How many days did you apply for, what was your itinerary
Also by Schengen Visa instructions, they are suppose to add extra 15 days of grace
See
Handbook for Schengen Embassies for processing of visa applications and
the modification of issued visas
http://ec.europa.eu/home-affairs/polici ... 620_en.pdf
9.1.1.1. Period of validity
The period of validity should correspond to the information provided by the
applicant. In all cases an additional "period of grace" of 15 days should be
included in the period of validity to allow for a certain room for manoeuvre
for the visa holder. However, the validity of the visa issued should respect the
requirements in relation to the validity of the travel document, i.e. the validity
of the travel document must extend three months beyond the intended departure
from the territory of the Member States and thus the period of
validity of the issued visa should not go beyond that date
(i.e. three months before the expiry of the travel document) either (see point 4.1.1).
But it seems they either never know the rules, or
want to ignore them in the Embassies.
You can try to appeal, saying they didn't follow the rules,
but don't expect anything to come from it.
Schengen Visa instructions, in French
http://ec.europa.eu/home-affairs/polici ... 620_fr.pdf