October 7, 2015
I decided it was not wise to wait until I heard from the salesman at Lapeyre about his proposal to replace the installed awning with the awning that ought to have been installed. So I called him late this morning to tell him I would be by to pick up the new invoice for the difference between the smaller awning and the larger after lunch.
It occurred to me as I was considering how much more an awning twice as long as the one installed would cost, that in fact, I was never given an accurate estimate of what an awning with all the "bells and whistles" and appropriate to the size of the terrace would cost. I already thought the almost $4,700 cost of the meter and a half awning installed was much more expensive than I had anticipated, but rationalized it by telling myself that on account of the strong sun, the terrace was unusable any time except the early morning and late evening. By sheltering the terrace, I would essentially add another room to the house. Although it is costing me.
Had I had an accurate estimate of the cost of an mechanized awning of the right length, I might have chosen a cheaper awning. However, as I had now committed myself to the mechanized model, Lapeyre would only make an exchange for the more expensive model, not reimburse me.
I try to be realistic about my choices, so "in for a penny, in for a pound" I said to myself, and hoped that the additional expense would not be staggering. In that spirit, I went to the Lapeyre in Carcassonne to see the salesman. He was ready for me.
"Let's sit at my desk, over here", he pointed, and I arranged myself and Beau.
"I'm going to charge you only the difference between the new product and the old, no further charges for installation, and the value-added tax is included in the price."
I held my breath.
The longer awning will cost you one thousand four hundred and twenty Euros more--
That's not an inconsiderable amount, about $1600 more for two meters more fabric.
"But-- I'm going to take off four hundred Euros-- so the real amount you have to pay is one thousand twenty Euros (1,020E).
I agreed to the exchange on those terms, thankful I had not been stuck for twice that amount.
I and Monsieur Dubot will personally take down the awning presently installed, and replace it the same day with the awning appropriate to your terrace. I'm sorry, but I only sell one or two of these a year--
--"That's no excuse", I interjected. "Would you be willing to reimburse me for the price of the awning inappropriate to my needs, as you are now making me spend more than your estimate suggested?"
"No."
"Well, then we will proceed as you suggest."
"I will take a photo of the new awning and send it to you, so that you know all has been done perfectly."--
And here the salesman used the French slang for "perfect" which is--
--Nickel.
"And Monsieur Dubot and I will be back when you return to show you how the remote control works, so that you can have the awning extended at night and have the lighting if you choose, rather than have it retracted at night as it would automatically do otherwise. We will come to see you again, one more time after we install the right awning for you."
At this point, each of us more or less resigned to our options (he cannot send the inappropriately ordered awning back to the factory, I cannot opt for a cheaper, less fancy awning), we became very jovial:
"--Well, if you're going to come by to that end, I'll give you lunch."
"--Oh, no! You don't have to do that, but it's nice of you."
In the midst of all this bonhomie, the salesman told me he is studying English to better deal with his Anglophone clients. We agreed to speak further as to that in the weeks to come.
In all, I think that I was fortunate that the salesman (who also heads that department at the Lapeyre branch in Carcassonne) was willing to try to reach a compromise. He could have insisted that I had signed the invoice (which constitutes a contract in France) and walked away. That is a very important point: unlike the United States, where there are consumer protection agencies at multiple levels, nothing of the sort exists in France. So if you have a dispute with a vendor or a service provider, you are without remedies unless you are willing to engage a notaire at your own expense to intimidate the person you believe has wronged you. And that would take a long time and not necessarily lead to your vindication, as judges are strictly bound to apply the law found in the French legal code, French law having no court of equity, and its judges no power to fashion remedies when the law has not spoken to a question.
Notwithstanding, the lack of thought associated with my awning project as handled by Lapeyre, which sells itself as above the pack of home improvement companies, reflects the general carelessness that prevails in France in general. I had another example of this insouciance after I left Lapeyre and went to a shoemaker in Carcassonne to pick up a pair of boots I'd left to be waterproofed and oiled two weeks ago.
I had left a deposit of fifteen Euros for a job the shoemaker priced at thirty. He told me it would take one week for the oil to penetrate the leather, followed by the application of the waterproofing material, which would take another week for the leather to absorb. By October 7 --today-- the boots would be ready for pick-up and looking better than when I brought them in.
Not so, though, because when I presented my ticket, the shoemaker could not find the boots among those on the front shelves awaiting their owners They also were not inside any of the paper bags he had put other pairs in.
"--Ah! I have them here in the back, I was just starting to get them ready--"
"But they were supposed to be ready today!"
"I'm sorry, but I haven't gotten to them yet. I can get to them tomorrow--"
"But I'll be gone two weeks from yesterday, and you said you would need two weeks to do the treatments--"
"Yes, I'll start tomorrow--"
"But I'll be gone two days, by that time. I made a trip here from Caunes today just to pick up the boots--"
"I offer you my apologies, but I'll get to them tomorrow--"
"But that won't work. Please return my deposit to me now--"
"--But I can start work on them tomorrow--"
"--But you said it would take two weeks, so there isn't enough time for you to do the job you said you would do. Please return my deposit of 15 Euros to me."
--And the shoemaker seemed genuinely distressed that he would have to return my deposit to me.
"You have my apologies--"
"Perhaps I'll see you next summer. Then you'll have the entire season to get the job done," I said as I picked up my money and walked out.
And I was not being sarcastic.
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