A UPS package just got delivered to my place no problem. Rang the bell, buzzed them in, met them downstairs, easy.
Chronopost…..exact same address given to them, received an email saying per the conversation you had with my driver (nobody called me nor ever has from Chronopost) we have now dropped your packages off at a relais point.
At this point I think my sightseeing of Antibes has been completed thanks to every random relais point my various deliveries have been dropped off at. I don’t have a car, hence why I get things delivered. Lugging boxes across Antibes from various random relais’ sort of defeats the purpose of delivery!?
I haven’t had this problem but Chronopost are part of La Poste, aren’t they, the rapid delivery part? Maybe it would be worth talking to your local post office?
Probably people more in the know than me will be here later to help.
no matter which Delivery Service.. they can all have hiccups .
Years back, I would contact the Seller and inform them of the problem. Stating firmly that I ordered home-delivery/had paid for home-delivery (whichever) and that I was unable to go to a Relais.
Firmly stating that no-one had attempted to deliver to my address!
Magically, the item would be delivered by a very helpful person who denied any knowledge of the “failed delivery”.
For a genuine failed-delivery: a notice in my letterbox will give details of where I can collect (Relais) or how to rearrange home-delivery.
I suggest you contact your Supplier.
nowadays Chronopost are no problem. Stuff arrives when it should- hurrah.
Thank you, ill try letting the sellers know. I think part of the problem is that I live in a residence with multiple buildings and a gardien. They dont want to look for the building so if the gardiens not there they seem to just say ‘sorry we tried’.
Yup your only recourse is to go to the supplier. Crazily although the delivery co (if you paid supplier for delivery), you and the supplier would appear to be in a 3-way contract, it seems the French view is that you have no rights against the deliverer and must rely on the supplier for enforcement. And due to national contracts that suit the supplier, it seems it’s too bad if your location is one where their contracted deliverer has arrangements that repeatedly don’t conform.
After much experience with Chronopost and other delivery companies for many years here, I would say that other than Colis Privé, who fortunately don’t have coverage everywhere, Chronopost is without doubt by far the worst performing delivery company if they are responsible for the final delivery step to a private address.
I’ve practically got rid of Chronopost here after years of suffering, by knee-jerk complaining to sellers the instant something appears to go wrong or repeatedly go wrong on delivery after delivery and suggesting alternate deliverers for my postcode, eg Colissimo that is also part of La Poste, that do generally do the job. Explaining that I am completely without transport and literally unable to go fetch my parcel from a depôt for them, has helped along with contacting the supplier and telling them the parcel will have to be returned. (More effective than just contacting the deliverer IME.)
Of course there are some people here Chronopost works for but that’s a matter of their area and postcode and I’m pleased for them. But if you want to improve your knowledge of rude and bad-language complaining French, just search up Chronopost livraison on a few French forums. The results will educate you greatly and some will make you weep.
But complaining promptly as soon as it looks like your delivery won’t be made as promised or hasn’t been, and not hesitating to order immediately the return of parcels you simply can’t collect and documenting why, has been fairly effective for me in getting rid of Chronopost. Where a supplier picks them I notice delivery is now back to being delegated to our local facteur and that now works. I think they’re doing it for other people locally too.
Thanks for your entertaining and helpful response Karen!! I will indeed go and brush up on some french curse words in some french forums re Chronopost!
We were waiting for a chronopost delivery today. Shock horror it didn’t arrive. Contacted the seller(Miele) and the best they could come up with was that it would be delivered before the 11th It’s a part for the vacuum cleaner so it’s likely that we’ll drown in a sea of dust bunnies by then
I have generally found anything connected to the postal service excellent but there was a blip last Monday when I was confined to bed all day.
I was expecting a small parcel and was not worried because I knew it would fit it the boite, but at about midday I got a text from the driver to say that he had tried to deliver at 8.45 but the boite was ‘non-compatible’, and there was a link to contact him which I could not follow with my phone.
My neighbour had aleady rung to check on me and agreed to follow the link and sort it out. Later in the day I was up and about and fit enough to walk to the boite. There it was in all its littleness, no problem at all. Never did find out what all the fuss was about.
My local Chronopost chap is usually very good, but occasionally I get the “we couldn’t deliver your parcel today” notification after 5pm after a missed call from an unknown mobile number.
I suspect this is a combination of the following:
Last delivery of the day after a string of nightmare deliveries.
Chronopost allowing a certain percentage of “missed” deliveries.
The fuel and time cost of making the last “end of route” delivery is less that the delivery agent would earn for it.
I have had two instances with chronopost since xmas when I received emails from LaPoste to say when and what time roughly parcel(s) will be delivered. All I found was a ticket in my post box saying no one home so I had to go both times to the post office at the other side of the town to collect said parcels. I have a ring doorbell on my gate and no one rang it nor even came in the driveway both times, as I checked on the video history and saw a van who just pulled up and put the paper in, just bone idle workers again.
A conmon trick Notalot. If you don’t answer the driver is looking to take that as “you wouldn’t be in either if they did actually come to your address” and they mark it as a “failed deluvery”. It probably works a lot of the time.
Our local shyster deliverer tried that only once. Fortunately I had popped back inside from the gate where I had already been waiting several hours without phone as no sonnette works (long story) . So I do garden stuff within sight of the gate whilst waiting and don’t risk the phone but leave it inside.
The call centre knew perfectly well what trick the driver had pulled .though they appeared as mystified as me as to why my parcel was tben not delivsred. So I explained that I had physically waited by the gate for 4 and a half hours but do not regularly have my phone with me and was working by the gate whilst waiting. They’ve never tried it agsin since.
French delivery companies do not care to deliver on time, I’ve had mine stolen many times.
Seen amazon and other trucks dump out packages (dump out as in directly onto the pavement near a cemetery ) , who then quickly got grabbed by a group of people. (Seemed like organized crime)
If it’s heavy expect it 10 days later, international shipments will speed through the planet, but once France gets in the mix, we’re talking heavy delays.
Accountability is nonexistent, They found 50 phone operators, but it appears nobody has a license to actually drive the truck to your home.
I honestly started to think this is just a lazy country.
It’s a part for the vacuum cleaner so it’s likely that we’ll drown in a sea of dust bunnies by then 
