Writing E mail to the mayor- help!

[Chardie]

I'm sending an E Mail to the mayor asking a question. I've written the main bulk of the Email. (kept it nice and simple and apologised for my poor written french.) - Is it correct to begin Cher Monsieur Le Maire? - And what niceties should I use to finish the Email?  - I don't want to upset him! - 

Becky  

 

[rocambolesque]

I would guess "Monsieur le Maire," without Cher.

and "Veuillez recevoir, Monsieur le Maire, l'assurance de mes sentiments les plus distingués".

But don't take my word for it!   You might want to ask in http://forum.wordreference.com/forumdisplay.php?f=3

as there are quite a few native French speakers there who will usually give a quick answer.  I'm unsure about email-writing as opposed to letter-writing etiquette, both in French and in English!

 

 

[Teamedup]

There's no 'dear'ing' in official letters. So Monsieur le Maire is just fine.

I wonder if he will reply, I have found that e-mails get far less response than proper letters so good luck with it and I hope he does reply.

[Babnik]

Why not just go over and ask him the question? Good practice for your french, and I'm sure the mayor would appreciate it more!

Steve

[Dick Smith]

If you are able to follow Babnik's advice that's what I would do, in fact did. I had got the info from here that the maire would be very unlikely to respond to emails (I can't even get French communications companies to respond to emails) and a letter would take ages. As it happened, the first time it was a wise move because the matter was more complicated than I had expected and took half an hour to sort out.

[Chardie]

Thanks for the help. - Would go in person and ask but there's a big wide stretch of water in the way at the moment! - We did actually go and ask our question early on in the year however the girl in the office was rather vague. So I thought I might try and get a firmer answer in writing.  I can but try! 

Becky

 

[EvvaEva]

Hi ! I am french , I can help you if you want : Say " Monsieur le Maire " and at the end you can say " Je vous prie d'agréer, Monsieur, l' expression de mes sentiments distingués"

[Dick Smith]

I still think I'd send a letter rather than an email.

[Vraititi<P>PSG till I die -fluctuat nec mergitur.<P>]

Chardie, can think of 2 websites to help you with Officialdom:

1) http://www.askoxford.com/languages/fr/french_letters/?view=uk

and the indispensable

2) www.liensutiles.org/languefranc.htm

the latter (2) has 100's of links/hyperlinks, so don't panic

click on ECRIVAIN PUBLIC VIRTUEL and then have a look at

SERVICES DE RENSEIGNEMENTS ADMINISTRATIFS (100's of models and templates to follow)

Do not send an email, send a letter en recommandé avec accusé de réception  and  follow it up with phone call (ask friend to phone if you can't), whether it's vital/urgent/important/not important, etc. is beside the point: you want him/her to do more than notice it and quickly forget it if s/he is that way inclined. Remember: they get 100's of letters, emails, queries, directives and what-have-yous a day, make yours noticed ! 

 

 

[Jc]

Send a letter and send it "recorded delivery".

[Ron Avery]

You should not E mail the Maire or the Mairie  unless you have already corresponded that way in the past.  If your query is not urgent wait until you are in France and go to the Mairie, they will tell you if hery want a note or not.  If your query is urgent then as othrs have said, write to the mayor.  In another forum on here sometime ago, how to write to the Maire and the French layout for such a letter was discussed, go to:

http://forums.livingfrance.com/shwmessage.aspx?ForumID=287&MessageID=205674

[Chardie]

Ron, - Aside from the fact that it may not get answered,  is it considered rude to Email then or maybe just too informal? -Its only a simple query about mains drainage that I have and doesn't to my way of thinking warrant a formal letter, (already tried asking early on in the year but coudn't get a straight answer from the lady in the office.)  - 

Thanks for all the tips on letter writing everyone. Becky

 

 

[Ron Avery]

[quote]Ron, - Aside from the fact that it may not get answered, is it considered rude to Email then or maybe just too informal? -Its only a simple query about mains drainage that I have and doesn't to my wa...[/quote]

Becky

I think the answer is yes to all.  It may not get answered and may be seen as too informal as a first contact.  It is not rude as such, and a lot depends on how "go ahead" the Mairie is. 

However even in the UK,  the legal profession do not use E mails very much and certainly not for legally binding letters.  Best to drop them a note, later you may find that E mails are the norm, but I doubt it somehow .

[Gooliegumdrop]

Another suggestion would be to draft a letter using the correct formal layout etc, and then to fax a copy before posting. Most Mairie's offices are able to accept faxes via their telephone line (if they don't have a separate number.) When the letter from the UK arrives a few days later this can serve as a reminder without appearing pushy.

In my experience, many of the smaller French companies and organisations have a tendency to ignore emails, whereas the larger ones like EDF etc., do usually reply within a few days.

Unfortunately, denial of telephone calls received appears to be common place, especially if someone else is mediating on your behalf. (This has frequently happened to me when I've telephoned on behalf of my clients.) So, I would definitely advise putting urgent and important queries in writing.

Julie

www.francoservices.com

 

 

 

[Jc]

You should still send EVERYTHING recorded delivery otherwise they will deny receiving anything!!

[Gooliegumdrop]

[quote]You should still send EVERYTHING recorded delivery otherwise they will deny receiving anything!![/quote]

Yes, unfortunately correspondence does have a tendency for disappearing into the unknown!

I wonder if it's the mysterious disappearance of paperwork that has inevitably led to the creation of such an extensive bureaucratic and administration system in France, or whether they require such a system because so much of it goes missing!

Julie.

[Val_2]

E.mails are a waste of time here in France. No one bothers to reply and in fact and I have seen for myself on our mairie computer when I was looking for some paperwork I needed for a meeting, the huge long list of unread messages that are waiting to be sifted through, there is just not enough hours in the day for either the secretary or her assistant and certainly not the maire who works full time as well to do this. Always send anything on paper and by recorded delivery. The same applies to notaires,ours especially when I have had to go to help people also has days and days of messages he hasn't even seen.

[Chardie]

I'll get letter writing then!