I am a ( born French) British citizen and apologise on behalf of my (ex)compatriots, but I know exactly what you mean, However they seem to answer to queries that are preceded by : I am writing, phoning, faxing 'de la part de' There you need a rather resounding name, Phoning (in French) is really the answer as they cannot ignore you totally, Good luck.-- Dominique Rogers [log in to unmask] Ganapati Kumari, Pinmill, Ipswich, IP9 1JW, UK.