Commercial Practices in France

Premium rate telephone numbers

Please refer to the article "The French Telephone Numbering Plan - French Premium Rate Numbers" on this site.

Internet service providers and other businesses selling to consumers are obliged to provide a non-premium rate number for calls concerning the fulfilment of contractual obligations or complaining. They sometimes hide it and publish an overcharged number, so may have to go searching yourself on their web sites.

To circumvent premium rate numbers, you can often find a company's geographical phone number by looking the company up on a business information site.

Telephone marketing

Telephone marketing can be very aggressive in France. In the vast majority of cases, my best advice is to hang up very quickly. You can do that politely, of course : Cela ne m'intéresse pas ; je vais alors terminer la conversation. Bonne journée. Au revoir Monsieur (or Madame). (I am not interested; I am thus going the end the conversation. Have a nice day. Good bye).

As an expat, you have the convenient solution of speaking English to them even if you may speak French. That will throw them off course.

In most cases, you can't verify if the caller is who he or she pretends to be. It happens that agents for Internet/phone services call and pretend to be France Telecom to make you sign up for for they want and give them your bank account number. The fraud authority is aware of these companies and bring them to justice when they can. You can ask them to send you their offer by post, but never give them bank or credit card information. The best is not to give them any information at all, even your address. These companies may insist that they can only send you the offer if they get a bank account number. All you have to do is hang up - if they don't hang up themselves when they realise they are not getting anywhere with you. This is based on real experience.

Always be vigilant about Internet companies, as many people get their lines subscribed to the new provider and the old provider disconnected without ever having signed anything (known as "slamming"). You can get it sorted out but it causes you a lot of trouble. This is why it is not a good idea to confirm even your address on the phone.

If you are self-employed and appear in the yellow pages, you will get a lot of junk calls. Companies regularly call and ask if I am aware of the latest campaign to inform about the latest tax regulations. They want to make appointments with you so they can make you sign up for something. They make you think it is some sort of official or government sponsored information campaign, whereas it's pure marketing. Just hang them up - politely if you prefer.

"We refund the difference if you find the same product cheaper elsewhere"

Many shops advertise to refund the price difference if you've bought something and then found it cheaper elsewhere, but they ask you to bring a quote from the shop with the lower price in order to refund you. If the other shop refuses, then they may not refund you. I don't see what should motivate a shop to write such a quote. That means that the guarantee can be a bit of a gimmick. Another trick they may use to avoid paying up is to claim that their model of super-xyz is a later version than the super-xyz sold at Farty, that they are therefore not comparable, and that they therefore don't have to refund you, unless you can demonstrate that they are the same versions. In other words, the shop where you didn't buy it has to write up a small novel.

Not honouring warranties

I bought a new Toyota in Belgium. Firstly, because Belgian list prices were lower than in France, secondly because the Belgian dealer outright offered 10% on the list prices, thirdly because the model I wanted was not in the French catalogue and could not be ordered. It came with 3 years' manufacturer's warranty and a further 2 years' warranty provided by Toyota Belgium/Luxembourg, the latter valid only for repairs done in Belgium or Luxembourg. The manufacturer's warranty is by law valid throughout the EU. After 2 years and 9 months, the car developed gearbox problems that I reported to the Toyota dealer in Avignon. They concluded the car needed warranty repair. I got worksheets for each time they saw the car. Throughout the last month of the warranty, I asked them when the warranty repair could be done, and all I was told was not to worry. After the end of the 3 years, I was told there was no more manufacturer's warranty and Toyota France confirmed that in writing. Someone at Toyota Avignon and someone else at Toyota France quite obviously both wanted to teach me a lesson about buying cars outside France. After complaining to Toyota in Japan, they just referred to Toyota France, and Toyota France didn't want to know a thing about warranty. I could sue Toyota France and/or Toyota Avignon but I have little energy for it. Toyota Avignon did try to repair the gearbox after a few months, claiming to have paid the parts out of their own pocket as Toyota France refused, but the repair only lasted a couple of months before the problem returned and became worse. I could get it repaired under the 5-year warranty in Luxembourg or Belgium but it would be quite costly to drive the car there, for me to travel back to Avignon, travel back to collect the car and drive it back. I have been phoning down Toyota Avignon, Toyota France, Toyota assistance, Toyota Belgium but nobody wants to help getting the repair done. Finally, the Toyota dealer in Belgium who sold me the car told me to send a formal notice by registered letter to Toyota France, ordering them to get the car fixed, with copy to Toyota Motor Europe in Brussels and copy to the Belgian dealer. He also told me that Toyota France's rejection letter is a standard letter they send out to customers who have bought their cars abroad, and that his Belgian dealership near the French border is inundated with warranty repair for cars he has sold for registration in France because the French Toyota dealers and Toyota French illegally refuse to honour the warranties. "They don't want to work", he said. The lesson is to make sure that your French dealer reports warranty incidents in time and document it to you, particularly if the car was not bought in France. I will not claim that such problems are limited to Toyota. It seems to me to be French "customer service" mentality and that would be independent on the make of the car.

In a later warranty incident, it was white goods and electronics retailer Darty that refused to apply the two-year warranty. Darty proudly boast with a "contract of confidence" in a massive PR campaign that has lasted for decades. A complaint to the CEO sorted out the problems in this case, though.

Making it difficult to cancel contracts

French companies love their customers so much that they hate to see them leaving. In fact, they hate it so much that you may find that you can only give notice once a year and/or that the notice period is 2-3 months. While you can usually change a service to more expensive options during the year, changing to a cheaper option could be as difficult as giving notice. Some insurance companies use the tactics of notifying you about the increased premiums for next year when it's too late to give notice. This is at the limit of legality and can only be done for certain types of insurance. A recent law obliges companies to remind you in writing about the annual deadline for cancellation, and if they don't do it, you can cancel at any time.

"Forgetting" to refund balance in your favour

When you cancel a contract and respect the terms of the contract, then you may already have prepaid too much, so that the final invoice shows a balance in your favour. Some companies hope that you just forget about it. If you remind them, they confirm they are going to refund and then they still don't do it, hoping you'll forget about it now. Some companies are worse than others. Always be vigilant with telecommunication companies.

Continuing direct debits after you cancel a contract

When you cancel a contract and respect the terms of the contract, then the provider must obviously stop debiting your account, but mobile phone or Internet companies often continue. It is a problem across the board. I've seen it so often that I must conclude that it's not just by accident. In some cases, they even harass the client with debt collection agencies regardless of the fact that the client can prove with recorded letter receipts that the contract is duly cancelled. Even companies considered well-reputed do this. Some companies play tricks and stop sending invoices, then suddenly send an invoice with two days' notice before the direct debit date, so you have very short notice to cancel it. Be vigilant and stop direct debit immediately when you cancel a contract. If necessary, pay any balance by cheque. It's so much easier than fighting for months to get money back.

"Forgetting" to refund deposits

Watch out that deposits are refunded when you cancel a contract that involved an initial deposit. Once I moved, the water company "forgot" to account for the initial deposit on the final invoice and only sent an additional credit invoice when I requested it. Keep a simple file on your computer and make a note whenever you pay a deposit.

Making you think you buy a local quality product but selling you a cheap import

There are many lovely open-air markets in Provence, where you will find herbs, lavender, local olive oil at reasonable prices, and many other local products with an inbuilt atmosphere of Provence. Unfortunately, while you may think you are living out your dream of Provence, reality is sometimes slightly different. The French consumer magazine Que Choisir, issue 427, June 2005, revealed that 11 out of 14 olive oils sold on such markets were from Spain. In a single case, an analysis revealed that the declaration on the bottle was false. Of course, there is nothing wrong with Spanish olive oil, but it is not from Provence, and you may not get the quality you thought. Genuine products from Provence simply do not come cheap, one of the reasons being the high cost of labour in France. Read the labels and don't forget that you rarely get more than what you pay for.

Not calculating pro-rata on cancellation

When cancelling a contract, watch out that periodical subscription fees and similar are properly adjusted on a pro-rata basis. For example, the above mentioned water company charged a flat fee for having access to water twice a year, each covering six months. I lived in the house 2 years and 1.5 months. When I checked the final invoice, they had charged me for 2 years and 6 months. As they explained, they simply charged the fee to whoever lived at the address on the date the fee was due. If that is true, then you could equally benefit from this odd - or should I say French - way of calculating fees.

"1 litre + 10 cl free"

French supermarkets are bursting with free goods. Amazing how they can make money out of selling free goods, isn't it? Buy something and get something in addition for free has become a new type of marketing. Of course, you can't just take the free part and walk away with that. But it's still a promotion that makes you save money. Or is it? Keep your calculator at hand if you want to be sure to save money. It sometimes happens that the unit price per litre or weight is higher for the something-for-free product than the same product without any "free" part. That's of course illegal, but it's for you to be aware and ask staff to correct the price. Another problem with these promotions is if for example a pack of 6 x 1.5 litre water bottles bears the mark "1 litre free" and the shop sells them by the bottle instead of using a price for the pack. In such a case, a supermarket had priced the bottles 0.50 € each, and at the checkout they counted 6 bottles at 0.50 €. Their excuse that it had been calculated into the price doesn't hold unless it's sold by the pack. They must deduct the cost of 1 litre. Certain shoppers don't bother about these details. Others on a tighter budget and with time on hand may want to watch the cents.

"Shock price!"

Or prix choc in French. Seen on a bundle with 3 packs of chocolate biscuits in Auchan Avignon, stacked up for volume sales. However, the shock was not that the price for the bundled pack was very low but that it was more expensive to buy one bundle with 3 packs than 3 individual packs of the same product of the same weight. Similar example from the same supermarket where it was cheaper to peel off the plastic holding 6 bottles of Perrier together and buy them individually than to buy the bundled pack. Illegal? No. They didn't say the bundled price was lower, just that the price was a shock. In such cases, they sometimes place the big stack of overpriced, bundled products far from the individual products on the shelf so it is more difficult to compare the price. The French consumer association UFC - Que Choisir has investigated this subject and found it to be common in all supermarkets (article Grandes surfaces - Promos bidons par lots entiers dated 24 June 2008). The only solution is to be vigilant.

What you see is not what you pay

In same Auchan Avignon, a detergent was stacked up and large signs mentioned a low price. Next to it, there was a just as large stack of the same detergent bundled with a softener. But the large sign only mentioned one price, and it was not obvious to figure out if it applied to both products or just the single detergent. I finally asked, and I was shown a small price label near the bottom of the crate holding the bundled products, very discreetly placed. If you are in a hurry, you probably just read the big sign with the wrong price, believing it applies to the bundled product, and you don't notice when it's another price coming out when you pay. These price differences do matter if your budget is limited.

Another example from Auchan Avignon is a sign showing 2 bottles of soft drink at a promotional price according to their catalogue. But when you pay, it's the full price. Explanation: There were some bundled packs with the low price, but they have already been sold. Left are the single bottles of which you can take two, but the sign doesn't say that the promotion is only for the bundled products.

A third example from the same supermarket: A large pile of pasta and a large promotion sign for pasta. Just not the pasta that the promotion applies to but some other, obviously more expensive brand.

Some shops use the tactic of putting one type of article on promotion, putting up a large sign with a low price, and then - very close to the first products - placing products so similar - same brand, same packaging, same description, all matching the description on the promotion sign - that the customers don't notice the difference, except if they check the price on the back of the packaging. It is not a mistake, because if you ask, they refuse to sell at the lower price shown. The shopkeepers know very well that customers will quickly mix the two types of products, and some will eventually end up buying what they thought were discounted products at a higher price. This has been seen in Galerie Lafayette in the 2008 January sales in the menswear department - and reported to the Direction Générale da la Concurrence, Consommation et Répression des Fraudes (DGCCRF), the authority that monitors that sort of price games.

The price shown on an item is not what they put on your bill. It is most common for quickly changing items like fruit and vegetables and promotions. "reduction" - "promotion" - "buy one - get one free" - "sales" - etc. all mean you should verify your bill. In particular, some supermarkets leave promotion price tags on the shelves several days after the promotions have expired but charge you the full price - that may not even be displayed on the shelf. Many supermarkets have bar code readers where you can check the price of an item before paying. If it doesn't match the price displayed, and the bar code on the item is the same as the bar code under the price displayed, go to the accueil to ask them to have the correct price applied. They are legally obliged to sell the item for the price displayed, but you may have to insist and ask to speak to a manager before they give in. If you take the trouble to verify this, you will find out that it is not uncommon.

Luring you into the shop with catalogue promotions that are sold out

Supermarkets regularly distribute catalogues with promotions to lure you into the shop. The promotions are valid during a particular period written in the catalogue. But when you get there, the discounted products you wanted are already sold. Shops have been fined for this, and according to the law, it must be possible to order the product if sold out during the period shown in the catalogue.

Small packaging cheaper per kg than large
Large "ECO" packaging more expensive per kg than small units

Consumers have been taught that the price per kg is cheaper if one buys a large packaging than a small. Supermarkets more and more abuse that presumption to make large packaging more expensive per kg than small packaging. Examples: Canned tuna, toothpaste, chocolate, cereals, mayonnaise. Even large packaging labelled "ECO" may be more expensive per kg than the smaller packs.

"75 cent instant reduction at the checkout"

That's another typical promotion type. Very simple. Cash in hand. Except that the checkout staff often forgets to peel off the reduction sticker and credit it to your bill, so you either lose the reduction or have to go back to the supermarket - spending fuel for €2 to get a reduction of 75 cent. If you care about these reductions, you may want to keep the items concerned apart in your trolley so you don't forget the stickers.

"€1 refunded"

In other types of promotion, you have to post a letter with the bar code, the ticket with the reduced item and its price encircled, your name, address and bank account number and perhaps other documentation in order to obtain your refund a couple of months later - sometimes a complete refund of a product. In most cases, it is refunded directly to your bank account. It's often later than the limit they say. They often refund the 48 cents it cost to send the letter, but you must ask for it. If you care about these reductions, read the instructions very carefully. If you don't want to send the whole supermarket ticket, ask for a ticket for just that item at the checkout. You may need the ticket in case of problems with another item.

25% reduction

If a sign says 25% reduction on certain items, then watch out if the reduction has already been applied to the prices shown or not. If it has been deducted already, then the label should say so, but it is not always the case, as I once noticed in an Office Depot.

Passing 'compatible' products off as original

When buying spare parts or consumables, for example printer toner or ink, you will find that a large number of 'compatible' products are on offer, as well as recycled products and used products.

First of all, you need to decide what you want. Do you accept non-original products or not? 

On one hand, you have the device manufacturer that discourage use of non-original parts. It is in their interest to sell original parts, but non-original parts may occasionally cause technical problems. If you buy original parts only, you are in a better position in case of problems with the device covered by the warranty, and you avoid any worries about the parts not fulfilling the specifications or causing damage.

On the other hand, there are obvious savings to be had by buying un-original parts, at least in the short term. In rare cases, these savings may be reversed into a loss if the un-original parts cause damage to the device. They may also reduce the printing quality or not last as long as the original parts. I do not have concrete examples of this, though. What I do have examples of is non-original ink cartridges not working at all. I don't know in how many cases there are problems. I know of no way to assure that 'compatible' parts are 100% compatible.

The decision is yours.

Once the decision taken, you need to be sure what you buy is what you want.

If you use a price compare engine, it won't distinguish between original and non-original parts, used parts, and recycled parts. You need to check that on each retailer website.

Most sites don't hide that the parts are not original. That fact that the price is half that of original parts also indicates the parts are not original. But some websites price their non-original parts close to the price of original parts. Such sites may sometimes try to hide the fact that the parts are non original. You may have to read between the lines in the worst cases.

However much I don't want to see one site obtaining a de facto monopoly or domination, I often end up with the conclusion that Amazon France, UK or Germany, including their Marketplace, is the cheapest and most transparent place to buy parts. It isn't always the case, of course. If you are pressed for time, you won't go wrong in general by buying Amazon. Another advantage is their no-nonsense customer service policy. If you have more time available, you may sometimes obtain savings by searching more for low prices.

Showing prices exclusive of VAT (~sales tax)

It is illegal in France, as in most of Europe, to show prices intended for consumers that don't include all applicable taxes, notably the value added tax, VAT, whether online or in shops. It is rare that this regulation is breached, but it does occasionally happen. Be sure to double-check the total amount due before paying, not least to assure that abusively high potage and packaging fees or unwanted options have been added. Reference: Arrêté of 3 December 1987 Article 1.

French post

Be sure to read my page about post in France and how to avoid the pitfalls and optimise spending on postal services.

The customer is always wrong

If something you buy has a defect that you couldn't know about when you bought it, then the shop is liable to repair or refund you, and without any limitation in time. Shopkeepers obviously aren't too keen about this part of the code civil, and if they can't repair it, they may try to convince you that because you have used the item, then they can't take it back. That is not a valid argument. Others may try to pass the buck and blame on the importer or the manufacturer, well knowing that it is always the retailer that is liable to the client; no one else. Finally, they may accuse you of having used the item in a way you shouldn't have done. Others again will say that there is no warranty on that type of goods. The first thing to do is always to be courteous and friendly and explain the problem from your side. Asking for the manager would be the next step. Asking for his manager again a third step it the first manager doesn't solve it. I once had to argue 30 minutes with 2 managers at IKEA before they would refund 45 € for a broken sun shade that was only 2 months old. Making a fuss in front of other clients who are waiting is a good tactics. The shopkeeper will be afraid that they lose their patience and leave without buying anything. You may also want just to make such a nuisance of yourself that they will be happy to pay just to make you leave. However, that is not always a good idea, and it often won't work. If the shop is part of a network, it may help to write to the managing director of the headquarters as I had to do with MERCEDES-BENZ. Try to find his name on their corporate website. If you've bought what you consider a quality brand and the retailer cannot fix it, then it may help to write to the manufacturer of the item, because they have an interest in guarding their quality image. That's what I had to do when DARTY had sent the same repairman around 5 times without being able to fix a new MIELE dishwasher. Ironically, Darty's slogan is: le contrat de confiance. Another way of trying is to call for sympathy or pity. This should not be done so openly that it looks like something you make up. Try to look and sound tired, weak, exhausted, sad or whatever feeling is appropriate. Don't overdo it. You can also ask if they would be willing to make an exception in just your case by doing a small gesture (un petit geste commercial), while assuring them that now you know how to avoid that problem in the future.

Check that a web trader is not bankrupt before buying

Any trader in any country can go bankrupt. This can be a receivership where the purpose is to help the business continue trading or a liquidation where the shop will be closed and debt written off. It happens that even well-known traders go bankrupt, leaving customers who have paid without getting the goods they paid for, and with no possibility of getting the goods or obtaining a refund. Google the business name together with first "redressement" or "redressement judiciaire" and then "liquidation" or "liquidation judiciaire" to avoid these businesses. A business in receivership may try to lower prices to attract more customers and to appear at the top on sites comparing prices on several sites.

Conclusion

Be vigilant. Check and double check. No one else does it for you.

© Copyright Finn Skovgaard 2001, 2011. All rights reserved.