grannybunz

We have just had a rather wierd experience.

A "friend" who has a house next to ours emailed yesterday to ask us to open her houe to allow a delivery of some of her stuff because she had sold her flat in Paris far more quickly than anticipated and had to vacate immediately. The company was , apparently, Paris based.

We said we would not be at home until 11.00am but would help after that.

At 10.30, we were back obviously, there was a phone call. My husband answered in French, but the driver did not speak French. He switched to English and it seemed the driver spoke a little. Off and on he then spent the next 2½ hours trying to direct the driver and his companion to our hameau. They clearly couldn't read and didn't know how to operate a GPS and couldn't remember more than one instruction at a time and din't know the meaning of right and left.

When they eventually arrived, just as I was serving lunch, they turned out to be a couple of charming but totally clueless Sri Lankans, who had huge problems driving the van and honestly hadn't the faintest clue about anything.

Now our questions are: Were they legal? Did they actually have French driving licences and insurance? Were they being paid the minimum wage? If there is so much unemployment in France how come an apparently legitimate French company has to employ people not even from the EU?

When we have time today we will check out the company and, if we are still concerned seek further advice. By the way they were intending to turn right around and drive back to Paris.

Tweedpipe

I may be wrong but it sounds as if your friend looked around and found a very cheap (cheerful?) company. Sounds like they may even have been affiliated with Trotters Independent Traders.....
Still, if they didn't damage too much that's a blessing, but it sounds highly likely that they were working on the black. Do you know the name of the company (just the initials and where they are based may provide a few clues).

Chatter Static

Removals companies here use a lot of day labor temps etc

grannybunz

Here is their website:

Welcome to Tpr Transport Groupage- TPR Transport Groupage offers full services in Transport, Express Transport, relocation, moving in, Groupage, hire Furniture Lift, Storage and packing services

I suspect she chose them becaue the site is in English and, being American, her French is not wonderful.

Though how a company can expect drivers, who are clearly not up to it in many respects, to travel over 700kms each way in one day utterly defeats me!

As you say Tweedpipe working on the black did spring immediately to mind!!

Touraine

www.fretbay.com/fr/

It does not take much to become a removals company in France.

Tweedpipe

Wow, on the link you provided, did you see those grammatical errors and multitude of punctuation errors? Definitely not written by anyone with a sound knowledge of the English language. Had I been looking for a mover, those issues for a start would have put a flea in my ear. One often gets just what one pays for. If it's cheap, etc........