France Telecom Ligne Maison Secondaire & ADSL...so simple to do!

[Iancharlton]

This may be of interest to a few people:

I've just come off the phone to France Telecom's English speaking helpline.

Long story short:

1) The cost to install a ligne Maison Secondaire in a mobile home on a campsite is €99. This includes connecting to the junction box outside & putting a telephone point in the mobile home.

2) The appointment is scheduled for next Wednesday (4 working days' time!). Livebox installation at the same time.

3) The ADSL can be switched off with the phone line, so no ADSL charges when I'm not there. The package is called "Decouverte" (Sp?)

4) All charges can be paid on-line using my English Nationwide Debit card (he took the card number)

5) He told me what my telephone number would be!

So hopefully, next visit I'll have phone, web & TV with no need for a French bank account and all done over the phone from the UK.

They even answered my call in less than 4 minutes!

[BJSLIV]

You are lucky that you live in an area where Orange TV online is available, presumably a larger town. We who live out in the sticks can only get Orange TV if we have a satellite dish installed.

It will also be interesting to see if you are able to pay the ongoing charges with your debit card. In the past this has been impossible, standing orders only working with a French account.

 

[Théière]

Seconded Neighbour! [;-)]

[AnOther]

Are you absolutely certain that the ADSL is suspended too ?

AFAIK you can suspend the line (which obviously means that the ADSL is unavailable) but the contract is for 12 months which you still pay per month irrespective of whether your line is in suspension or not.

Maybe someone with better French skills than I could check it out on the FT/Orange site.

EDIT: Found THIS which says without commitment but not sure that means starting and stopping on a regular basis. Whatever you have the €3/mth Livebox rental to pay unless you're expected to send it back each time, not exactly convenient.

[Danny]

Ernie

see this recent thread

http://www.completefrance.com/cs/forums/1584172/ShowPost.aspx

and here is the Orange page for the Découverte internet

http://abonnez-vous.orange.fr/residentiel/hd/hdtv.aspx?idnode=100

it is suggested that you can change the adsl offer ie (downgrade to dial up, which is free if you are not using it) 2 times for free and then you are billed 60 Euros each time 

But other people reported otherwise.

I have a feelingOrange don't really know what they are doing and it depends on who you deal with.

Danny

[Danny]

PS I forgot - there is no 12 month contract and also you do not need to rent a livebox for this package so there is no sending back if you use your own modem.

And if you rent the livebox, I assume you continue to pay the 3 euro rental per month even when you are not there.

Danny

[BJSLIV]

I have a feelingOrange don't really know what they are doing and it depends on who you deal with.
I agree

[Iancharlton]

I told him at the start of the call I don't have a French bank account & that I'd read on the Orange website that you could pay online.

He agreed that this was the case and when he asked me for my RIB, I explained again. He said this was OK & took my card details, but as you say, the crunch will come when I try it. Fingers crossed.

[Iancharlton]

I made a point of asking about ADSL suspension. He said because FT group the two services, taht was possible.

 

[AnOther]

Time will tell I suppose so do keep us posted.

Jane & Danny, you need the Livebox for the TV service do you not ?

[Danny]

Yep, you are right but you still don't have to rent the livebox and therefore have the TV service - and for anyone like us in the sticks, there is no TV by ADSL anyway.

Danny

[AnOther]

Agreed but I'm thinking of the OP where Ian wrote:

[quote user="Iancharlton"]So hopefully, next visit I'll have phone, web & TV with no need for a French bank account and all done over the phone from the UK.[/quote]

[Danny]

I suppose he will find out soon enough!

Danny

[Department71]

Ian,

Item 4 on your post, I take it you paid for the installation using your Natwide debit card, did you by any chance manage to get the line rental and calls put through on this card, or have you got to pay via a French account. We manage to get our doofer paid through Nationwide, wondering if I can also try it with the phone, saves the hassle of topping up the French account.

Cheers

Steve

[Iancharlton]

Well, I now have a working telephone line & internet. Not quite according to plan, however.

The line was originally set up as Residence Principal, then  it changed to Residence Secondaire. Now it's changed to Decouverte internet at €39month & I've lost the ability to turn it off.

As another forum member confirmed (and NOT as FT stated), Facture sur Net is only available with a prelevement against a french bank account. Not to worry, you can still see the total of outstanding bills in espace client and I succesfully paid my first one with a Nationwide Debit card. Good enough for me.

I've been charged for April & May for a ligne residence secondaire, €55 for line installation and nothing so far for internet or for the Livebox. Bizarre!

FT also charged me €49 at account opening via my debit card. I assumed this was for installation. Turns out it's the deposit for the TV decoder.

Hopefully a call to their helpline tomorrow will sort out splitting the phone & internet into 2 seperate bills.

[Department71]

Thanks Ian for the info, oh well top up the bank time then, am going to phone FT to see about installing a line would be interested in any feedback when you have phoned FT. Could the reason you lost the ability to turn it off ( phone I assume) was because you paid the first bill via Nationwide?

We won't be having internet, too far out for broadband, just the phone with the ability to turn it off when we are not there.

Cheers

Steve

[BJSLIV]

 

So you are paying 39 Euros per month for ADSL and TV, plus 16 Euros for line rental.

What can you actually switch on and off?

It strikes me that unless the TV package, is of vital importance, one would be better of with Free at 30 Euros per month all in deal; calls, ADSL and line rental included. If you aren't there all he time one could chance ones luck with the VOIP only phone service.

[Danny]

now this is getting confusing

'Découverte Internet' is available for 24,90 (1MB) or 29,90 ( up to 8MB) per month so I don't understand where the 39 euros figure comes from ?

http://abonnez-vous.orange.fr/residentiel/hd/hdtv.aspx?idnode=100 and click on the 'Internet haut débit' tab.

the mystery deepens - let's hope that a call tomorrow will not muddy the waters further.

Danny

[BJSLIV]

Seems to me that our friend has been signed up for the no FT line package at 39 .9 Euros per month, not the Decouverte package at all.

That  would explain why the line can't be switched off!!!

[Iancharlton]

Phoned the English-speaking helpline and was told that my package could be suspended FOC.

Didn't believe this, so asked a French neighbour to phone 1014. She was told, no, the Optimale package could not be suspended.

The operator could see that the package had been changed from Residence Secondaire and changed it back, commenting "off the record"

that someone had tried to upsell me something I didn't want...mind you, her parting shot was "does he have a parabol?..." [blink]

[BJSLIV]

So it's worse than I thought.

A no-commitment plan with Internet + TV, calls and telephone subscription included

By choosing the Internet discovery plan for only €39.90 a month (incl. VAT), customers get:
- The "1 MegaMax" broadband internet access for unlimited Internet browsing, to view bank account details, keep up with the latest news, plan holidays, send and receive emails and photos with friends and family, and much more
- Digital TV with more than 60 channels, including the major French channels, free DTT channels, thematic channels and VoD service access with more than 3,000 programmes on offer.

Digital TV access works via the livebox (€3 a month), on the condition of eligibility and payment of a €49 deposit for the set top box...

So I assume they have now put you back on the 1 MegaMax package with separate line rental. That will probably mean 23.90 plus the separate 16 Euros a month line rental. So you have the ability to switch the line on and off for a fee, but a high cost for a slow ADSL service and no free phone calls

 

[Iancharlton]

According to the contract they sent me, the €39 package is a 12-month minimum commitment and no ability to switch anything off, so no saving when I'm not here.

The 1 megamax with seperate line rental is a no commitment package. I save on line rental when not here and could switch to a different ISP at 1 month's notice.

The maximum line speed on either package is 1Mb, due to my distance from the exchange. I haven't tried the TV - it probably wouldn't work well with that line speed.

Free phone calls apply to mainland France only. Everyone I want to talk to is in the UK. Orange charge 7cents/min + 5cents connection fee. Skype costs 1.2p/min.

Unless I'm missing something, I can't see the advantage of having the "all-in" package

[virginia.c]

A question about what number to phone.  I have tried the new supposed English speaking helpline today ie 0800 364 775 which I was directed to by a recorded message on the old 0033155 etc number.  I have tried it a few times and a recorded voice tells me that the number is not recognised.  Anyone know of any other number I can call?  Hells Bells, I think I may opt for semaphore and smoke signals.

[Department71]

Virginia,

I phoned this morning to arrange having a phone installed,  00 33 15 57 86 05 6  was told by the robot I would be dealt  within 10 minutes, sat and listened to the music and messages ( in English) and got through to a lovely young lady who's English was a lot better then my French and sorted out a line then and there. Being connected next Monday when we get there.

PS think the message said the call is free if phoning from a FT phone in France?, did try a freephone number first but that said phone back all lines busy, if its urgent use the number I used at least you should get through quicker.

Good luck

Dept71

[virginia.c]

thank you  Dept 71.  I hope you get your line when you get there!!  I don't even have a line from the pole to the house yet - but I will try the number you gave with everything crossed!