SocGen & how to do business with the French

Wednesday, 30th January 2008 by Matthew Rock

It's a good time to remind ourselves about the secrets of dealing with Les Francais.

As SocGen goes into crisis talks over the Jerome Kerviel affair, it's useful to remember that our French cousins tend to look after their own interests when doing business. For example, Eurostar tickets are ten per cent more expensive for British buyers. If you book online, when it asks for your country of origin, click France. You’ll be charged £52.60 rather than £57 if you originate from Blighty. Even more inexplicably, if you claim you are American, Japanese or Australian the price falls to £45.80.

For a reminder about our "27 ways to do business with the French", take a trip down memory lane to this classic from our archive.