Chronopost vs la Poste

After today, I can't decide which one is worse**!  Lionel and I made a important purchase online this week, and since we wanted it to arrive quickly, we decided to pay the extra 4 euros for Chronopost so our order from Tuesday night would arrive Friday morning instead of sometime in the next few weeks with la Poste.  Boy was that a mistake!

As promised, the package arrived today.  However, Chronopost claims to have tried to deliver it at 10:41 this morning, but if they did, they certainly didn't try to call to the apartment because I was home all day and, bien sur, no one knocked and no one called with the interphone or the phone.  As a result, we had to go pick up the package this evening.  But where?

One would think this would be a simple question...normally the location is indicated on the slip that is left to let you know they tried to deliver your package.  But it wasn't clear.  The delivery guy marked that we could pick it up at the bureau de poste, but didn't indicate which one (we have 2 near us).  But also on the slip it was stated that the package would be held for 7 days at the bureau de Chronopost indicated on the slip before being sent to the bureau de poste where it would be held for 14 days.  Ok, strange.  And fabulous;  the bureau de Chronopost is in Rungis!

Just to make sure, I decided to check online with the suivi de l'envoi using the tracking number.  When I checked it stated, and I quote "RUNGIS CHRONOPOST Parcel awaiting collection at point of retrieval."  So to me it seemed pretty clear, the package was indeed at the Chronopost in Rungis. 

So we checked on mappy for directions then hopped into the car.  After 30 minutes for miserable traffic on the N7 we finally made it out to Rungis.  But where was the Chronopost?  This place is IMPOSSIBLE to find.  We passed it once, had to turn around, take the N7 back, go around the centre commercial, pass next to the tolls to enter the Marché International de Rungis, then take the N7 back south to try to get to the Chronopost.  Only one problem:  which exit do we take?  So we picked one and prayed for the best.  Unfortunately; it just took us to the tolls on the other side of the Marché de Rungis.  So we had to go all the way back around and try another exit, which finally brought us to the Chronopost (all this driving in circles...and I mean circles...ended up taking about an hour).  At this point we were just relieved to be at the Chronopost and we hurried up to the door to get our package.  We handed our slip over, the guy looked up the tracking number, and surprise surprise, our package isn't there!  It's at our bureau de poste!  Idiots!

At this point it was 8pm and la Poste was closed so we have to go in tomorrow to pick up the package, after making a call to verify which post office it is at and, bien sur, that the package is actually there since I apparently can't trust any of the mail delivery services in this ridiculous country anymore!  Knowing my luck it's probably lost somewhere in France!  And clearly that was an extra 4 euros well spent...

So you be the judge...which is worse, Chronopost or la Poste???

**I know that in my last post I indicated a desire to try to be slightly less negative toward la France, but I just can't help it...it's all so stupid!