Delivered…maybe

Cultural differences, big and small, are one of the delights and also one of the challenges of moving to another country, and you sometimes don’t find out about them until the moment they occur has passed and potentially it’s too late to act. Here’s one example that’s worth knowing about beforehand.

Having moved to France from the UK we’re very used to having strong consumer rights. Our experience in France has been quite different. For example; if a package was delivered to us in the UK, and found to be damaged on opening, we would simply contact the seller and a replacement would be arranged or a refund agreed on return of the item. But in France it seems a bit trickier. When the delivery is made it can be necessary to open the package in front of the driver before accepting it, to ensure it isn’t visibly damaged, or that nothing is missing. This is especially important with expensive items. It’s quite alien to us, and we’ve been caught out on occasion. if you don’t check before accepting the package, and something is missing or broken, the conversation with the seller can become difficult very quickly.

The process you should follow includes photographing the package and label first, opening it and establishing all is well, or, if the driver won’t allow you to open it first, ask him for a form to state that he wouldn’t, or record the fact on any note you sign. It’s an unpleasant way to go about things, but it can save trouble later.

I’m glad to say that we haven’t had any really bad outcomes, however our experiences to date have put us off ordering large expensive items via the internet.