Contacting Officials

Contact with the préfecture can be an iffy thing. Last week, I missed a phone call - there was no message, and I almost let it go at that. But, I've been finding out that the French thing to do regarding phone calls is: if you call someone, you don't usually leave a message; if you miss someone's call, you call back. So, I called back - and found out it was the préfecture! I know this because when you call the Hérault préfecture (that's mine), you get a giant phone tree. Ack!

Because I am expecting a text message when my residency card arrives, I waited a few days - who knows? Maybe they'll send a text next! But no, no text. When my French friend offered to call for me, you know I jumped at the chance!

We tried yesterday. We tried this morning. We tried this afternoon. No joy. Finally, the "Welcome Guy" suggested using the contact feature* of the website - he said that the only time calls are accepted for carte de séjour questions is between 2:00 and 4:00 in the afternoon. They get 300, and can only handle 100!

We (that is my friend) sent a message; the auto-response indicates that in about 5 days, they'll write back...

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* Hérault contact link:
http://www.herault.gouv.fr/Contactez-nous