The Préfecture - Driver's License and Residence Card Update

Well... Here I am... Again...

My récépissés for both my driver's license and my carte de séjour expire this month. I decided to be a little more proactive, and so I went in to the Préfecture today to see what's what.

What is what:
+ The good news is that my carte de séjour is nearly ready! Assuming I didn't misunderstand (always a possibility), my carte should be ready to pick up by the end of the month! They have my phone number, and will send a text; then I go back (I know, another trip to Montpellier) in the afternoon (yay!) to get it. If it doesn't happen by the first week of August, I will go in for another récépissé (but OMG, *please* no!).

+ Other good news - the line was, I swear, less than 5 minutes! This was a Monday in Summer, between 1:15 and 1:30...

+ And, oh yes, even though my bus to the train station was late, so was my train LOL

Now that that's over, on to the bad news...
- My préfecture could do *zero* about my driver's license! ZERO!
--- no status
--- no expediting
--- they gave me the address of the place in Nantes (which, by the way, I already had) - it's the *one* and only place in France now handling driver's licenses for the préfecture of Montpellier. They said to check with them; they're out of that business.
--- you would think that the fact that my *second* récépissé is about to expire would give me some elevated place in the queue - no, exactly the opposite... Apparently, after the second one, the originating préfecture can just wash its hands of the whole mess.

- Hours later, back at home (but still before 5pm), Wonderful Rick makes the driver's license call*...
+++ They are very nice! They look up my dossier, and agree that it is complete. They ask about my very first license (I'm frankly not sure what will come of that; I don't really care, as long as I can keep driving!)
--- We got no promises, nor solid data. But, he said (again, very nicely) that we should write a letter (recommandé, of course), using the reference number he gave us, and explain the situation. That is, we are still waiting after 8 months, needing a license soon, and if we can't have the license by our need date, please send another récépissé asap. (Apparently, this is the only way to get a *third* récépissé) [UPDATE: I never did get a third récépissé...]
--- Tomorrow, we get to break out our French, write a letter, and post it.
--- More than likely, I will not have a license valid outside of France for quite another while.
--- Believe me! I know how to spell frustrated!

My best advice, if you are in a similar situation (in time and place), is this - as soon as you have your second récépissé for a driver's license, call and/or write a letter to Nantes...

~~~
* Who ya gonna call!?
Préfecture de la Loire-Atlantique
CERF EPE/PI
6 quai Ceineray
BP 33515
44035 NANTES CEDEX
02 40 41 20 20

UPDATE January 2019:
My Swiss friend is exchanging her license. She looked on the Hérault website as well as the national site. Each had a different mailing address!  She called Nantes to clarify the address, and was told yet another address. When she mentioned the national site's address, the person said that it was fine too. Basically, we think any of the addresses will get the dossier to the right office - perhaps one would be faster than another, but who knows?
The other news: her license exchange could take up to one year. After 6 months, she should call (giving name and birthdate) for more info.