Before you read this article on problems with the service sector in France, you should know that I am of French ancestry, still have cousins in France, speak French fluently, appreciate the French culture tremendously and am aware that there are cultural differences in the way people do business in each society. Having said that, I am brave enough to recognize that some countries do "customer service" better than others, and the United States does it better than France.
HOTELS IN FRANCE? MAIS NO
One reason I prefer to stay in an exchange home rather than a hotel is the occasional reservation or room problem that can ruin a vacation. For instance, I booked and paid for a room for friends while I was out of town. When they arrived at the hotel they were told they could not check in because they did not have my credit card. They had to pay for a different room on the stop for three times the advance price I paid. That it the tip of the iceberg compared to customer service problems I have had in France.
FRENCH SERVICE
If you go to a fancy restaurant, you will probably see "French service" in action. This is a formalized way for waiters to present or remove food, wine, menus and so on. If done right, it can be as graceful as a ballet.
This is the right kind of French service. The wrong kind is the customer service you might experience if that restaurant lost your reservation.
Though I love visiting France, the problems I have experienced with "customer service" there, especially at hotels, makes home exchange the only possible way for me to travel in France. My sister was telling me about her trip to Morocco. The hotel she had reserved in advance was over booked. She was told she had to stay in an annex hotel instead, but it was down a dark alley and not appropriate for a woman traveling alone in that city. When my sister returned to say the alternate hotel was not acceptable, the manager waved her hand dismissively and said "You will go away." That hotel worker happened to be French.
ARE THE FRENCH RUDE?
There are rude people in each society, but on the whole, French people are much more polite than Americans. The difference lies in the rules of each society. In France, people are more formal. For instance, they do not normally chat with strangers just because they are on a bank link together. Instead, they allow other people they do not know their privacy.
The French are much less likely to ask rude personal questions than Americans. For six months, I have gone from a cast to a ski-boot brace to smaller braces as I recovered from correcting an injury. In America I had dozens of daily comments or questions about my temporary disability, all from strangers. In France, no one said a word.
So why do Americans think the French are rude? We'll investigate that next time.
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