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Sending post to the UK


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Can any one tell me how long (on average) it takes parcels sent from France to the UK economique to arrive?

Also has anyone ever sent a letter en recommandée to the UK , the version where you pay considerably more to have a receipt sent back to you in France and ever received said receipt? Because I never have and wonder if I am wasting my money [8-)].

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[quote user="beryl"]

Also has anyone ever sent a letter en recommandée to the UK , the version where you pay considerably more to have a receipt sent back to you in France and ever received said receipt? Because I never have and wonder if I am wasting my money [8-)].

[/quote]

 

Yes.  Several (dispute with employer).  I’ve never had anything back from any of them.  However, when I asked at the post office (Lettre Recommande avec J’accuse [sic?]), they said not possible, proposed something else which was meant to be similar/the same and was more than the standard “recorded delivery” (I had to fill in my address on several forms with barcodes some bits of which were peeled of and stuck all over the place, etc.)  Still never had anything back from any of them (although they did arrive OK.

 

Ian

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Hello Beryl - I think the words 'shambles' and 'absolute' apply

Firstly , I think the économique tarif has now been discontinued

Secondly Royal Mail International signed for is as bad - I received a parcel recently and asked our postie - il faut signer ? - mais non ! - I could plainly see the 'signature required' label but it was in English  .Why not get your recipient to claim ??? !!!

The French postal system is a total joke.You can't send anything other than paper by 'lettre' even though the limit is 3 kilos ! what does 3 kilos of paper look like ??? The basic parcel charge starting at 1 gram upto 500 grams (colissimmo charge) is 5,10 €uros .

You've hit a nerve here and I could go on but I'm afraid it wouldn't be that helpful.

Royal Mail & La Poste offer an international system and frankly they have neither an accord nor a clue.!!![8-)]

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When I was in UK I tried to return the requested receipt, but it came back to me!  UK post office obviously only read my address not the one on the other side, though it has to be said that the design of the coupon leaves (left) a little to be desired.  Maybe this is why nobody else has received the receipt back in France?  I think I might have ended up putting the coupon in an envelope and posting it AGAIN!

As per other reply, the "économique" service no longer exists - which will make Christmas presents even more expensive to mail home .....

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[quote user="saddie"]

Secondly Royal Mail International signed for is as bad - I received a parcel recently and asked our postie - il faut signer ? - mais non !

[/quote]

I have just this morning received a parcel Royal Mail Int recorded, and I DID have to sign for it. 

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When did the economique service end?  I only moved to France last winter but I always get offered this service ( even today!) at my local post office, for parcels to the UK and USA.

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Sorry for the mis-info Beryl !! The international économique has not finished - it's the domestic écon. !! - oops

The standard delivery time quoted by La Poste to UK is 6 days for econ. 2 days for prioritaire.

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2 days for prioritaire - that's a joke! Everything I send (parcels all shapes and sizes up to three kilos) goes prioritaire and usually takes a week to 10 days. Letters are usually delivered in 2 - 3 working days.

La Poste shot themselves in the foot on 1st March by raising the tariffs, cutting out domestic economie parcel post, and generally trying to make a killing on the back on French ebay (IMO), which, in the past year has really taken off. Anyway, they quickly had to reduce International Colissimo - parcel post - charges as for a short while it cost 15 euros for any parcels up to a kilo to the UK and there was an outcry. Imagine dealing in CDs!

Anyway, it left the small post offices in total confusion, no-one knew what to charge or what forms were needed, and I don't think the dust has really settled yet.

Anyway, Beryl, it all gets delivered (well, all mine have) but judging by some photos (and returned goods) I've been sent, many parcels do get used as footballs. Pack them very well and offer customers (?) insurance.
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To quote from the "Colis - tarifs au départ de France métropolitaine 1er mars 2006" leaflet:  ATTENTION:  Le produit Cois Economique International n'est pas admis pour la zone A (Union Européenne, Suisse et Norvège).

So, as far as I understand it, there is no 'snail mail'service for parcels to the UK, you have the option of 'Colissimo International' or 'Colissimo Emballage International'. 

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saddie,

It seems like postcards sent from France are treated like rubbish no matter how much postage you put on them. On the other hand, our sorting office in Watford loses (better known as steals) about as much as it delivers, especially if it contains something important. However, they do give you a dozen free first class stamps for items lost (stolen). I received a piece of recorded mail and the bit to sign on was missing.

I have a small yellow French post box bank that I got from a post office in France. I said that I wanted it for my grandson, which I ain't got. It is probably as efficient as the real ones. 

David

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I sent a parcel (Colissimo) to a client in the USA in February - Priorite, paid through the nose for it, had to be signed for etc etc.

On 18 March he contacted me, parcel hadn't arrived.  Went off to the local La Poste, registered the parcel as 'lost', guarantees that the loss will be looked into, blah blah.  No contact from them AT ALL, 5 visits to the PO, just repeating that it is being dealt with at the next level - in another part of the Dordogne.

Last week, little note in the post box, parcel for you at the PO - and voila, there it was, covered in stickers, been to the USA, ended up at the right PO - my client was away and didn't pick it up, he lives in a rural area (2 miles to post box he says) and didn't get the little note telling him to pick it up until he returned home.

Problem was it got air mailed there and sea mailed back, hence time taken en route.  Real problem was that the French system seemed TOTALLY unable to deal with the parcel/enquiry even though it was supposed to be tracked throughout the delivery process.

Anybody know whether there is Fed Ex in France?

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I have never had any problems with receiving postal packages from France.

 

Only last week I received a package of perfume samples posted from Clermont-Ferrand at 18:00hrs on the 9th May and I received them on the morning of the 11th. This package was sent 'Prioritaire'. It was packaged in a La Poste 500g Post Export cardboard envelope.

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Well, confused I am ...... Went to the Poste expecting to pay €16 for sending a parcel to UK weighing about 1.5kg.  I came out having chosen the prioritaire option over économique and paid €11 (would have been €7 for écono) as per their tarifs courrier.  Lady in the Poste said it was OK for anything under 2kg, but this confused me as it was definitely a parcel shape and size, just didn't weigh too much.  I did, however, have to make a customs declaration unlike last time I sent a small parcel to the UK.  So, as I said, confused ...... 

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