phone and internet provider

[DebP]

Hi

Please can anyone suggest a good phone and internet provider for the Aude.  We have SFR for our current property but we're moving and would like an opportunity to change to a better provider. 

Thanks

Deb

[plod]

Doesn't look promising - I'm also looking as my patience with Orange/FranceTelecom is fast wearing out. Come on somebody give us an answer!

[Danny]

Unfortunately, I think the real answer is that they can all be great when everything works but as bad as each other when there are problems.

Danny

[Maricopa]

[quote user="DebP"]Please can anyone suggest a good phone and internet provider for the Aude.  We have SFR for our current property but we're moving and would like an opportunity to change to a better provider. [/quote]

Well, I am with Neuf (taken over by SFR) and am very happy with the service I get.  I have been with them for nearly 2 years, so cannot make any other suggestion.  It is pobably best to go to one of the ADSL test sites and see which providers are available for your intended new address.

What is wrong with our current service, if you don't mind me asking?

[plod]

I've now been without my internet phone (for which I pay, of course!) for nearly two weeks. I have to unplug and replug my livebox several times a day. I don't think I can receive Neuf here.

[Quillan]

What do Orange say? Have you bee in contact with them? I suspect the last question is a silly one but I asked just in case. Somebody I put an Orange box in a week ago has not changed over the phone yet, the light still does not come on. They contacted Orange who said they had a backlog at the moment and would phone them when they were ready. When I installed mine they phoned me within 24 hours except I was not ready and pestered me over several days to install my Livebox, I was waiting for my Liveplugs to arrive so they gave me a 20 Euro credit and paid for my calls made on the old FT system.

[DebP]

Hi All

We have Neuf (SFR) at our old house and whilst for the landline and internet they've been great, they've treated us really badly with our mobile services - every time we contact them to change our package to a cheaper one our bill manages to go up and to add insult to injury they default our contract to the new date so we're locked in for a further 2 years!!!  So under no circumstances do we want to give them any more of our business.

We think we've found a good packaged in the end by going to FT where for 29,90 for the ADSL line + 3.00 for livebox rental and 7 euros per month gives us 30 minutes per month to French mobiles and unlimited calls to landlines to 63 countries (including Europe, USA and Canada).  We're not set up yet so I'm not holding my breath re service levels but the package at least appears to suit us.

I'll post with any news....good or bad, wish me luck!!

Deb

 

[rockstitch]

Hi, I have had a France Telecom line installed on the 6/5/09 and was given an estimate of 45euros I also had to pay a security deposit of 96euros which I was told would be reimbursed when I set up a direct debit, the next day a guy arrived from Orange and set up the internet and charged me 99euro and said my phone would come on in 2 days, 7 days later and a Bill for 42euro. 13c which was for 1 month and 21 days 10/04/09 to 31/05/09. When I phoned the english help line I was told that the charge was when I first phoned to have the internet and phone installed,I also have been charged for TV as well, which I don't want as I have a sky dish. I complained that the package that I wanted was for 29euros a month they said that was what I had got but had to pay the extra. I strongly objected to this as I only moved to France on the 3/05/09 and took up residence on the 4/05/09, this is very confusing and the english speaking helpline is totally useless as most of the persons that I spoke to can barly speak english. This still ongoing and I have to do battle again tomorrow with the Manager this time and he will try and sort this problem out once and for all. I won't hold my breath.

[rockstitch]

I might add that I still have no working phone line and have to use my brothers phone to try and get this sorted.

[Blitzen]

Does anyone know anything about Numeo?  At the moment I'm with Orange on dial up, which is soooooo slow; Numeo can I believe provide a higher speed connection, but I'd like to know a bit more about their quality of service.

[DebP]

Hi Rockstitch....Welcome to the wonderful world of French bureaucracy!! 

We now always allow double the time to make anything happen than we're originally told.  Even then we know we can't guarantee that we'll actually get what we asked for or were promised, even after sometimes months of battles.  If we have to go for meetings to get things done, we write off a full day for one meeting and treat ourselves to a slap up lunch if we get done what we planned in half a day! It's our little way of keeping sane .... nothing ever appears so bad after a glass of chilled rose at lunchtime!

It's all quite amusing to us now but initially I remember clearly going through the pain you're experiencing.  Please don't ever expect things to be sorted out like they are in the UK and you'll get on fine.  If you try to fight the system you'll just stress yourself out and still not get anywhere any faster.

Good luck with France Telecom. We were promised connection over a week ago and it's still not happened.  We guessed this might be the case, so have still kept a computer and phone line at our old place and keep popping back to check messages. Obviously not everyone can do this, so I really do understand your frustrations. 

It might help to use a fluent translator.  Our French isn't too bad these days but we still use a fantastic lady to wade in on our behalf when things get really sticky. This has a dual effect of not having to deal with bureaucrats any more than we need to and also getting to the bottom of a situation far quicker.  I'm not sure if I'm allowed to post her name but if you email me I'll send you here details.

Best regards

Deborah

 

 

 

[rockstitch]

Hi Deborah, Thanks for your very kind reply. I spoke to a very helpful man at Orange and took out a package 39.90euros per month- Formual internet TV and Telephone and that includes the rental of the Live box plus a Decoder (which I paid a deposit on and will get back when I disconnet) I have taken a contract out with them for 1 year, I will also get 63 FREE calls to anywhere in USA Canada and Euroupe and unlimited calles to a French landline, also free calls to a mobile in USA and Canada. I will have to pay France Telecom euros32 every 2 months. So will wait and see, he has put me on priority and urgent to have my phone connected. As they say time will tell. Sue

[Quillan]

[quote user="rockstitch"]Hi Deborah, Thanks for your very kind reply. I spoke to a very helpful man at Orange and took out a package 39.90euros per month- Formual internet TV and Telephone and that includes the rental of the Live box plus a Decoder (which I paid a deposit on and will get back when I disconnet) I have taken a contract out with them for 1 year, I will also get 63 FREE calls to anywhere in USA Canada and Euroupe and unlimited calles to a French landline, also free calls to a mobile in USA and Canada. I will have to pay France Telecom euros32 every 2 months. So will wait and see, he has put me on priority and urgent to have my phone connected. As they say time will tell. Sue[/quote]

You will get free calls to French landlines. If you placed your order between 28/04/2009 and 17/06/2009 and you don't have a land line installed Orange will give you 99€ towards the installation costs. You pay no bi-monthly charge for the FT land line, it says that quite clearly on the Orange website. For the first three months you will pay 29.99€ for this service after which it will rise to 39.99€ per month. You also have to add on the rental of the Livebox, another 3€ per month.

For an extra 7€ per month you will get free international calls and 30 minutes worth of calls to a French mobile ONLY (details HERE) .

So for the first three months you will actually pay 39.99€ for all this then 49.99€ every month thereafter.

Make sure you understand this before you make a three hour call to a US mobile else it will cost you a fortune.

Do be aware that if you are too far from an exchange and the internet speed is low you will need to have a dish installed to get the TV. The Decoder also needs to be physically connected to the Livebox to make it work which may be worth thinking about when you have the phone line installed i.e. have the outlet next to the TV to keep the expense down else you will need a very long cable or LivePlugs (69€ a pair).

[Danny]

[quote user="Quillan"]

[quote user="rockstitch"]Hi Deborah, Thanks for your very kind reply. I spoke to a very helpful man at Orange and took out a package 39.90euros per month- Formual internet TV and Telephone and that includes the rental of the Live box plus a Decoder (which I paid a deposit on and will get back when I disconnet) I have taken a contract out with them for 1 year, I will also get 63 FREE calls to anywhere in USA Canada and Euroupe and unlimited calles to a French landline, also free calls to a mobile in USA and Canada. I will have to pay France Telecom euros32 every 2 months. So will wait and see, he has put me on priority and urgent to have my phone connected. As they say time will tell. Sue[/quote]

You will get free calls to French landlines. If you placed your order between 28/04/2009 and 17/06/2009 and you don't have a land line installed Orange will give you 99€ towards the installation costs. You pay no bi-monthly charge for the FT land line, it says that quite clearly on the Orange website. For the first three months you will pay 29.99€ for this service after which it will rise to 39.99€ per month. You also have to add on the rental of the Livebox, another 3€ per month.

For an extra 7€ per month you will get free international calls and 30 minutes worth of calls to a French mobile ONLY (details HERE) .

So for the first three months you will actually pay 39.99€ for all this then 49.99€ every month thereafter.

Make sure you understand this before you make a three hour call to a US mobile else it will cost you a fortune.

Do be aware that if you are too far from an exchange and the internet speed is low you will need to have a dish installed to get the TV. The Decoder also needs to be physically connected to the Livebox to make it work which may be worth thinking about when you have the phone line installed i.e. have the outlet next to the TV to keep the expense down else you will need a very long cable or LivePlugs (69€ a pair).

[/quote]

Quillan, I think you may be muddying the waters here and Sue has has enough confusion.You are assuming that she is going to be on the 'Net' package like you but she just said "Formual internet TV and Telephone". It should be "formule".

This is basically the same as yours except is that the FT line is maintained and the cost is 29.99 each month plus the rental of the livebox - 3 euros - and the international and French mobile calls - 7 euros. All making a grand total of 39,99 (not 49,99) for Orange plus the FT line rental on top at 16 euros a month.

As for what calls are included in the mobile et international illimité, all costs to US and Canadian mobiles are free too as well as the landlines.

list here on this page http://abonnez-vous.orange.fr/residentiel/options/Option-fiche.aspx?idpage=52 click on "voir la liste de tous les pays"

What is the 99 euro bit about landline installation ? I am not familiar with that.

Everything is clear on the Orange site but not if you don't understand French. I assune that is why Sue has been calling the English speaking service.

(For Sue, these calls are for the phone plugged in to the livebox - not for any phone plugged directly into the wall socket)

Danny