David

Where is SD with his definitive rate??? David

[quote user="Jane and Danny"][quote user="David"] From what I can see, while using it in France, it may be that the dongle simply will not work if the limit is exceeded, rather than carrying on and clocking up large bills? [/quote] that is correct - it says once you reach your limits you will only be able to use it by getting a top up (recharge) Danny [/quote]   That's great, so no worries about exceeding the allowances and can use it till it stops. Now I just have to see if the unused monthly dongle allowances carry forward when I do not use it at home, if so I will have plenty of time for the dongle while at the holiday home. Thanks, David

Thanks for that Danny, I guess I will just have to try it and see, while keeping a good check on the Orange account, and perhaps keeping a diary of time used. From what I can see, while using it in France, it may be that the dongle simply will not work if the limit is exceeded, rather than carrying on and clocking up large bills? Many thanks, David  

SD, Very reassuring, thanks very much. My next job is to get the new computer up and running. Hope you are well, Kind regards, David

Danny, Many thanks for your extremely helpful advice, perhaps I will be able to sleep tonight! I phoned the English help line and got through straight away!  They were very good and very helpful.  They have changed the fixed line tarif to Euros 16 per month, and added the 7 euros per month free calls.  Very good , quick and helpful - they even asked why I had changed the internet package on the web rather than phone the help line. One question remains, how do I receive the SMS to tell me I have used the dongle allowance? Another question if I may.  I have bought a new computer with windows 7 and assumed it would connect to the Orange livebox, but another thread here now says that there may be trouble - is that correct? Again, very many thanks for your kind help. David

Thank you Quillan and Danny, but unfortunately I am confused by Quillan's post.  I did not change the numbers, but they are all very confusing.  Many thanks Quillan for the tip about the Google tool bar - that could be very useful indeed. Danny has the offer exactly right, and I think I understand what he is saying.  I chose that offer because I thought the Cle USB would be very useful when we are at our holiday home just to check the internet for emails, weather and news headlines - less than 30 mins per day.  In fact the Cle was the main reason for changing, plus trying to save some money but I am not sure if I have done that! We do not have a phone line at our holiday home, but there we use LeClerc prepaid mobiles for phone calls. I did not take out the free international call option, but that could be very good when we are at our main home. It is also important for me to keep a FT line at home because we are at the end of a long 8 kilometer overhead telephone line which is very suseptible to lightning, falling trees and farmers tractors.  Also because I have blown two liveboxes and two laptop modems by lightning (even through a surge protector!!) I now unplug the internet if there is any remote possibility of lightning.  This can last several days, so we need the fixed phone line at those times. Thus the Cle USB, and the FT fixed line are important to me, but TV is not. Regarding the fixed line, I can find the "Les Heures France 3H" on my internet Orange account, but I can find no way to cancel it, so I will have to try calling the English help line, or go to the local FT shop, but parking for the wheelchair is extremely difficult. Regarding a monthly internet limit, I did ask that question on this forum in the LW radio?/uk thread earlier, but was told by Albert the info gypsie, and Cassis that there was no limit. So if I keep the present internet package as described by Danny, and manage to get the FT line for Euros 16 per month, would that be the best package for me? I really appreciate your kind help, and thank you in advance for your further assistance. David

Help please.   I hope I have not gone and mucked things up, but I am now somewhat worried. I had a straight forward Orange internet package for Euros 32.89 per month, plus a France Telecom fixed line for Euros 32.00 per month plus 3 hours France forfait for Euros 20.00 per month, plus other calls. Following instructions on this thread I went to the Orange web site and changed the internet package to Quote Formule Everywhere FF bloqué internet+tél 18 mégamax 39.90 EUR / mois TTC - Clé 3G+ E1752 1,00 EUR TTC - Achat nomade de services sur Internet gratuit Unquote. The New package was for Euros 39.90 per month and did not include TV as I did not want it, also there was no facility for asking to keep the same FT number. I assumed that this change would either include the Euros 16 per month for the FT fixed line, or that it would automatically change the FT tarif. I changed the internet packege at about 1200 hours today, and the present Orange internet site shows that my internet account is being changed.  However, there is no indication that the FT account is being changed. I have tried to log in to change the FT tarif to line only, but I do not seem to be able to do it on the Orange site.  I can get into my fixed line account, but can find no provision for changing it.  I also tried to find out how to cancel the 3 hours in France, but could not see how to do it. As far as I can tell, the Orange internet package is being changed, but not the FT fixed line package. Please please tell me what I have done wrong, and how I can put it right. I just want the internet package with the basic FT fixed line. Many thanks. David

I have just read the "A vast, hole in security thread" and am thoroughly confused. I am now the proud owner of a brand new Acer windows 7 laptop which has never been connected to the internet, and I would be grateful for any advice as to what I should do before such connection. I had planned to download AVG free to a memory stick on my old computer, and load that to the new one.  But should I also activate any firewalls in windows 7 on the new one?  My last machine supplied by Dell with windows XP had microsoft firewall installed - does windows 7 have this or should I download it to disc? What would you all recommend for a brand new machine?  Anything else I should do? Many thanks, David

Many thanks BJSLIV and Quillan for two very helpful and informative replies, both of which are much appreciated. I must apologise for the delay in responding, but I have been having internet and computer problems. Finally I managed to get into my online FT phone account, only to find that I cannot open the Adobe monthly bills!  However, from bank accounts I seem to be paying about 52 euros per month for the phone alone, plus about 33 euros per month for internet.  From the Orange web site it looks as if I am paying about 20 euros per month for 3 hours of calls to French land lines per month, of which I use about 30 minutes, so it is a no brainer to change to the new offer.  I have a FT land line phone account set up before FT and Orange merged, and an Orange livebox account with a rented livebox.  In order to change to the new offer, do I just fill in the online application, or do I also have to cancel both the existing FT and Orange accounts?   Any practical advice as to how to actually make the change would be welcome.  Would the live box also change, or would Orange merely put a dongle in the post for the wi-fi access?  Or does an Orange engineer come to install the devices?   Many thanks,   David

We are presently on a France Telecom telephone line with a telephone, and we also have an Orange live box for internet access.  We keep the FT phone line for service and repair reasons, but this means we pay for both the FT phone line with three hours free calls to France (we use about 30 minutes a month), and also the Orange internet access which we use a lot, but also an internet phone which we rarely use. We have now been offered a "Formule everywhere forfait bloqué" for 39.90 euros per month which seems very good as we spend about two months a year at our holiday home where we have no phone or internet access. Is this offer as good as it seems?  If we do sign up for this, will we separately have to cancel the FT phone line and the Orange livebox?  Both contracts are several years old so should be easy to cancel. I really do not understand all the units quoted on the Orange web site, particularly in relation to the mobile key, so is this offer really as good as it seems?  We would save money by combining FT and Orange, and also get internet access at our holiday home. Many thanks, David

Sorry to resume this old thread, but I am planning to buy a new thin and light lap top for travelling from Dell, and I want a UK keyboard and software. I have read this thread, and I wonder if there have been any changes in the ordering process over the last 15 months.  I was thinking of Dell UK because I want to pay in pounds from a UK bank account. Thanks, David

Many thanks Albert.  Will try the stores you suggested, I think there is a Boulanger in Cholet, just got to try to lose the wife in Carrefour while I am there. Thanks, David

Having done further research I read that it is reported to be very easy to exceed the ISP monthly download allowance when using internet radios.  I have been reading my Orange contract, and can find no mention of a download allowance. However, my French is not too good, so can anybody tell me if a standard Orange contract of approx 29 euros per month has a monthly download allowance, or is it unlimited? Many thanks, David Edit - I think the limit might be 18 mega.  Would this be enough for an internet radio?

Hi Martin, Many thanks for your list of internet radios, very useful indeed.  For personal reasons with living spaces in the house we cannot use Satellite reception for a radio in the kitchen. Hi Cassis - Unfortunately we have installed a Culligan UV system to sterilise water as it enters our house from our well which is our only source of water.  One side effect of this system is that we can no longer receive LW radio 4 due to interference from the Culligan system.  To their credit Culligan did try to resolve this problem, but without success.  If we take a radio about 50 meters away from the house we can receive BBC radio 4, but no chance in the house. Thus for the two above reasons, I see our radio 4 future with internet radio, and I am looking to buy a reciever for my wife. Any ideas as to where to buy an internet radio somewhere near Bressuire? Thank you, David

Help please. After reading Pickles very helpful replies, I decided to buy my wife a digital radio for Christmas so she could listen to Radio 4 in the kitchen.  However, reading reviews on the internet made me very confused.  It seems that some find the music from the computer and they boast about sorting play lists etc.  For radio they boast about using third party internet sites which host numerous radio stations which I have never heard of, but no mention of BBC radio 4.  They also worked with MP3 players and IPods, and sorted their songs.  To cap it all, it seems that some of these all singing all dancing machines do not have any speakers, having only a jack point for headphones or external speakers. So I decided to take my wheelchair out shopping for a simple digital radio to play radio 4 with the computer switched off, but the Orange live box on, with a built in speaker, and which works off battery or mains.  No fancy hifi or MP3 player, just a simple kitchen radio for UK BBC and ClassicFM.  I thought I would ask for advice in the shop, but neither Carrefour nor Leclerc in Bressuire had ever heard of them, and they could not direct me to another shop.  I did find some digital radios with USB ports, but these did not seem to be internet radios. I would be very grateful if I could be advised as to exactly what to ask for when asking for an internet radio, if possible some makes or models, and if possible a supplier near Bressuire (North Deux-Sevres) (we no longer have an Aldi).  Cholet would be possible. Many thanks in anticipation. David  

These internet radios sound great, and I am thinking buying one for my wife for Christmas for her to listen to Classic FM and BBC Radio Four.  However, researching the internet just gets me confused with talk of MP3 players, DAB, streaming, etc. If I buy an internet radio from say Leclerc, can I then just connect it wirelessly to my Orange livebox, and she can then listen to the UK radio stations? Seems too good to be true. Thanks, David

Sweet 17, That is very reassuring to me.  I have a ten year old passat automatic RHD which has been registered in France which I want to sell, and the local garages are not interested in buying it even for a song.  In fact when I bought a new LHD car, they would not even consider the passat in part exchange. The car is in good condition, almost as new, and to my mind is nowhere near ready for scrapping.  However even though it was the love of my life, I need to sell or scrap it as we do not need two cars, and the insurance is quite expensive to keep it on the drive for the occasional shopping trip to keep it working. If it does have value, does anybody know what would be the best way of selling it in North Deux-Sevres?  How would you value it in France?  It seems to me that quite a few UK expats might have this problem when changing from a UK car to a French car. David

Hi all, This now seems to be going round in circles.  I realise that there is legislation which makes a difference, and legislation can be quoted.  But I do not understand the logic of the legislation.  Why the difference when the end result is the same?  Is legislation necessarily correct?  What about fair play?  Why are civil servants treated better than the private sector?  Perhaps I am a rebel or a naive fool, or perhaps I should apply to be a politician. I think that I must therefore rest with Ernie's post. Quote David, I don't know the total in's and out's of it but for a start I do think you need to forget any notion of fairness just because you voluntarily paid for your PHI out of taxed income, unfortunately it doesn't work like that ! Unquote. Thanks for all the input. David

[quote user="Sunday Driver"] David Compensation for accidents de travail and maladies professionelles is exempt from taxation as it is delivered through the social security system.  Compensation through a commercial insurance policy is a different matter and would appear to fall outside the scope of the exemption. [/quote] Sorry SD, but I am still confused.  In the above I presume you are referring to the French social security system. In another thread the following is stated Quote     I have been here 16yrs and have an ill-health and injury pension from the fire service.  You are not required to declare the injury pension in France .(here it is known as a"pension accident du travail" and is exempted by Code General des Impots,art.81-8°).   If you have documentation showing disability of 40% or more ,you can get an extra demi-part on your quotient which will reduce any tax due in France. You will need to have the paperwork officially translated and ensure that the key words--"accident (or maladie) du travail, and more than 40% " are clearly stated. Unquote. This is not paid through the French social security system, so I am confused. My PHI was originally based on a work related injury, so I still do not understand why I have to pay tax in France, but a UK fireman, receiving a UK payment, does not. I am sure that you are correct, but I do not understand. I have also been assessed by the French authorities as disabled 50 to 79 percent, but I do not seem to qualify for the extra demi-part on my tax assessment. Confused, David

SD, Does that mean that a PHI paid out for an accident de travail or maladie professionelle is not subject to income tax? Unfortunately PHI do not consider the cause of the accident or illness (other than self inflicted), only the resulting unfitness for work. David

Thanks for your post Coops, how are you keeping now? I agree with your post, but before I go to my local tax office, I would like to understand a lot more about the matter, and preferably have some official documents to quote.  I have tried local insurance brokers, and they say that PHI does not exist in France, therefore there is no box on the tax form for it, therefore it is classed as income, therefore I must pay tax on it.  This does not seem correct to me.  Could PHI be described as a tax free pension in an existing box on the French tax forms I wonder? David  

Hi lacoteO_O (do you have an easier name to refer to you please?) I am afraid that I did not receive your PM, thus no reply from me, but thanks anyway. You are entirely correct in your post.  PHI payments are not subject to UK tax of any sort. You are also correct to say that PHI payments cease when the insured reaches pension age.  I wonder if this is the same for firemen, teachers, policemen, etc. for their work related injury/illness payments.? I confess that I am somewhat baffled, and am not convinced that PHI should be assessed for tax in France.  I have now submitted my French tax forms, so it is too late for this year, but I would really like to undersatnd the concept of why it is tax free in UK, but not in France. In these difficult times the difference could mean us returning to UK. David

Hi Hereford, Thanks for that, I am afraid that I do not understand it fully, but it does seem to be good news in that I should pay that amount less in tax? David

Thanks for your helpful reply Ernie.  I wonder if you would bear with me for a little longer?  I do tend to be a little dim on financial matters, and I genuinely do not understand. I have declared my PHI for French tax assessment, so I am not trying to avoid tax, but I would like to understand the difference between a workplace accident pension not being assessed and PHI being assessed As I understand it, you are suggesting that PHI is fundamentally different from a workplace accident pension, OK I am sure that you are correct, but why? If my PHI was paid for a workplace accident (which it was initially until a greater nonworkplace accident took precedence - I could actually revert to calling it a workplace accident as I am still unfit for work due to that initial workplace accident alone), then it seems that PHI would still be assessed for tax because it is called an insurance which gives income, rather than a pension which gives income. It seems to me that the only difference is the name, and that the end result of a civil service workplace accident pension, and a private PHI illness and accident policy are exactly the same.  So why is one tax assessed, and the other not? It seems even worse to me as I paid the PHI insurance premiums myself wholly from tax paid income, with no employers contribution, and no tax allowance.  I do not know, but I doubt if that applies to police, firemen, teachers etc.? So why do they get it tax free, and I don't? Confused, David  

Ernie and Bob T, How does that compare with the following comment on the "Injury Pension" thread? Quote I have been here 16yrs and have an ill-health and injury pension from the fire service.  You are not required to declare the injury pension in France .(here it is known as a"pension accident du travail" and is exempted by Code General des Impots,art.81-8°).   If you have documentation showing disability of 40% or more ,you can get an extra demi-part on your quotient which will reduce any tax due in France. You will need to have the paperwork officially translated and ensure that the key words--"accident (or maladie) du travail, and more than 40% " are clearly stated. Unquote David