Parcel deliveries in rural France (whinge)

[EmilyAlice]

Am feeling very cross because I have stayed in for two days waiting for a parcel delivery. Sent Amazon Prime so should be guaranteed next day delivery. Yesterday the delivery company didn't know why it hadn't come but assured me it would arrive today. This evening I got an email saying the address was insufficient. It is true that we live in a lieu dit and you have to look at the individual post boxes or phone up. It is true that the same postcode covers an area of 10 square kilometres. I think this is a very silly and outdated system, but the other delivery companies all phone and ask for directions. Tomorrow I have to do a 120km round trip to fetch it from the main depot.
There must be a better way.
Does everyone else in rural France suffer from this?

Can't help you with France, but when I used to live in Greece I regularly used to get messages from the local couriers saying that they had my parcel but weren't coming down my end of the island this week, so if I wanted it I had to drive 45 minutes to fetch it! No I bloody don't was the answer....

Rural France is indeed often very, very, very rural and services are extremely thin on the ground because they are hard to deliver cost-effectively over areas of low population density.

Um yes, but that isn't how Amazon Prime works. You pay your annual fee and you get next day delivery. Every other delivery firm manages it, even here.
I think it is more that the system of post codes and addresses has not caught up with Internet shopping. The postie knows where everyone lives, but that isn't enough anymore. Rural post codes are ridiculously inefficient and satnav needs a number. There is some talk about road names and numbers here, but nothing is happening. It isn't about resources, it is about systems changing. I am not holding my breath.

It is about resources (and implementing new post codes etc would cost a fortune): amazon doesn't try very hard because it's expensive to keep trying.

Yep same problems here (rural France). GIn addition they lie. I've had delivery companies claim to have attempted delivery three times while we are out when I know we were in and I've had them sign with the name of the village and claim it was a person!

Amazon refused to deliver to Greece for a long while because the parcel service was so bad.

For what it's worth my mairie newsletter has said that they are now obliged to name all rural roads (with houses on them?) so that should go some way towards alleviating the chaos and sat navs may also succeed in taking you to rural locations.

Oh that is interesting, they were talking about road names when I was on the Council, but it was only talk (I suggested Boulevard des Anglais for our rural chemin, perhaps they thought I meant it)
Bonsoir, it isn't Amazon themselves who deliver; up here we have DHL, UPS and Chronopost, plus a few others. It was Chronopost who failed to deliver this week. Amazon Prime has worked very well up until now.

I love it! I am off to suggest Boulevard des Greques to the mairie tomorrow!