Martin De Candre

[Helveticum]

French "as soon as possible" or "aussitot que possible" is the same as Spanish "manana" and Arabic "insha'llah". All have the same very precise meaning which we English fail utterly to understand, because, well, one doesn't behave like that here.

Southampton must be a very special place then

 

[newageshaver]

I think I would rather deal with an outfit that was interested in me as a customer.

I'm with you Prof....I wouldn't have the patinece...I'd just come to you and ask If I wanted something made...wait...done that already ...

---

I think I would rather deal with an outfit that was interested in me as a customer.

I'm with you Prof....I wouldn't have the patinece...I'd just come to you and ask If I wanted something made...wait...done that already ...

*patience

 

[Tardisbasher]

I don't know if this will help, but I finally pulled the trigger on some mdc at the tail end of last week and received it by the beginning of this week with great communication (in English), tracked postage and it was packed so well, it was nearly bulletproof.

I can totally understand the frustration involved here but it doesn't look like they don't care about customer service. Maybe it is a communication problem? I dunno...
I've got to say that the last time I used google translator to translate something into Spanish, a Spanish friend of mine had fits of laughter at the result saying it looked like the sentence had been put together by a five year old on medication and she had to retranslate it for me.
Best of luck with getting the order you want Peter. I hope it works out for you.

 

[Bechet]

It is! It's got me , for starters!

 

[Spag]

Hi,

I have placed two orders with MDC in the last few years. Both where sent out promptly and as stated by Tardisbasher, shipped with great care. I have to mention though I'm in Paris and have no problem with “la langue de Molière”. I have no doubt shipping in the UK or elsewhere may complicate matters a little, but if both buyer and seller put in the little extra effort required, the end result should be an other happy costumer.

A few things should be kept in mind when dealing with MDC. It is a small traditional family run soap maker. They also run a bed & breakfast, which takes pride in serving local produce. Being located in the Loire valley, English is probably not one of their stronger points. They are not in Paris, and they may not have begun their little soap shop with a view to sell their products internationally. That being said their web site has improved over the years. They also produced an unscented version of their shaving soap after a few shavers with very sensitive skin asked them if it was possible to have a fragrance free formula. Hopefully they will continue to evolve and make it easier for those who wish to purchase their products.

That being said, I find MDC shaving soap very expensive and a little over-rated… but (that's) just me

 

[pedro083]

'you lot'?

I started this thread because they haven't replied to any emails sent for over a week. Nothing to do with the lack of information in English.
If MdC don't wish to communicate in English that is fine, I would advise them not to reply "We will answer as soon as possible" In English.
I have lived in countries other than England for over 10 years and I've never shouted at anyone.

Ok Ok , you lot apart from wookie

as said MDC do run other business apart from the shaving soap, If you look at some of the other threads about them they dont seem to have much interest in expanding the business side of the shaving soap, they point blank refuse to sell in wholesale and try asking them for a discount for a bulk purchase and will just be told to toddle on.
I have bought there soap and I can say it honestly dont think it is worth the price if I go to pick a soap very rarely is it this, if you have not tried it give us a shout and will send you a sample as the the pots are so full I had to spoon a load out to be able to load the brush without getting lather everywhere

 

[Fido]

I've had friendly correspondence with M de C in the past. I would quite understand if their entire website was in French. Mine is completely in English. But if you do offer more than one language, it needs to be consistent. And customer service too, needs to be consistent. And once again I have noted that they still haven't replied to my question on Facebook. Better to have no Facebook presence for your business than to have one and fail to watch it regularly.

None of this will stop me buying some more M de C soap, but you have to let off steam now and again.

 

[Wookie]

Thanks for the kind offer of a sample pedro but I've decided to order anyway, just not the container I would have liked.
Savon à raser "l'Ami" and Copra Oil on it's way.

 

[SoapAlchemist]

Well, I'm with Pedro for the most part in terms of whether you can expect a foreign website to speak your language. I have had orders from everywhere; Thailand, Israel, Guadaloupe, Russia, Romania, Sweden, Denmark etc. etc. None of those customers wrote to me in their native language, even though with many there was an exchange of emails. Often due to their understandable problems in understanding the site and my responses (which I will sometimes send in both English and 'Google translate' (a language all of its own) if the customer is obviously having difficulties. I'll post pretty much anywhere, but that hardly means by implication I can speak pretty much any language.

 

[Fido]

Well, 6 days after posting, I did get an answer to my question ( which I posted in French on Facebook) This is the reply:

Bonsoir! Le parfum est le même que celui du savon à raser classique, c'est à dire un délicat mélange de lavande, de romarin et de menthe. Son poids est de 140 grammes. Les séries limitées sont toujours réalisées parfumées. A très bientôt

Which google translates quite well:


Good evening! The scent is the same as the classic shaving soap, that is a delicate blend of lavender, rosemary and mint. Its weight is 140 grams. The limited editions are always made ​​fragrant. See you soon

So when my glass jar version is finally used up, I'll probably get this cheaper open bowl option.

 

[Bechet]

What excellent service from MdC! They kept me informed at every stage - in French, bien sur - and the product arrived an hour or two ago. It was way over protected and thus entirely intact. The glass jar arrived with two free - chunky - samples of other scents.

For the sake of being picky - I think they could help save the planet and my wallet by reducing the product packaging. Why does expensive stuff always come in expensive boxes, which we simply throw away because it serves no purpose other than to enhance our sense of value?

 

[Fido]

I wasn't enjoying getting at the soap as it got closer to the bottom of the jar. Popped it into a spare bowl for the end game. Bought this in December '09. so it's had a good run.