Thursday, April 16, 2009

One question we are frequently asked is what is different about living in France. We have just experienced two extremes of French customer service. I guess you could say its the same in Britain.
Remember there is a recession here as there is in the UK.
You might of heard of the mail order company Leredoute,we received a voucher for a free 'ladies trench coat', free delivery and 20 Euros off the first order. Great - so we thought. We had found a peice of furniture for the new house. It was 250 Euros with 20% off. I placed the order on line, put the code in for the trench coat ( Karen was already getting excited about it!), all ok, then the code for the 20 Euro reduction - there was not one! what am I missing? Then they want 15 Euros delivery. No code of course. So not to be defeated I call them. 38 pence per minute! Needless to say I have to press lots of numbers and wait 5 minutes eating into my 20 Euro reduction.

When I finally get to speak to the lady she runs through the order,no problem, so I ask how do I get my 20 Euros off ? you don't she tells me, the item already has a reduction so you do not qualify. Great. Ok lets try the free delivery - no - you don't get that either as it is to heavy!so I go ahead, defeated and about 3.80 worse off for the phone call.I guess it was a cheap french Lesson!

By contrast I had to buy some sun beds this week - 14 of them with cushions. Another shop where we will not be forgotten! But what great staff, ladies who helped pile them up, store them until we came back next day, load them on the trailer and hold the queue at the check out whilst I asked for various 'factures' invoices. The scene of Karen carrying the 'cellophane wrapped' cushions resembled a lunatic wrestling with a crocodile. The French looked at us curiosly, why so many, who are these strange people from Mars! And then we drove home, attacked in the car by the rampant coloured cushions and the trailor piled high, by the time we arrived home it was dark & pouring with rain. Next morning we found the trailor had suffered a blew out - I thought it was wandering a bit. So French!

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