Pads Posted April 3, 2012 Share Posted April 3, 2012 I know nothing about french phones or internet but we now need to have both connected to the house , we are in the North of Aude (11) and would like any information on the best/fastest Inernet available. We dont need unlimited free calls to the UK any any fancy packages just fast internet and basic french phone which will hardly be used only want it for the internet.At the moment we dont have a line of any kind. is this going to take a long time to connect and is it all going to be very expensive ? Many thanks for any replies xx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quillan Posted April 3, 2012 Share Posted April 3, 2012 Funny enough I had a text from SFR today (I use them for mobile phone but the rest is with Orange). Up till the 30th April they have an offer for a 24 months subscription with the first 12 months being only 9.90 for their Internet package (which does include the phone). Not sure what it goes up to after the 12 months. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pads Posted April 3, 2012 Author Share Posted April 3, 2012 Many thanks Quillan , are they know to be a good company ? Do you have a link to that offer ? Do ou know roughly how long it would take then to connect me to a phone and internet service ? I shall need it by the 1st of June . Will I be able to deal with them from England over the phone do you think ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quillan Posted April 3, 2012 Share Posted April 3, 2012 If you PM me your mobile number I am happy to fwd the text to you. As to the rest of your questions, not being an Internet/Landline subscriber with them I have no idea. Perhaps somebody else will know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pads Posted April 3, 2012 Author Share Posted April 3, 2012 Thanks for that offer but I have just found the offer on the internet ... just trying to find a english speaking line for them to see if they can organise it all ready for me to just turn up and meet them on a given date . I do remember reading through that it takes months for phones to be connected ....just hoping things have moved on since then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suein56 Posted April 3, 2012 Share Posted April 3, 2012 [quote user="Pads"]Thanks for that offer but I have just found the offer on the internet ... just trying to find a english speaking line for them to see if they can organise it all ready for me to just turn up and meet them on a given date. [/quote]We have an SFR contract with broadband and all calls (through the box, except to mobiles ) included - and it is fine. We pay 36€90 per month (as we are non-dégroupée). If you have broadband alone and then France Telecom for your telephone line and your calls you will be paying more, IMHO, than I am, depending on your call usage of course.I don't think SFR have an English speaking number.Quillan - I have tried ringing SFR re the new promotion as we are moving and I could do with adsl and included calls in 2 places for a while but, as the promo is limited to the first 5000, there is no way I could get through as the lines are permanently overloaded - tant pis !Sue [:(] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quillan Posted April 3, 2012 Share Posted April 3, 2012 I think you can register online (hope the link works).http://adsl.sfr.fr/toutes-nos-offres/?sfrcpid=t6_md_vfadsl20120403_mm_abo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quillan Posted April 3, 2012 Share Posted April 3, 2012 Pads, if your looking for a company that has an English speaking help desk and sales department then as far as I know Orange are the only ones to offer this service. Their number is in the FAQ part of this section of the forum. The benefit of using Orange, apart (for some) of having an English help desk, is that they are also French Telecom so it is they that will more than likely install your phone. I went with Orange because I have been caught in the past between companies where one offers the service and the other supplies the media. You can often end up being 'ping ponged' between the two. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pads Posted April 3, 2012 Author Share Posted April 3, 2012 Sue and Quillan many thanks for your replies ..... Where you moving to sue ? any where nice ;) Have you heard about the UK telcom deals for expats in france ? http://www.frenchentree.uktelecom.net/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pads Posted April 3, 2012 Author Share Posted April 3, 2012 [quote user="Quillan"]Pads, if your looking for a company that has an English speaking help desk and sales department then as far as I know Orange are the only ones to offer this service. Their number is in the FAQ part of this section of the forum. The benefit of using Orange, apart (for some) of having an English help desk, is that they are also French Telecom so it is they that will more than likely install your phone. I went with Orange because I have been caught in the past between companies where one offers the service and the other supplies the media. You can often end up being 'ping ponged' between the two.[/quote]Yes Im falling on the side of Orange at the moment , although lots of people say that they have a bad customer service . But like you say its all with one company Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jo Posted April 3, 2012 Share Posted April 3, 2012 France telecom were absolutely brilliant when we moved out and needed a landline and internet access, there had been a landline here in the past so I rang France Telecom to have it re-activated. No problem they turned up 3 days later to connect us[:D] The technician tried but thought there was a problem further down the line, he'd done all the work in the house but couldn't dial through, said he'd have a word with head office and we would have a line in the next 4 days[:(] At 9 am the next morning a gentleman from France Telecom turned up on the doorstop and explained in excellent English the problem: my English neighbours who had bought their property two years after us, but had moved out the year before us, had "borrowed" our line rather than go to the expense of having a new line fitted[:-))][:-))] Once they realised the problem they had it sorted and within 3 hours we had a phone line and internet[:D] We were well impressed! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quillan Posted April 3, 2012 Share Posted April 3, 2012 [quote user="Pads"]Sue and Quillan many thanks for your replies ..... Where you moving to sue ? any where nice ;) Have you heard about the UK telcom deals for expats in france ? http://www.frenchentree.uktelecom.net/[/quote]They seem to be offering the same as everyone else and with Orange offering an English speaking line I can't see any advantage. What I did notice is they claim that they will get a line installed for €40, till you read the fine print. What they are doing for your €40 is to project manage your install (basically make the call and book a line) for you but you will still have to pay for the line to be installed by French Telecom. Considering you can call French Telecom/Orange direct for a local call rate and speak in English to one of their staff €40 seems a bit steep to me for what 5 minutes work, nice money if you can get it. Actually, thinking about it, I will organise a new line for your for €35, it will be the easiest money I will ever make.You only hear bad news about any supplier, seldom the good. I have been with Orange for 10 years and have been very happy with their service and would only consider 'moving' if a company can offer exactly the same or better than I have at present for a much cheaper rate. I have yet to find such a company. Bit like my mobile really, nobody can offer the service I have at present, not even Orange let alone Free because simply their phones won't work were I live. I just changed my SFR package to one for €9,90 per month for two hours of calls plus unlimited texts world wide. Yes there are cheaper but their phones simply don't work were I live so I am very happy with this deal.Don't forget the free calls also include France obviously. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jo Posted April 3, 2012 Share Posted April 3, 2012 Forgot to mention the 2 visits and all the work, cost us 55 euros which, as there hadn't been a live line here for at least 6 years, I thought very reasonable.[:)] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suein56 Posted April 3, 2012 Share Posted April 3, 2012 [quote user="Quillan"]I think you can register online (hope the link works).http://adsl.sfr.fr/toutes-nos-offres/?sfrcpid=t6_md_vfadsl20120403_mm_abo [/quote]That's what I did ... but I got referred to a telephone advisor (via the internet, really weird as I had to click on the laptop screen, my phone in my hand and SFR ring you back). All this because the previous owner of our soon-to-be new-to-us house has already moved out and cancelled his Orange set up so the telephone number comes up as 'non active'.Isn't technology fascinating ?But still no result as SFR seem to be overwhelmed ... I can't say I am surprised as it is a really super offer.Edit: Sorry to hijack your thread Pads. I agree that Orange is probably your best bet, certainly for starters.Sue Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnOther Posted April 4, 2012 Share Posted April 4, 2012 [quote user="Pads"]We dont need unlimited free calls to the UK any any fancy packages just fast internet[/quote]Your speed will be wholly determined by the length and the quality of the FT line from the nearest exchange to your property, not by your choice of ISP, how far do you think that might be ?If your line is long - and therefore likely more susceptible to problems - then you would be well advised to stick with FT/Orange. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NormanH Posted April 4, 2012 Share Posted April 4, 2012 I believe the SFR offer is limited to 5000 subscribers, and you have to have a mobile phone contract of the smart phone sort as well, but I could be wrong on the second bit.. I wonder also if thet would give this deal if they have to set up a new line In any case it is only valid for a year after which they will be able to charge a higher amount.I have friends with Sfr/Neuf who are reasonably happy, though my own experience was that their deals were slippery, and they couldn't get their act together on the bills, which I had arranged to have taken by direct debit which they never managed to don hassling me to pay by card every month. Since I have transferred my mobile to Free they have closed my online account and so I can't pay my final bill on-line, another example of their lack of thought in this area.Nothing can equal the sheer incompetence and miss-selling amounting to dishonesty of Orange/France Télécom whom I advise everybody to avoid if it is at all possible (I know a few unfortunates can't) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quillan Posted April 4, 2012 Share Posted April 4, 2012 [quote user="NormanH"]Nothing can equal the sheer incompetence and miss-selling amounting to dishonesty of Orange/France Télécom whom I advise everybody to avoid if it is at all possible (I know a few unfortunates can't) [/quote]See this is what I mean about people only hearing about the bad bits (with any service). I have changed my contract three times with Orange (to get better deals), have had to have my Livebox and TV decoder changed (cat peed on them - no charge for replacements, a benefit of renting as opposed to owning I guess) and the line repaired once years ago. All I can say is that their service has been very good. Just adding up in my head I know five people who have Orange having moved to them because of problems with other providers and now with Orange all their problems have disappeared. I know somebody who has Free and is at the point of despair with them but just like Orange there are no doubt loads of very happy Free users out there but you never hear about them.Interesting about the Smart Phone and SFR. I changed to a Smart phone which I bought second hand and unlocked. Since I have put my SFR SIM in they seem to know I have a Smart Phone. It seems 'Big Brother' is alive and well, I wonder what else they monitor? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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