French Artisans

[Allan]

On holiday, I have read a series of books about people moving to France.

Without exception they all feature anecdotes about french workmen in which they are lazy, overcharge and do poor quality work.

Perhaps I have just been lucky but all those that I have used have been polite, punctual and professional.

Have other people experienced workmen as depicted in these books, or are the stories exaggerated to boost sales.

If half the stories are true then I come away with an amazement at the timidity or stupidity of the authors for putting up with them

[martyn94]

On holiday, I have read a series of books about people moving to France.

Without exception they all feature anecdotes about french workmen in which they are lazy, overcharge and do poor quality work.

Perhaps I have just been lucky but all those that I have used have been polite, punctual and professional.

Have other people experienced workmen as depicted in these books, or are the stories exaggerated to boost sales.

If half the stories are true then I come away with an amazement at the timidity or stupidity of the authors for putting up with them

And when they do eventually turn up, they are wearing a beret basque with a baguette under their arm. I think this is just what people have come to expect from this kind of narrative.

[Kate]

Il y a des bons et il y a des cons!
My (limited) experience has been mostly good, but I've heard a few stories of artisans that fit Allan's bill. On the other hand, there are a few Brito workman who could also fit that category - but not in this region of course!

[sue and paul]

Good news does not make good news, if you see what I mean. In other words, writers tend to report their bad experiences, because that gets a wider readership, and sometimes a laugh.

[martyn94]

Part of it, at least in my case, is that I have used artisans far more here than I ever did in the UK, and with less of the "word of mouth" that would have guided me there. Partly through lack of time and familiarity with French plumbing, electricity etc; and partly because my houses here have needed them far more than my house did there.

That said, I have found them as satisfactory, with few exceptions, as Allan has. If anything, they have irritated me, occasionally, by their justifiable pride in their skills, and a certain impatience with anglais who ask silly questions, or worse try to do some of the work themselves. I recall the withering contempt from my plumber in 76 when he saw the work I had done to patch in an outside tap. "C'est du bricolage, ça". - which was perfectly true, but it has held up OK for twenty-odd years, touch wood.

[Kate]

Sorry. Just edited my post above as left out the British in the sentence 'plenty of British workers' so it didn't really make any sense!