VAT Refund in France
 

When I was in Nice last May, I was told if I purchased a minimum of 175 E, the store would credit my Mastercard with 15%. Customs at the Nice Airport stamped the document and I immediately mailed the envelope to the boutique in Nice. Now, 3 months later, I still have not received the credit of approximately $50. I would like to call the store but no one answers the number I found on line. I have been calling at 8am Denver time so the store should be open at 4 PM. Any ideas?

Hi R,

Call at 05:00 your time.

I have been waiting for 5 years for my VAT refund from France.

((I))

maybe in your case the VAT form needed to go back to the boutique. But every single time I have processed a refund, the pre-addressed envelope went to a 3rd party VAT reund processing company. Usually the shops don't handle this themselves. Did you use the envelope provided w/ the forms?

3 months is not totally unreasonable though - mine have usually taken between 5 and 7 weeks but one took almost 4 months.

If the form was sent back to the boutique, that is usually because they credited the refund at time of purchase and need that form to prove you took the merchandise out of the country.
On one transaction, we were told by the merchant that if they did not receive the form, we could expect to be charged the tax via our credit card.

Oh - Judy's idea could very well be it. If your form went back to the shop, are you sure you didn't already get the VAT reduction back when you made the purchase?

The salewoman spoke perfect English and explained that my VISA card would be credited when my stamped documents arrived. My friend was standing next to me so I known I didn't misunderstand her. I will try calling the boutique earlier in the day. I must admit that she persuaded me to buy more to be eligible for the discount. Next time I won't be so gullible. Thanks for your comments.

As a follow up to everyone who responded: I called the shop in Nice this morning and spoke to the owner. She did not have the paperwork so she said she must have already turned it over to someone to process. I was able to give her the document number and she will be able to tell me in a "few days" when the credit will appear. I am so glad that she spoke fluent English because this would have been difficult with my French. Perhaps the credit will appear sometime in the future--although this system of rax refund seems rather vague.