France This Way...the blog!!

France isn’t best known for its high level of customer service, and today I’ve been dealing with a fine example…

For years we had an unwritten rule in France of not buying anything on the internet, because the only slight chance of getting customer service in France is to stand persistently in front of a long queue of shoppers, speaking very loudly, chaining yourself to a trolley (even better, handcuff yourself to the shop manager), and intermittently bursting into tears.

But before going away on holiday a while ago we needed a portable PC, and I succumbed to the attractions of a leading online supplier – well known company, good prices, well known brand etc. The portable PC was duly ordered and delivered.

I didn’t use it much until we went away, and when I did I found that some of the keys on the keyboard didn’t work, the little square where you move your finger around didn’t work (so the mouse pointer couldn’t be used) and the PC frequently failed to start at all, and then needed rebooting about two minutes later.

That’s a shame I thought, I’ll contact them, big reputable company, I’m sure they will replace it quickly. They even had a choice of support – standard email or premium price phone line.

Now, there is little I detest more than premium price phone calls – unless it is by my own choice, not necessity. If I want to phone up and hear a Polish grandma pretending to be a lusty young Swedish lady, and I know it will cost 1 euro per second for the pleasure, that’s my choice. But for an unavoidable service call I think it’s a scandal.

So I sent an email explaining all the issues. Their response? You need to call our ‘special’ phone line for service…errr, why claim to have email support if the respone to an email is a demand that you use the phone support?

After stomping around in a fury for a while I rang the number, and was told ‘there will be at least a 10 minute wait before you are connected to an operator’. Hopping around even more, I hung up on the phone and sent another email pointing out that the PC didn’t need discussing on an expensive phone number, it needed repairing or replacing.

Unfortunately two days later they still haven’t responded…so tomorrow once again I will have to call the ‘special phone number’. How can companies be allowed to force people to pay for contacting a service department when their product doesn’t work, I just don’t understand.

Incidentally I’m only asking for a replacement / repair, not for a refund. Not in wildest dreams would I ask a French business for my money back. we knew one person who bought a heater in a DIY store, and took it home, only to find it didn’t work. They took it straight back to the shop, within an hour of buying it. As the shop didn’t have another in stock the customer asked for a refund.

The shop spent an hour insisting the heater had been ‘switched for a non-working model’ at the person’s house, and a refund was out of the question. I remember the police got involved, but unfortunately can’t actually remember the final outcome – but I’m sure you get the idea. Refunds are not easy to come by.

Anyway, an idea comes to mind. Perhaps next year we should have a special ’50 cents a minute customer service number’ for people ringing up with a question about their gite booking, and then make them listen to the Marseillaise for 15 minutes while we think about responding?

Postscript: I did call the phone line the next day, having little choice. The ’10 minute delay before someone speaks to you’ actually became 30 minutes…but I have to say the customer service person I eventually spoke to was very good, and after an hour and a half or so, I did once again have a portable that works (and he called me back)!

…if you’re interested, apparently the problem was caused by an automatic Windows Vista Update being in conflict with the computer BIOS – so updating the BIOS resolved it. Yes I know, I was wrong – I was completely sure the PC needed repairing or replacing. In my defence, why didn’t the original customer service department tell me they knew about the problem (they did, it affected lots of people) or send out an a message to everyone concerned, or say that they recognised the problem and had a solution…bah!

postscript 2: see the related post about Dell France six months later…