French consumer law

[Fritz]

does exist. A useful site is www.quechoisir.org. One can pay €25 and become affiliated to the branch nearest to you. They'll give you good advice.

A key protection is the right to cancel contracts within 7 days. This has to be done in writing and be sent recommande (with a notice of receipt by the destinataire). If you've put down a deposit this must be returned to you. Your French bank will also help in tracking down any company/artisan etc who try and bank cheques or submit credit card transactions after receipt of the said cancellation.

One thing that is irksome in France is that retailers/distributors often seem reluctant to accept responsibility for goods that they supply from other manufacturers. Even companies like Castorama will shrug their shoulders and say it's not their fault if something breaks or is not 'fit for purpose'. Does anyone have ideas for dealing with this?

[Teamedup]

Drives me mad that they won't accept responsibilty. My last run in was with Conforama, even the manufacturer said it was their fault, but dear old Confo did nothing. So I wouldn't touch anything from Conforama with a barge pole.

Any ideas as to what to do. Well your consumer group, whom you must,as you said, pay to join, can and sometimes, do help. You can go to the small claims court at the Tribunal d'Instance, if it is a small claim. I suppose that there is the DGCCRF, but it would depend on what is wrong with the product.

[Jon 1]

Poor customer service and consumer protection is a definite French negative, and it seems to be fairly widespread throughout France.  I have always felt that the UK is far superior in this respect.  If you combine the above with a lack of fluency in the French language it can be extremely frustrating and very disempowering when disagreement and conflict arises.  I have never understood why the French tolerate this when they are so vociferous and stand up for their rights in many other respects.  There are also so many traps for the unwary, like the home insurance problem in an adjacent thread.  It all leaves me feeling quite insecure in my dealings with retailers, service providers and even public servants.  This is in marked contrast to my interactions in the UK.  I have resolved to become much more fluent in French in order to combat various problems, but it is not easy.  The paucity of knowledge as to how the French system works or how to access it is also a problem.  The foregoing should be considered by all potential relocaters.  It is not all sweetness and light, or universally more superior in France.

 

[maxsan]

I have to say that, in the year we have lived here, our experience has been positive regarding customer service.  I have purchased computer parts from dabs.fr and had excellent service (UK firm) I have bought many items from leclerc in terms of hard goods and had absolutely no problems when things go wrong. Castorama messed up an online order but refunded the money no problem.  Deliveries have always been exactly when they say they will be. Staff in the shops here are wonderful and 99% freindly.

On the other hand we went to the Uk last october and went into PC world somewhere near London. I wanted to buy a digital camera but no-one wanted to serve me. Indeed when I complained someone threatened to punch my lights out. Customer service in France versus the UK? in my book the french are far ahead of the can't be bothered lazy idle Brits.  The only problem I have found here is the language and for that there is an easy cure. Learn it. 

[Mazan]

 I have purchased computer parts from dabs.fr and had excellent service (UK firm)

That's because dabs.fr isn't French at all. Dabs is 100% UK owned and most of the goods are despatched direct from the UK.

I could tell you two tales of woe that are very illuminating.

1) A 120€ order from a 100% French mail-order PC parts company using a French debit card. The (supposedly new) item was used, incomplete and faulty on arrival. The only way to contact the vendor was via a premium rate phone number which cut off after 30 minutes of music (cost 10€) and was never answered by any living being. Emails were ignored. Registered letters were ignored. Complaints made to an online insurance agency that guaranteed the vendor were ineffective. The card issuing bank disclaimed all responsibility and would hear nothing about it at all.
A full and free exchange was finally obtained from the (American) manufacturer of the goods via a FreePhone number.
The mail-order vendor is still in business.

2) A £400+ order from a UK company for delivery to France using a UK credit card. The goods failed to arrive in spite of many promises from the vendor over 2 months. The local UK Trading Standards office was contacted by phone. They visited the vendor within 48 hours, in person. They obtained a promise of a full refund. As the refund didn't materialise the card issuing bank was contacted. They arranged a full chargeback within 14 days. All at no cost to the buyer at all.

[Racerbear02]

Not sure about the legal position here but when my new expensive Whirlpool fridge freezer started to play around, D'Arty were very prompt in arranging for an engineer to visit. After a series of unsuccessful trips over a period of 2 months, we mutually concluded that the device was a 'friday afternoon product' and they replaced it without a question. This despite the fact that I had battered them down hard on the intitial purchase price as I was buying a lot of kitchen electrics at the same time.

The only other thing I have had to replace was a 256mb USB pen I bought at Carrefour in Laon, they had obviously priced them incorrectly as they were cheapr than the same manufacturer 128mb version. I bought 2, one was DOA and 4 days later I was in Carrefour in Reims where they replaced it without question.

I would also echo the thought of a previous poster regarding the civil attitude of staff here, in general they are pleasant and polite, much more so than in the UK. I feel that the difference here is that people regard any form of service job to be one that needs to be performed to the best of their abilities and not just a demeaning period of servitude as seems to be the attitude in the UK.

[Teamedup]

As a general rule, I haven't found such service anywhere in France. The exceptions, for there  are always are exceptions are much appreciated though and I always make a point of telling someone if the service I recieve is good. As a general rule I usually get good service in the UK and the exceptions get a tongue lashings from me. I've never been reduced to tears there either, which has certainly happened here, me blubbing telling them that they should be ashamed of themselves, not only incompetant but lying to customers.

 

[Jeremy]

I have to agree with Teamedup and others who have had mostly negatives in customer sevices here in France.On the whole the service ( serving) staff are polite, if not curt when they realise you are a rost beefy.BUT when u try to return anything most will wriggle and wriggle till the cows come home, and not pay back a centime..

It shows in the sales where you see all the notices pinned up saying, (translated roughly).NO refunds, returns or exchanges on sale goods for ANY reason.

So get stuffed all of you.

That to me is their attitude, and I am not sorry to say it; just sorry to see it.France is where UK/ USA were about 20 years ago in customer relations, taxes and a lot of other things. VERY shortsighted.A bit like the pensions crisis really......

Getting uptight now so will go and cool down,

[maxsan]

we must live in a different france to you then

Our freinds here have all had the same positive experience too. returns have been no problem to any of them. try this, take a broken pair of glasses into an opticians and ask them to fix them. they will and they won't charge you.  for a previous poster I did actually point out that dabs are a Uk firm.  Sometimes I wonder if it is a question of approach. you know, I am english and we don't put up with that sort of thing.  We had an empire you know.

[Jeremy]

it must be your approach then.

the rest of us are too nice and trying not to upset anyone.

[Teamedup]

I won't say I have never had good service here, I have had some excellant service AND these people knew I was happy, but generally, a couldn't care less, lack of knowledge, or worse, too full of bouse (well not the cow, the bull you know), attitude is common.

As was said, lots of places that sell things have no interest in any after sales service at all, or they will go as far as believing that one complaint is sufficient, any more and it is just to enmerde them, not that we the customers don't feel like that, but that isn't the point.

 

 

 

[Cerise]

Took back my expensive and incorrectly mixed, therefore wrong colour, paint to Brico Depot.   "Non madame" it is not the paint, it is your wall.  After the full 15 minute argument (to quote Monty Python) I tried another tack and said that, whilst I was sure that none of their wonderful staff had incorrectly mixed my paint, could it be that there was a problem with the non-Fench mixing machine?   Smiles all round, "of course, foreign machines are notoriously unreliable!"  - immediate replacement of paint.  You see it is simply never their fault.

Maggi

[Jeremy]

I think that says it all n'est pas?

Jeremy

[Andyphilpott]

Customer service seems to be luck of the draw as far as I am concerned. I have had excellent service from BUT for example. We ordered a wardrobe in the sales just after Christmas 2003 although we would not be returning to our house until the following Easter. No problem. They agreed a date all those months away for delivery and turned up on time, in uniform and with tool box in hand. Carried it up to the top floor - we have 3 floors  and it was very heavy - and assembled it then took all the packing away with them.

From Carrefour we bought a washing machine and fridge. They delivered them on time plumbed in the washing machine, connected both appliances and tested to make sure they were working OK.

In both cases they would not even accept a drink - maybe they know I cannot make coffee like they do and it was too early for a beer!

The previous year we had an electrical fault develop on Christmas night and the next day the electrician was out to us and worked his socks off to get us fixed up. He did not bother to bill us until the following May.

Yes we have also had very poor service as well sometimes but no worse than we have suffered in the UK. The inability to return goods for a refund is a prime example.

I agree entirely with the contributor who commented on PC World - they really are absolute rubbish when it comes to after sales service - even if you can get them to answer the phone. And as it is an 0870 number for complaints you even pay to complain!

 

Andy Philpott

[Battypuss]

In shops I have normally had very good service. Not so with a certain computer supplier found on eBay. He took the money and has never delivered the goods. It is still going through the courts...eBay of course diclaimed all responsibility.

[SaligoBay]

<<Sometimes I wonder if it is a question of approach. you know, I am english and we don't put up with that sort of thing.  We had an empire you know.>>

I know, isn't it SO disappointing that we lost it?   If only we could have been like the French, we could still have the News from the Colonies at the end of the lunchtime news.   Makes you glad to be in the Metropole. 

[Liz]

The only answer is to speak French like a native! A local friend of mine bought what she thought was a video cassette of a film called Les Choristes (or something like that). When she opened the box she discovered that it looked like a CD, was disappointed but tried it on her CD player thinking she had the music of the film. Of course, as it was a DVD (something of which she had never heard) there was no sound so she took it back to the Geant hypermarket where it came from. The staff said they were sorry but as it had been opened they could not re-imburse her. She asked to see the manager. He was at lunch (naturally) and they eventually agreed to re-imburse the money. I was very surprised when she told me this and I don't think anyone but a genuine little old french lady could have got away with it.

I must say that my experience of Geant has also been good. We had a band sander from Geant which gave up about 2 weeks before the 2 year guarantee ran out. I took it back expecting some excuse about it not being their fault etc. etc. But, no problem, they would give me a replacement. Send for M Leon from the Bricloage department. Desolé says M Leon we no longer stock this particular make we'll have to give you a refund. Fine by me. I accepted the cash and walked around the shop to find a virtually identical item at about half the price we had paid 2 years before!

The other shop I have found excellent for returns, both for faulty goods and simply having surplus items or changing our minds, is Brico Depot. Maggi's description of the wrong shade of paint made me laugh. I must remember that one. They usually show you what the mix looks like and I have sometimes wondered what would happen if I said Aagh! that's not what I wanted. Now I know.

Liz (29)

[Fritz]

Whilst I agree that it's good to have a perfect grasp of the French language, you can also mitigate problems by:

1) Keeping a massively efficient filing system with receipts, guarantees, brochures etc.

2) When getting quotes from builders, etc, always go through them with a toothcomb and ensure you clear up any misunderstandings before you pay a deposit, which should always be nearer 10% than 30%.

But, when all's said and done, good customer service in France is rare rather than typical. My car dealer, fuel oil supplier, garden equipment centre, dentist and decorator are excellent. Everyone else is barely adequate or useless. 

 

 

[Jdknott]

we've had mixed luck too, and it seems to me that the difference in response depends if you can carry it to the shop.

we have hud umpteen of those big SDS electric drills/concrete breakers at under 50 euros from Carrefour, Bricomarche etc. They always fail before the guarantee runs out, and we take them to the shop, and they change them without even looking in the box.

But at Lerclerc we spent over 1000 euros on an oil-fired stove, within a month the glass view panel cracked, and we had such rows with them, letters, took months, had good advice from this forum, and when this winter came we surrendered and bought ourselves a new glass.

So we reckon to get easy replacements, only buy what you can carry ! Smile lots, and improve your language skills.

John Knott