Your rights as a consumer
The Directive 1999/44/EC on the sale of consumer goods and associated guarantees has been implemented by France in February 2005.
Voluntary guarantees given by a producer do not restrict the statutory rights of consumers.
Exchange
Except in the case of defect or lack of conformity, a consumer does not have a legal right to an exchange. It is at the trader’s discretion.
Pricing
The French currency is the euro.
It is compulsory to display the prices of goods and they must be visible from the inside or outside of the shop depending on where the goods are displayed.
The consumer can insist on getting the item for the same price as indicated on the price tag. If there are two different prices on one item, the consumer can ask to pay the lower one, except if this price is obviously out of proportion to the real value of the product.
VAT must be included in the price.
The trader is not obliged to issue a receipt to the consumer.
Tax
On most goods and services a 19,6% value added tax –VAT (Taxe sur la Valeur Ajoutée - TVA ) is charged in France.
Methods of payment
The most common methods of payment in France are cash, cheques, debit cards, and credit cards. Some traders may refuse to take banknotes of high value (100 or 200 euros) for fear of counterfeit.
Sales
There are 2 sales-periods of a maximum duration of 6 weeks in the winter and summer.
The dates are decided by each French department by order of the Prefect.
Opening hours
Shops’ general opening hours are:
Monday – Friday: 09:00 - 19:00
Saturday: 09:00 - 19:00
Sunday: closed
Supermarkets are open between 09:00 – 20.00
Banks’ general opening hours are:
Tuesday– Friday: 09:00 - 17:00
Saturday: 09:00 - 14:00 (not all banks open on Saturdays)
Sunday: closed
Post Offices’ general opening hours are:
Monday –Friday: 09:00 - 18:00
Saturday 9.00-13.00
Deposit
There is a deposit on some glass bottles.
Tourist information
Tourist information can be found via the following links to websites for tourism and travel:
www.tourisme.gouv.fr
