR seen in a 'good year' movie. True is we have had friends in common from UK and IR for years, she is claiming to be poor, and whilst she may have been cash poor at some stage, she most definitely has never been asset poor. People need to ask, and investigate - how can she afford to buy this place and she has never worked (opera singers (i have a dear friend who is one and lives a few miles from SJ) do not make this kind of money. How can she afford fees at oxford may led you to how she has afforded this all. Point is she is in no way poor and is aimining to complete this chateau via other peoples funds. The local Chateau owners are aware of this and are disapproving. And, don't start me on how the local French see this car crash situation - not good. Also they never have locals over...she is not living in rural FR at all. This is an illusion and people are buying into it. Disclaimer Yes sometimes it makes me angry as we work our ass off to keep this place going. And, no i would never sell my privacy for money. No thanks.

 

[NorrisCS]

Not to add to the possible legal troubles SJ might find herself in, but does anybody know if it's allowed in France to have a mobile home (Selmar) on your property indefinitely? Here's what I found:

Planning laws forbid the permanent installation of a mobile home on private land, whether your own, or that of another person. They must either be installed either on a residential leisure park created for this purpose, either a parc residentiel de loisirs or a village de vacance en hebergement.
Even where they are installed on an authorised site, it cannot be for a period longer than two consecutive years. This is to prevent these sites becoming used for permanent homes.
No formal permission is required to install a mobile home on private land for less than three months (15 days in a protected area), but beyond this timescale the owner must seek the approval of the planning authority. The three month period need not be consecutive.

Selmar has been there since March last year, right?

maybe by buggering off for the occassional weekend to find some manly pursuits keeps him within the 3 months period?

 

[TheTaxInspector]

Poem for the Patrons

Her mother is a peasant
And is moche comme tout
Her daddy thought he was Picasso
And was completely fou
Put the two things together
And this is what you get
A lazy, greedy, talentless thing
Who thinks she's Marie-Antoinette
Who spends her days making silly vlogs
And mistaking lambs for frogs
She's bitten off more than she can chew
And is begging for money from fools like you!

 

[Sandton]

Marie pays rent for her stable floral studio.

i don’t get why people are bothered about her paying rent. Marie got more out of the deal than sj. Marie claims to pay rent but who knows what she pays and what the actual agreement is between them. I suspect for the “studio” and living there it probably is a lot less than it could be in return for her helping around the chato / cooking and being filmed for content. Cooking really isn’t that much work. I mean seriously even if she cooks every main meal that is prob Max 10 hours a week. And she prob do it because she likes it / is better at it/ and prefer it than doing other chores or cleaning or gardening
Also perhaps Marie is only saying it in the same sense how she calls what she is doing as a business and fully believe she has made it just because she got a few patrons who are prepared to pay to see the odd video she put out. She has removed all her videos from YouTube which is silly considering she could make some Adsense money from it. I’m not sure how anyone could stumble accross her Instagram and based on what she post there decide to want to be a patron. When there are so many Instagramers who don’t charge and who quite frankly have a much better / creative ig feed.

He is also very funny! I don't think it takes much crap from anybody either.


Well, if she's hungry she needs to go to the store and buy her own food. When you have a very restrictive diet you need to take care of yourself. Veganism is a choice, not a necessity.

Sorry Being vegan isn’t some crazy complicated diet. Sj would have been used to different dietry requirements while running the b&b and just life in general. So if someone is “volunteeeing / working etc and room and board is included then it really shouldn’t be some big issue.

 

[ggyahoo]

Marie did get a job pretty quickly last time she moved to England. I think it was hotel manager or assistant manager ( a proper job surely?) and then she was released or furloughed because of the pandemic. I don't know if she is moving back to Bury but if so she wouldn't have need of a car. I seem to remember her saying more than once that the stable studio suited her fine because it was cool for keeping the flowers fresh.

 

[The Soloist]

You must watch the episode of Father Ted 'Night of the Nearly Dead,' I'm afraid I am not techno savvy enough to show the clip of hundreds of handbag wielding old ladies trying to get into a house.( Lalande when Covid restrictions are lifted." Stephaneeeeeeeeeee Let us in " !!!!!!!!)

Meanwhile back in Donegal at La Lande Travel HQ (might not play in all countries)

Ok I put that into Translate and got what it means. All I know here in Ireland, if self employed / business owner you have to legally declare all monies received - now you can lie and not declare and fingers crossed you never get audited when it will be found out unless it's in a brown paper bag. But money making its way into any account, private or business, via paypal or revolut etc is supposed to be declared and is taxed accordingly if its revenue. There will always be a paper trail. Even if you're getting paid in cash a lot, the paper trail is that there is no movement on your credit or debit cards or bank account for day to day living expenses because you're using cash. So while Patreon doesn't care less what you do with money sent via their US business, they don't need to regulate it, you must regulate yourself and declare your income. Easy enough perhaps to not declare and hope you remain below the radar but with a big FAT open Vlog thanking her Top Tier Patrons pus the gifts (undeclared) she's an open book for the French authorities.

Oh dear. I expect there are flames coming out of Natti's calculator trying to work out what financial liabilities there might be.

 

[bibisilver]

People


Apologises i have no idea how to utilise this site to respond correctly - here is hoping.

As i said she showed respect (or faux) due to our ownership status and knowing her. However, she claimed to 'need' this economic avenue of income and was providing vlogs in return. My point was made that she now has thousands of 'masters' directing her vlogs via their likes and dislikes. This Chateau will never be her's, it will be completed on the backs of stupid Americans who are willing to pay up for a dream of FR seen in a 'good year' movie. True is we have had friends in common from UK and IR for years, she is claiming to be poor, and whilst she may have been cash poor at some stage, she most definitely has never been asset poor. People need to ask, and investigate - how can she afford to buy this place and she has never worked (opera singers (i have a dear friend who is one and lives a few miles from SJ) do not make this kind of money. How can she afford fees at oxford may led you to how she has afforded this all. Point is she is in no way poor and is aimining to complete this chateau via other peoples funds. The local Chateau owners are aware of this and are disapproving. And, don't start me on how the local French see this car crash situation - not good. Also they never have locals over...she is not living in rural FR at all. This is an illusion and people are buying into it. Disclaimer Yes sometimes it makes me angry as we work our ass off to keep this place going. And, no i would never sell my privacy for money. No thanks.

You do sound angry, and maybe a bit jealous of her free money too? I don't think there's a need to call anyone a "stupid American", and I'm not American, but it is offensive in my opinion to generalize like that. I bet there's more than one nationality supporting her as patrons or simply viewers for many reasons other than being stupid.

 

[LimogesFairy]

You do sound angry, and maybe a bit jealous of her free money too? I don't think there's a need to call anyone a "stupid American", and I'm not American, but it is offensive in my opinion to generalize like that. I bet there's more than one nationality supporting her as patrons or simply viewers for many reasons other than being stupid.

A fair point regarding my comment on 'stupid Americans', thank you for the monitoring it reminds me of somewhere...oh wait...it is CD fans attacking people for any perceived transgression. As to my state of mind, indeed you are quick, considering i did state i was angry, how very perceptive of you! No need for armchair psychology as after all i did state it myself. However, why i am angry is not her revenue; it is the plain injustice of claiming money from people when she has it hidden away in trusts and property. I can make my own money, without selling my privacy and that my dear is something i am very proud of and not angry at all about!

 

[Clara Burnett]

maybe by buggering off for the occassional weekend to find some manly pursuits keeps him within the 3 months period?

Nope, The three month period need not be consecutive. Going away for the weekend still leaves a lot of days he's there.

 

[Lady Chatalot]

Marie did get a job pretty quickly last time she moved to England. I think it was hotel manager or assistant manager ( a proper job surely?) and then she was released or furloughed because of the pandemic. I don't know if she is moving back to Bury but if so she wouldn't have need of a car. I seem to remember her saying more than once that the stable studio suited her fine because it was cool for keeping the flowers fresh.

If you are running a florist business with weddings thrown in, you will probably need a car.

 

[NorrisCS]

It's actually called a Dislike button. There is a "thumbs up" icon and a "thumbs down" icon on the right-hand side below the title of each video. This is where viewers can show their "like" or dislike" for the content by clicking whichever icon. It has no effect on revenue. However, advertisers are less likely to advertise on a video that has more dislikes than likes and Youtube is less likely to bump that video in search results. A channel such as Chateau Diaries, with so many subscribers and coolaid fans, is not going to be hurt by dislikes.



Watched in full or clicked on. The revenue is higher if an ad is clicked on and the user makes a purchase on the advertiser's site. Liking or disliking the video will feed into the algorithm and let Youtube know "this is popular content" as will comments but you need the manpower of watching/ clicking on ads to generate income. There are some channels that put advertisements on that are unskippable, 30 seconds- 15 seconds. For these, the creator will generate income unless you click off the video before the ad finishes.

Cool, as I dont wish to contribute in any way, shape or form, to the SJ purse, next time I see an ad that does not give me the option to skip but tells me I will see video after the 30, 15 whatever second ad ends, I'll frickin' well hop right off YT before that ad ends! Thank You.

 

[bibisilver]

A fair point regarding my comment on 'stupid Americans', thank you for the monitoring it reminds me of somewhere...oh wait...it is CD fans attacking people for any perceived transgression. As to my state of mind, indeed you are quick, considering i did state i was angry, how very perceptive of you! No need for armchair psychology as after all i did state it myself. However, why i am angry is not her revenue; it is the plain injustice of claiming money from people when she has it hidden away in trusts and property. I can make my own money, without selling my privacy and that my dear is something i am very proud of and not angry at all about!

No monitoring whatsoever, free to speak my mind here, and your comment rubbed me the wrong way. Sorry if that bothers you. I'm not speaking for anyone other than ME.
I myself hate the cyber begging, I work hard for my money.

 

[Clara Burnett]

i wonder if she made Oliver pay rent when he used it as “the painting studio” ....

Asking that question is answering it.

@Clara Burnett - Please do not describe Chateau De LaLande as a dump in the middle of nowhere. It has been firmly established that it is a HEAP in the middle of nowhere, HMN in the glossary!

My humble apologies!

 

[Viva La Loca]

I'm new. Don't ask for details because I'm not giving them. Recently learned of the TV series on Channel 4/5?. I noticed someone googled "Chateau de la lande" and found you guys here.

If you are a person donating to Steph, please stop. The family is very wealthy, I know this for a fact - directly. What they have in the bank I'm unsure but we are talking millions! Multiple properties all over the place, 7 that I can recall. Very sizable incomes - alimony payments, pensions, trusts, inheritance, rental income, the list is endless. Money most of us could only dream of.

They have no money issues you are just paying for things they don't want to pay for.

Good evening @jjj667 Whilst I appreciate your input to this thread which seems to corroborate our musings are you able to provide some form of evidence to support your statement?
If your post is derived from actual real life knowledge I appreciate that you would be careful about your identity being revealed to the chateau owners who do read here, but I think that a post of this nature should be supported by some form of evidence.
This is not a site for patreons, although some posters happily are, so I feel that your warning would be much better placed amongst the community of patreons and superfans.

 

[Lady Chatalot]

Oh dear. I expect there are flames coming out of Natti's calculator trying to work out what financial liabilities there might be.

Nati would be well off not getting involved with the shat-o finances other than the B&B. It's best to be out of the loop if you think something fishy is going on with the books. Better yet, plan a quick exit when you see the suits driving up the pink driveway!

Cool, as I dont wish to contribute in any way, shape or form, to the SJ purse, next time I see an ad that does not give me the option to skip but tells me I will see video after the 30, 15 whatever second ad ends, I'll frickin' well hop right off YT before that ad ends! Thank You.

I'm free from Patreron! The many posts here pointing out SJs assets convinced me to put my $5.45 elsewhere. Three things that sent me over the edge: 1) That get-away trip with Mummy and Hani to the very expensive hotel in the south of France - I myself have never stayed in anything so expensive! 2) Hiring that imbecile BJJ! I can't stand the thought of helping support him in any way. What a leach! 3) Even if all the Patreon money is spent on renovation, the improvements benefit the owners of the shat-o as it will add value to the property. I doubt very much that when the heap-in-the-middle-of-nowhere is sold that any patron will receive a kick-back. SJ keeps going on that she will never sell. How the hell does she know that?

 

[Clara Burnett]

Who the hell is Dana anyway? She rubs me the wrong way with her overt attempt at being sexy all the time and her raspy smokers voice.

Google Dana International and you will get a fairly accurate impression of her namesake. She will never forgive you if you tell her that though. SJ needed time to warm up to her loud and opportunistic presence, but I guess her cooking skills have won her a place in the entourage, every now and then.

 

[NorrisCS]

It is pathetic, I've seen people sending their family heirlooms to a total stranger that has more crap than she'll ever manage! Of course now she says the chateau needs more storage, really? Hoarder like no other Madame SJ, shameful!

Oh Oh Oh... I see a thread title here... Hoarder like No Other...

 

[ggyahoo]

If you are running a florist business with weddings thrown in, you will probably need a car

Good point. But I don't think she has a hope in hell of running a wedding floristry enterprise. I'm quite intrigued as to what the contracts are for that she's signing with clients.

 

[NorrisCS]

I would just love to see random fans showing up at the shat-o without calling ahead or being invited. Swarming around, oohing and awing over every little piece of kitsch, plugging up the plumbing, asking for tea, making themselves at home in the grand salon, and then leaving without cleaning up their mess. After all, SJ has invited fans to stop by but only on the weekends but you know how rabid fans are, they only hear what they want to.

And can you imagine them asking... "where's my hedgehog tea towel, peacock painting, gardening gloves, hat, tat and porcelain rat?"

 

[Lady Chatalot]

Google Dana International and you will get a fairly accurate impression of her namesake. She will never forgive you if you tell her that though. SJ needed time to warm up to her loud and opportunistic presence, but I guess her cooking skills have won her a place in the entourage, every now and then.

Well, Dana the Diva. That explains why she feels the need to fight for the center of attention. Like SJ, she is another one who is having a difficult time accepting her age. Honestly, what 50 year old woman shows up for a Halloween party dressed as a skimpily clad Disney character? Just plain yuck!