DavidMorgan

Once again Marks & Spencer have pulled out of France and all they have left us is a pitiful French site and refusal to access the UK site. We’ve been here before in 2013 but shortly after Aeroville and other great M&S stores opened. This will not be happening again ... So we have to let London know of our discontentment !

I have started by emailing :- [email protected]
and [email protected]

DavidMorgan

Here is one of my most recent mails to M&S

Thank you for your rapid response but yes. « Recent changes have been made on M&S website, it is no longer possible to order from M&S.com while living and paying from France « and it’s a big mistake, and not the first made by M & S ....

That The powers that be have decided to close again the stores in France is one thing but to unilaterally decide to refuse access to the UK site is inadmissible !

If the French site was a mirror of the UK site, understandably minus a few items, that would be fine ... but the French site is a pitiful alternative.

Where do the 250,000 expats buy their Christmas Crackers ? Amazon or GoCrackers. And don’t forget how many of the French who have learnt to appreciate Marks & Spencer are friends or family of the British like me. They also have come to enjoy Crackers and Percy Pig sweets....

Why should the 190 Brits in Albania or the 3,000 living in Finland have access to Marks UK and not those in France. If The powers that be decide that there are sufficient customers in France to justify a French site that’s fine but leave access to Marks UK open to all.....

If Sir Marcus Sieff, for whom I worked in the 70´s, was still with us; he would have never let this happen.......

DavidMorgan

And the understanding but in no way promising reply to my above mail :-

Thank you Mister ..... for your prompt response and feedback on M&S websites.

Please accept my apologies for the inconvenience we have caused in evolving with this company since you've known it.

If you require any further information, please do not hesitate to contact our bilingual team on 0800 900 705 between 08.00 - 20.00 from Monday to Sunday.
..................................

To which I replied :-

Dear ... , Customer Services

I thank you for your message but it’s not a question of inconvenience due to M&S evolving...
The company is not evolving but “surtout” retrograding.
Marks and Spencer is turning its back on 250,000 British expatriates to France under the name of progress. It has made mistakes in the past and this is but another.

For me it’s not a question of inconvenience but the end a part of my life, a relationship that has lasted for 60 years.
Access to the store that has always been for me ... my Marks and Spencer is ending.

I will no longer be buying my clothes from Marks and Spencer.

Goodbye.
................................

So fellow British Expats if you are concerned 😟 where do we go now ?
You should maybe check the sites. French for us, but available in English language, and the M&S UK site which is out of bounds for us but OK if you live in Italy or Finland. It’s over to you to make our feelings felt and understood at home.

007Steve

...brutal as this sounds, I suppose they'd rather upset expat customers than expose themselves to trading risk - especially currency risk - that's all I can think it's down to.

DavidMorgan

No reason for so called trading risk especially currency fluctuations..
If we are allowed access to the M&S UK site the prices are quoted in £ Sterling but we understand that we will be charged in Euros at the rate of the order. So no risk at all. Effectively our prices will fluctuate but not much, and M&S have no risk what so ever.

37100

FWIW in Italy, we use the UK site, but Christmas crackers, among other things, are not available for delivery to Italy.

DavidMorgan

Yes I’m familiar with this problem that M&S give us but we can go to [email protected] an excellent site who can send us all we want without problems at correct prices.
A Merry Christmas 🎄

37100

Last year, a northern Italian supermarket sold Christmas crackers and caused a frenzy among expats.

Chatter Static

I can't imagine why seem to be plenty on Amazon.it as well as Amazon.fr

Novocastrian

Sorry, but this thread is entirely ridiculous. It appear that you've lived in France for a while but are suggesting that goods of equal quality and value aren't obtainable here?

I often wonder why Brits (especially ex-pat ones) seem to equate M&S with the Glory Days of Empire.

Shop in french shops. Doh!

37100

Cos they where cheaper.

DavidMorgan

Thank you.

HKG3

Is it a bit early for Christmas crackers?

InVinoVeritas

Probably not if you must have them from M&S

grannybunz

Novo I would happily shop in French shops - if they sold shoes to fit me!!! You should experience the huniliation of going into a French shoe shop as a woman with size 43 feet

As for the crackers, micemeat etc- make your own!!