As a tenant going through a background check, they...

As a tenant going through a background check, they are horrid. They are trying to contact my previous landlord in France, but cannot get a French speaking person to call her. I have advised them calling my landlord is the only way they will get any information, but they insist on trying through post or email, and keep stalling instead of admitting they are not able to complete the reference check. Waste of time and money. Not sure why they accept background checks on foreign nationals if they clearly don't have the skills to do it...