Service Apres Vente
Always a difficult and frustrating subject and here in France it sometimes seems traders do not know the law or pretend not to understand it hoping to get away with a gallic shrug.
Outlined below are the bones of French law but if you are involved in anything more than a minor complaints - do make further investigations before getting too deep into the mire.
There are several places to get more information - don't forget PAD (from an earlier Inof sheet)
Also Que Choisir (the French equivalent of the consumber association (Which?)) have offices in most major towns and for a small fee (25€) will follow up your complaint and they don't take "No" for an answer.
Basic
Under EU Law, you have the right to a 2year minimum guarantee - some countries have more.
The Seller must Repair or Replace Free of Charge or give a price reduction of Full Refund
The 2 year guarantee starts on the day the goods are received.
In some EU countries you must inform te seller within 2 months of discovering the fault or you may loose the right to the guarantee.
Within 6 months of receipt need top show the trader goods are faulty or not as advertised and fit for purpose.
After 6 months in most EU countries you need to prove the defect existed on recept e.g. poor quality of materials
The trader is always required to provide a solution in some EU countries you may also ask the producer.
More ino: europe.eu/your
https://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/consumers/shopping/guarantees-returns/index_en.htm
Qu Choisir Meuble George Sand, Angouleme 16000 05 45 95 32 84
Direction generale de la concurrance de la consommation et de la repression des fraudes DGCCRF branches found in most larege towns
Common consumer disputes Minitere de l'economie des finances et de l'industrie
There is often info on sites: eg french entree
Electricty Tariffs
Just as in the UK, energy companies have been privatised an as a result there is supposed to be direct competition between the various energy providers.
And these providers are obliged to make as easy as possible for you to transfer to a different provider - for any reason.
One of the driving forces for this is to push prices down or at least keep them under control. As a result a price comparison service has been setup which lets you compare prices among the various suppliers and if you want to change to a different supplier will help facilitate your move.
As well as monitoring and comparing utility prices, they also offer a variety of calculators to help you save mony
Celia's List: What's happening in and around 16500 Confolens
