Paris Customer Service
She humorously refers to it as a game, a daily occurrence in her life in Paris. If she had a dollar for every time she heard a Parisian working in customer service, administration, or retail exclaiming, “C’est pas possible!” (that’s not possible!) In a single day, she would quickly amass a small fortune. Whether it’s trying to order an iced coffee on a scorching day (Mais non! Of course, we don’t have ice!), attempting to refund an accidentally purchased commuter train (RER) ticket, or dealing with anything remotely related to French administration or customer service, “c’est pas possible” becomes an almost reflexive response.
The art of mastering this game lies in understanding that, more often than not, things are indeed possible—it’s merely a matter of how one presents their case. Unfortunately, in the realm of Paris, she has discovered that sometimes, making a bit of a fuss and persisting is the only route to achieving a fair resolution.
