Mazan

I thought that the Tiscali site was pretty clear. Dual-channel ISDN is limited to PAYG services ("totale liberté", ho ho) and the bill from FT will of course be double per minute for dual-channel connections. The only ISDN unlimited package is the €75 one which is single channel. The €10 package is not available to new ISDN users and, as far as I know, it is to be scrapped for existing ISDN users in a few weeks. At the same time Tiscali will be increasing the cost of non-degrouped 512k ADSL to €25 or €30 for 1024k. This makes Tiscali very expensive for ISDN forfaits or non-degrouped ADSL and I for one will take advantage of the possibility of leaving them before my year's ADSL contract is up when they increase the price.

I  agree that the Wanadoo software is a total mess but at least you never have to install and use it if you don't want to. Windows dial-up networking will handle Wanadoo analogue or IDSN dial-up with no trouble and even if you have ADSL you need only install the modem drivers (for a USB modem) and not the Wanadoo software. An ethernet modem or router/modem doesn't even need drivers. OE also works perfectly well with a Wanadoo email account when set up manually.

The French basically don't send greetings cards at this time of year in the way that the British do. Possibly because most of them can't spell or perhaps just because they are too tightfisted. This explains the lack of cards in shops. Even worse is the almost total lack of charity cards here but the French aren't known for supporting charities either, unless it's the one that begins at home and involves buying trolley-loads of food that probably won't get eaten. I bought my charity cards online from the UK: half the price of equivalent French cards (which are hideous and often aren't even overprinted with a charity logo) and delivered in just 3 days. Anyway, if you do send a card here it should be to wish health and happiness for the new year and you should not do this before the new year starts.

>Tiscali are still doing the unlimited >ISDN access for 29.95 They certainly are not.The price for this went up to €75 more than a year ago.

[quote]Its a good package but it doesn't help Tony unless his area becomes Degrouped , which is likely to be a long wait![/quote] The Free package is the same in non-degrouped areas. The only difference is that speed is limited to 2mb (at the moment) and you don't get video. Free still offers the best all-round value for €30 per month.

I recently had a quote for re-piping and re-hanging two radiators to allow for dry lining. It came to €1500 + VAT which included more than €1000 for labour. I finally had the job done by a different plumber. It took him one day and he charged by the hour giving a total of €362 including materials. Moral: always get at least three quotes for any job.

[quote]I am able to use my UK aol account ( dial up ) in France at no extra cost. If I upgrade to aol broadband gold with cable (ntl) here in UK will I still be able to connect in France with a standard tele...[/quote] You will still be able to connect but you may need to select acces local instead of offres tout compris. Even if you do select offres tout compris and manage to connect then you may find that you are charged a supplement.

>My family and I are looking to buy a chateaux The singular is "chateau" and you must be bonkers or a millionaire or both.   Good luck anyway. You'll need it.

If you are using a Sky digibox in France then you never need to use the "add channels" menu at all. All the usual channels appear in the regular EPG listing entirely automatically and you can find all the usual channels from the TVGuide button. Probably someone has been fooling about with the default settings on your box. If so then they should all be reset to the default. The default is 100% correct for normal dishes in France. There are no exceptions to this. If that isn't so then your dish is probably incorrectly aligned. This should be done by someone competent and not by a bodger. A suitable dish aligned by someone competent will provide a perfect picture on all UK channels throughout France in everything bar the most torrential rain or snow. You can turn off the subtitles from the services menu, sub-section "languages and subtitles" as it very clearly explains in the digibox manual.

I wonder why people have so much trouble with networks? They are perfectly straightforward: you couldn't wish for anything more logical. If you want to do anything more than connect one machine to ADSL then don't use a modem supplied by an ISP. They are mostly cheap rubbish, though suitable for that simple task. The only exception is if you want the free VOIP phone option, in which case you have to use their modem, even if it is rubbish. If you want a network then just buy a proper modem for it. For about 100E you can get a perfectly decently ADSL modem/wireless router that will work with any PC and any Mac that has any sort of wireless card or any RJ45 network socket, regardless of the version of the OS. Such a modem will be compatible with all ISPs in Europe and all PCs and all Macs. There are no exceptions and that even includes AOL. Asking advice from the ISP's support line is a complete waste of time and money: the little they know is confined to their own equipment and mostly they just answer by rote. If you want a proper solution that works then ask a professional for his advice.

>it said insert your sky viewing card Either you have put the card in the wrong slot or you have put it in the wrong way around or the card reader in the box is broken. It has nothing to do with the card as such and ALL cards with the yellow house symbol still work perfectly.

>Would a second PSTN line be any better >or cheaper than ISDN? No. After the initial one-off installation and modem costs (total about 150E), ISDN costs the same per month as two POTS lines and has nothing but advantages. Only if you expect to get ADSL at some point should you not go for ISDN. You just need to make sure that you get the right dial-up ISP package and that now means either CreaWeb or NetBySky for unmetered use.

>it's very hard to argue with an FT engineer who says >where you live there are physically not enough bits of >copper getting to your front door to provide an extra >line - analogue or digital. There is a big difference between one line and an extra line. If you already have a line then it can be transformed into an ISDN line and FT can't refuse to do this. However they can refuse to give you an extra line, unless you care to pay for having the extra cable run which may cost thousands if you live in the sticks. I suppose that you fell into the second category. Of course if anyone really wants to use both channels then they may be obliged to have a second line, unless they are prepared not to be able to make voice calls when online.

[quote]I pay 24E90. for unlimited access dual channel ISDN (128k) with N9UF Telecom, but this may only be available to existing customers; worth checking the site, though. You'll probably be better going to ...[/quote] I'm very surprised that you get dual-channel with 9Online for 25E. In fact I can give you names and addresses of hundreds of people who have had their 25E unlimited 9Online account cancelled for connecting dual-channel. 9Online no longer offer an unlimited dial-up package at all for new private subscribers anyway so the entire question is beside the point. Only NetBySky and Creaweb offer dual-channel unlimited ISDN forfaits in France. ISDN installation costs about 106E, nationwide. FT are legally obliged to supply it under the "service universel" laws. You may have to argue about this though.

[quote]Hi I live in the Morvan, miles from ADSLCan anyone recommend a 2 way satellite broadband provider.The cheapest in the UK is Silvermead at £50 per month ans £1200 install.I believe there is a French pr...[/quote] ISDN used dual-channel would be much cheaper to install and cheaper to use per month. More reliable too, and probably faster. You can get a very reasonably priced ISDN dual-channel ISP service from 6am to 8pm every day for just 30Euros per month from NetBySky. Monthly ISDN line rental would be 26Euros. So the total monthly cost after the 100Euros installation fee would be under 60Euros. 24 hour dual-channel use would increase this to 110Euros. NetBySky also do a sat service but I wouldn't bother with it.

It depends entirely on the equipment you are using and the type of ISDN service you have. Anyone with Itoo and a regular analogue phone in the analogue Itoo port will get CLID presentation free of charge and automatically. It's part of the deal. Anyone with an accès isolé de base (Duo) and an ISDN autocom (switchboard) will need to examine the equipment manual for the specific details.

6km and 65+db is just the sort of user who stands to gain from ADSL2+. With any luck you should be able to get 512kbits. As for noise level it's vital with ADSL to fit a filter on every socket that is in use (not forgetting alarms etc.) and to ensure that all plugs, sockets and wires are in good condition. You should also avoid using phone extension cables, adaptors and any other such item that enters the signal loop. The most DIY-minded may also want to remove the capacitor that FT often fit in the entry point distribution box.  

There is no real cut-off point in that the possible speed just gets lower and lower the further away you are from the DSLAM. At the moment the distance for useful ADSL speed varies around about 5 km and 65db. Online tests generally report only on FT's calculated figures, based on line length, not on actual data measurements. I'm on 4km and 41db and have a maximum rate of 4mbits. Next year ADSL2+ will be widely rolled out and this should put the limit up to about 8km. Users nearer to the DSLAM will note spectacular speed improvements (if the ISP offers it). Few modems sold previously are compatible with ADSL2+ and so a small investment may be needed. Anyone getting ADSL now should try and get an ADSL2+ compatible modem.

Top Message does work with Numeris but you need to use the right version (there are two). The FT site explains which one to use.

All cards work in all boxes for all channels except the premium sport and film channels, and ITV2. Cards left unused for long periods (weeks) will forget their authorisation but this will return after a few hours or days in a box. The phone connection is only checked if you have a second Sky "multiroom" subscription at a reduced price.

The whole point of my message was that you won't actually need to do any of what I explained. The vendor will already know that he is in the wrong and the reminder that you know your rights will be enough to get the result you want. I've lost count of the number of times I have used my knowledge of law and procedure to get a speedy refund: the last was for £500 just a week ago. All it cost me was the price of a phone call. I knew perfectly well that I wouldn't have to start legal proceedings though I did have to go via the UK FSA to lodge my complaint. Without that call I would probably have waited for months to get my money back. As for the sum involved: many people in France and the UK work an entire week or more to earn £150 net so whilst some may consider it not worth bothering about others certainly would be bothered. Those who can't be bothered to make a phone call to save £150 are welcome to do as they wish.

You should be relying on the UK Distance Selling regulations in this matter, not on the Sale of Goods regulations. Your rights are very clear: having bought at a distance and been supplied with incorrect goods the vendor must give you a full refund and pay all carriage charges. There is no room for interpretation in this and the vendor knows it. Just contact the vendor and explain that you want a complete refund and return under the Distance Selling regulations and that failing this you will be contacting his local Trading Standards department and starting "small claims" proceedings in the County Court for the full amount including carriage two ways plus your legal costs and full compensation for your wasted time. He already knows that you will win.  

All I want is a simple answer, can we make sure our estate goes to a charity when we both die. Having been personally involved in a similar situation that dragged on for 10 years I can only hope you are fully aware that if a French resident leaves money to a non-French charity it will probably be subject to French tax at a rate of 60%. (I was more disgusted by this than anything else I have seen in France in 30 years of living here, and that is saying something.) There are ways around this, just as there are ways around having to leave money to children you don't like but you need to sort it out before you die. And try and be sure that any advice you get comes in writing with a signature and guarantee. Notaires and similar French professionals are very good at giving bad verbal advice and then accepting no responsibility for it later.

>But now I am shocked to >find that ever since inception >some months ago, I have >been paying both company accounts >and also paying France Telecom >for the same services.In fact >I have been paying twice >for all my calls and >internet usage.! You probably didn't change your dial-up number from the pay one to the free one when you took out the Tiscali unlimited forfait. They do send you an email to inform you of this and it is up to you to do it. I used that forfait for years without ever paying FT anything for the calls. I suspect that for OneTel you have also been using the service incorrectly.

>I bought my Sky Card to >enable us to receive ITV >in January. >Due to unseen circumstances we have >only just inserted it into >our digi box It probably needs activating. Just ring the FTV number. If you have already activated it and forgot to tell us so then just leave it in the working box for 48 hours.