Free Mobile.

[Chancer]

This one is going to run a while yet!!!!

We have resolved the problems I had only to be confronted with a new bizaare one.

Frédéric has also subscribed to a Free forfait, his Free sim would not work in my suspect phone and mt Free sim worked in his so the problem is my phone and/or battery, first problem solved [:)]

He managed to copy my contacts from the Lebara sim (I had copied them from the phone to it last night) to his phone and then onto my Free sim card, putting that sim card into the standby Nokia (its an older bulkier model Quillan) and it works and I can retrieve my contacts and phone them, second problem solved [:)]

Now the weird one, last night I had the Free sim in the phone it works in, I had made and recieved calls to/from that number, all correct so presumably, at that time at least the number was correctly ported from Lebara. Today if you call the Free number the phone doesnt ring but the other one with the Lebara sim (it was left on at the time) did and we could converse, I switched it off and even removed the sim, if you call the free number you just get the Lebara messagérie [:-))]

The phone with the Free sim which is switched on and which can make calls via Free will not take incoming calls I cannot make calls (I did try)from the Lebara as it tells me that I have no credit yet the number is allegedly ported, or at least half ported.

French companies really dont like to let their customers go do they [:P]

A quick search reveals I am not alone with this one! http://freemobile.toosurtoo.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=52&t=744

Editted. I should add that I had always disabled the messagerie with Lebara as you had to pay to use it, it has never worked in all this time!

Editted again. Out of curiosity I called my own number from the "Free" phone and the "Lebara" one rang,] I would have had a conversation with myself but it would have come out of my free minutes [:-))]

So as long as I carry both mobiles, one to ring out on one to recieve then I am sorted [;-)]

[Quillan]

I was thinking that perhaps Lebara could be the problem but then having read the posts in the link you have given it seems not.

Well obviously nobody has really thought this through properly at Free. I moved from Orange to SFR without any problem and kept my old number. This may be just teething problems with Free but its not very good is it. I mean people having to carry two phones, that's if your lucky enough to have two phones. I wonder how those that only have one phone are coping?

So as incredibly cheap as Free seems to be the big question is, is it worth the grief? I suppose we don't really know yet so will have to wait and see.

With SFR, something I didn't know till I found out the hard way, you can't 'roam' in other countries until you have been with them a few months. You have to phone them up and ask for International roaming to be turned on. In fairness it probably said this in the contract but like many I never read contracts until something doesn't happen then I check.

Anyway off to watch England beat Italy (with a bit of luck) so good luck Chancer, I hope it all works out for you.

[NormanH]

I have to say that so far, apart from the late cards which will let me send SMS to the UK, all has gone perfectly simply or both my accounts.

I received the cards the day that my old operator stopped working, and I read the paperwork [6]

[Chancer]

I guess it depends if you have a binkered viewpoint like me that Free can do no wrong or are a polar opposite and want to see them fall on their face.

I dont think the problem that I now have is down to Free, after all I can make calls with their card and it did at first recieve them, I think its either the body responsible for porting the numbers, after all its down to them that I have had to wait weeks instead of the statutory 3 days, or perhaps Lebara not actioning their bit properly, they who sent me a text saying the contract would be terminated one week before the text! Or perhaps Orange who are handling my calls like most subscribers not within range of free's antennae.

I think its most likely to be the first of them but not Free.

In any case it is costing me nothing and I am patient.

Hey Norman! I read the paperwork, unusual for me!

Nowhere did it say that I would need a PIN code, it just gave the procedure for activating on line and confirmed it was activated, yes the PIn number was on the card but even with my glasses I couldnt read it, for the activation code I needed a magnifying glass, there was an arrow pointing to the card (which was stuck on the paper) saying "ceci et votre numero de carte sim, il vous sera nécesaire pour son activation" of course had they stuck the card on the right way round I would not have been trying and failing to use 499 347 136 RCS Paris to activate the card, i think its their post office box address! [:$]

You dont expect me to admit to making a mistake do you?

[NormanH]

I expect you are light-headed from lack of good food [:)]

[Chancer]

It was all sorted swiftly on Monday morning without my intervention, problem almost certainly with Lebara and the changeover being effected on a Friday.

Now a very very happy bunny [:D]

[NormanH]

Amazing what a good old colonic lavage can do [:)]

[Chancer]

I have just looked at the telephone costs for this month on my "free" landline, whilst I was testing the free mobile I rang my new Free mobile number which fell on the Lebara answerphone (as I described before) which I had deliberately disactivated, this has cost me 68cts for 6 seconds!!!!

Now of course the Free mobile is getting its incoming calls but I am pretty sure that if you call a Free mobile from a Free landline then you will have to pay which makes sense really I suppose.

Whilst my carte sim came preprogrammed with numbers to report child abuse etc it doesnt have a number for customer services, they say that they are employing 750 bods in customer service, does anyone know how to actually speak to one of them from the mobile? I doubt that i will have need to but would like the number all the same.

Also on the Free mobile site how can you change your password? The one they have given me looks like a Chinese sick note!

[NormanH]

I didn't change mine...just did cut/paste and let firefox remember it

Surely our free land-line includes free calls to mobiles in France as part of our freebox deal?

(this doesn't cover PAYG, but it does Orange/Sfr etc)

I hope so, as I have it set up to transfer to my mobile if I am not at home to answer

[Chancer]

On my contract I pay for calls to French and overseas mobiles all other calls are free, I dont have the new whizzbang box but I think with that calls to mobiles are free.

I only use one or two euros a month but it is always to french mobiles, this new free free mobile will save me that as long as i remember to use it rather than the landline.

[NormanH]

Ah OK I have the REVOLUTION (note to Mods..where is the raised fist smiley?)

[NormanH]

But they charge MORE to divert calls to Free mobile than they did before to divert them to other operators [:-))]

http://forum.universfreebox.com/viewtopic.php?t=32941

[pachapapa]

This morning France Info report that since the inception of the Free Mobile service the "itinerant" supplier caled ORANGE has lost more than 200,000 mobile subscribers to the Xavier Neil & the pirates.[:D]

[pachapapa]

The data option for the Free Mobile € 2 forfait is now operational.

The modifications to your account graphical user interface now accomodate this implementation.

Only 3 GO so go easy on the MMSs.

http://www.pcinpact.com/news/69178-free-mobile-application-espace-abonne.htm

[Chancer]

The new secure web site gets the thumbs down from me, I have no problems with the main Free website, the identifier is my home telephone number and I was able to choose my password, albeit much longer than usual so I sort of doubled up my usual one, in any case my computer remmebers the details and I can access it easily, I have never worked out why this happens on some sites but not others.

As for the new Free mobile site, well pretty much inaccessible now for me, why cant I just access it from my main Free account?

Now I have to enter not only an 8 digit passcode via an on screen scramble keypad, one they have chosen and which I cannot change, not only that but a password that resembles a Chinese sick note with upper case, lower case, numbers and symbols that I cannot even find on my keyboard, once again the customer is not allowed to change it.

This is not my life savings we are talking about, its a €2 per month abonnement that is free to me [:(]

What makes it worse  is the carte sim came pre_programmed with numbers to report child abuse but no number for customer services or to check your balance, the only way i know to do this is to use he website that needs a safecracker to access, does anyone have a number for either of these services.

On the subject of passcodes, pincodes etc, more and more sites are demanding ever more complicated ones with the result that you end up having to write theml down somewhere, verified by Visa is a real pain as it locks your account very quick and will not allow you to choose a password that you have already used. Mt current French bank and its predecessor would allow you to change your password for the on line baking site but not the pin number of the card, i think this is standard practice, to me its crazy and its likely that many people will have to have it written down somewhere in their wallet which rather defeats the object.

[NormanH]

You beat me to it.

Up till now the site was easy of access, with an auto-complete username and the possibility to remember the password which is a bit like the Chinese symbols for whoflungdung.

Now no longer the case...

And I still can't see how to buy 5€ credit.

Surely there must be otherrs who want to send SMS abroad?  I am thinking of people on the 2€ tariff from eastern Europe or North Africa as well as we "rich" [8-)] Brits..

[Chancer]

Try sending them a message to express your/our displeasure Norman, assuming that you are more comfortable than I in written French that is, i am not trying to be lazy but do tend to shy away from formal written communication.

They do seem to me to be one of the rare enlightened French companies that does take notice of user feedback.

Have you found a way to check your credit balance or to talk to one of the 100, or was it 1000 new staff eager and waiting to support us!!!

[NormanH]

I have got into the site (wearing my Anonymous hacker hat) and found that I owe 80 odd centimes for the 2€ account, because I had to call  the EDF breakdown number each of the 5 times I was cut off a few days ago, and although the initial call is free (and so accessible with this deal) the actual conversation was charged as a suxtaxé...

I am still a bit irritated that I pay for calls re-directed from my home phone to my Free mobile.

I can call it free with the Freebox revolution, but redirected calls are charged.

As for writing I can't find anywhere on the mobile.free site with an email address to write to...

[Quillan]

I was looking at the Free website, whats is the difference between V5 and V6 and what does "Mise à disposition de la boucle locale dédiée: 5,99€/mois soit 35.98 € / mois" mean please.

[NormanH]

The V6 is the one known as the Freebox Revolution.

It has  the same idea of two boxes, (with the signal passing by the mains)  one for the Internet/computer connection and the other more for a TV and Media centre, but takes it further.

The second box has a Blu ray player, and the first one has a external hard disk with 250 G memory where you can store downloads.

You can even surf the Internet without switching your computer on, or look at things you have stored on the disk

If I remember correctly the V5 doesn't have either the hard disk or the Blu ray

both have free telephone calls to 60 countries, + TV+ Internet, but the V6 has also free calls to French mobiles.

The 5.99€ 'boucle' is the extra that you pay on top of the usual abonnement for having the Revolution facilities, making a total of 35.98 instead of the standard 29.99

[Chancer]

Thanks to the imposition of the triple play tax and also UFC que choisir, the €29.99 option costs another €2 for the inclusive TV channels, Free were going to take the tax on the chin themselves until the consumer (not) champions forced them to stop charging extra for paper statements and paying by other means than DD.

So for me to upgrade to the Revolution box is only, only! I hear myself say, another €3 but as I dont want to make unlimited calls to French or UK mobiles and have 60 minutes (to French mobiles) on my mobile should I want to there is at present no incentive for me to do so.

I dont know if my box is a V5, it may even be earlier but it definitely has a hard disc, probably not as big but I have several programs recorded on it.

Are you really considering Free Q after all your non positive postings?

[Quillan]

I was looking on the website and the link that Another gave and I don't seem to see anything about satellite TV. It appears you get everything via the Internet and TNT, is this correct? We only get 2GB here and that's on a good day with the wind behind. We also can't get a TNT signal, there is a big mountain in the way, so satellite is the only way we can get French TV.

Can you plug a sky box in to the system to record on to the HDD?

Is the router etc multilingual i.e. can you change it to English?

My negativeness was about the mobile offer, if it looks to good to be true etc, etc, and reading comments here and on the links others have given there is a way to go yet. I also have a problem with mobile phone signals, the only one that works here is SFR.

I am quite happy with my Orange and SFR setup but if I can get the same for less or even more for less elsewhere then why not change especially now I feel more confident talking 'technical' in French my need for an English speaking help desk is diminishing quite quickly.

Unlike Norman (in another thread about Orange) I don't have a problem with Orange and always found them very helpful and have had very few problems so to change to another supplier I need to make sure I get something better, cheaper and equal or better support.

The one company so far that I have had a problem with is SFR and the hurdles I have had to go through to get my old mobile unlocked. When I did finally get my code to actually enter it I had to go through customer services. Several attempts (and thumb ache after pressing numbers on the phone) I finally got to talk to somebody from where I got transferred three times to somebody who could tell me what to do. The whole thing took just under an hour where as actually typing in the codes and unlock code took two minutes. Absolutely terrible service in my opinion. Trouble is I have no option but to stay with them.

[pachapapa]

OT curious Norman can you get "Mezzo" on Free ADSL TV?

[BJSLIV]

Looks like the answer is yes

http://www.mezzo.tv/recevoir-mezzo

[NormanH]

[quote user="pachapapa"]OT curious Norman can you get "Mezzo" on Free ADSL TV?[/quote]

I believe so, but as a paying extra, not as part of the basic 'bouquet'.

I regret this [:(]