Why are so many French websites naff?

[ANOther]

As I recall an astonishing number of them only rendered completely faithfully in IE.

Spain isn't a lot better mind you.

One of my particular pet hates is having to put in a postcode before you can even browse a site.

[Spectre]

Fell foul of this very thing couple of days ago - needed to get a stamp to post a letter to pay a bill ( because SFR cell service was down so can't use the bank account to pay it because can't get the authorisation code via mobile phone)
La Poste website says local La Post is open until 12 am, got down there at 11.50- It's closed and wasn't open that morning according to notice on door.
But it's open in the PM that day so back went and got it done. Grrrrrr!

Communication - it's something other countries do, but not France, unless they want some money off you!

A website's only as good as the information that people put into it. I find La Poste pretty good in terms of functionality. I haven't bought a stamp by making a trip to a post office in five years, I login to the La Poste site and print them out. Get with the technology.

[Veem]

Not a website but a problem with updating (or not) coordinate details.

I was searching for a physio. I found one online very conveniently near me so rang for an appointment. The guy answered but said he'd been retired for several years and that he's constantly bothered by people ringing for treatment. I wonder why He's still listed on so many links.

[Le Démerdeur]

Can you print off the cheaper green Eco timbres?

Not sure whats so Eco about them, they probably plant a tree on Mars for each carnet that I buy

I buy a carnet about once every 5 years when I am in La Poste, saves me having to faff with a website & printer one of which will usually conspire against me.

I have used the website for printing pre-paid parcel labels & having 1 once to have a parcel sent to Aardvark at the start of the confinement, I paid for the service for it to be collected from my boîte à lettres, they took my money & then decided they were no longer going to do it and to furlough their staff.

So then stuck because La Poste in my village was more than 1km away (not that I cared) the website said they were open, not the opening hours it would toggle from open to closed, of course they weren't, another fermeture exceptionelle so I cycled to the main post office in town that was also supposed to be open which of course was also closed, thats when i found that you could not even post a letter as they had brought down a security grille that had not been used in decades leaving the boîte à lettres tantalisingly visible but not accessible.

Another time I was given an appointment at 10.30 am during their opening hours, got there to find a crowd of angry people outside banging on the door with the well used fermeture exceptionelle card stuck to it with "formation" hand written on it, another woamn also had an appointment, they later told me I should have banged on the door, the one that others were banging on & being ignored.

The Office de Tourisme is open 10 am - 18 pm sans interruption, every single day for the last 15 years between noon and 14.00 they lock the doors and hang up the same fermeture exceptionelle sign, its so dog eared and faded now you cannot even read it.

[Le Démerdeur]

Don't get me started on fermeture exceptionelles, summat that's made this grown man weep on occasions.
Syd.

Too late, I already did Syd

[exile]

Occasionally Fermature exceptionelle works in your favour.

We got our water bills around 23rd March. Because the commune operates the local water supply (rather than SAUR, Veolia etc..) this had to be paid at the local tresoire - which was under an FE for 2 months due to Covid. Oh dear, what a shame, never mind.

[Fitter]

Fell foul of this very thing couple of days ago - needed to get a stamp to post a letter to pay a bill ( because SFR cell service was down so can't use the bank account to pay it because can't get the authorisation code via mobile phone)
La Poste website says local La Post is open until 12 am, got down there at 11.50- It's closed and wasn't open that morning according to notice on door.
But it's open in the PM that day so back went and got it done. Grrrrrr!

Communication - it's something other countries do, but not France, unless they want some money off you!

A website's only as good as the information that people put into it. I find La Poste pretty good in terms of functionality. I haven't bought a stamp by making a trip to a post office in five years, I login to the La Poste site and print them out. Get with the technology.

No point really - we only post a letter once in a blue moon! And our La Poste is only 2 or 3 klics away.

[Loiseau]

Don't get me started on fermeture exceptionelles, summat that's made this grown man weep on occasions.
Syd.

Too late, I already did Syd

And it really makes my blood boil when they append underneath:
"Merci de votre compréhension”
I just want to kick the door in.

[SW31girl]

French websites are rarely user friendly in my opinion. They are still several years behind the U.K. They normally require too much personal info just to browse. Every now and then I do come across a good site but it’s rare.

[Monsieur3seas]

I am trying to get my 'carte de sejour' and was told to do it online - the website being available in July.
I have since been told September and now October!