setting up a phone line

[Dinks]

So we are signing the acte de vente on the 30th May, the property already has a phone line (and ADSL) and we will need phone access from the day that we move in. The current (British) owners are giving 24 hrs notice on the 28 May that they are resiliating the telephone line - they will need telephone access until the last minute. France Telecom tell me that only then can we apply for a line and then it will be up to 7 days before the line is available. Is this really the case?? Even for France, this seems extraordinary when the line is already there!

[suein56]

FT have said to you that it will be 'up to 7 days before the line is available', it is usual with most suppliers to give themselves a margin.

When we moved into our house the previous occupants had given 24 hours notice of cancellation and we moved in 2 days later. Our phone line was functioning in the afternoon, though only for calls within France and not, for example, to the UK. The international access was available a couple of days later; so all in all well inside FT's 7 days quote.

Sue

 

[mmaddock]

I tend to agree.  When we finally got around to connecting our phone line we went into the local FT shop and asked them to connect it - as the property was in the middle of a small hamlet with no street address / number we had no idea how to explain to them which line it was, but they found it from our vague idea of the name of the last person to have it connected.  Despite not even having our address, the phone line was connected the next morning!  There was a problem with the line, but an engineer appeared the next day and sorted it.  I can only assume their 7 days is a 'just in case' quote.  Either way, I'm sure you can cope without a phone line for 7 days can't you?  We did for 2 years - paradise!!

Matt

[Dinks]

Does anybody have a number that I can dial for France Telecom from the UK? All of the numbers I have found are 4 digit numbers which can only be dialled from within France. Unfortunately, I will need telephone access from day one for business reasons so need to get this arranged in advance if I can. Fortunately, the present owners are not taking their number with them, so that should lessen the complications somewhat.

[Martin963]

I couldn't find the answer to Dinks' question myself,  but I see the solution has appeared here

http://www.completefrance.com/cs/forums/945575/ShowPost.aspx

[jc]

Go to the Engish website on France Telecom;that will give you all the access numbers.We went into a FT shop and were sold a phone and told we would have a service within 24 h.;when we didn't we contacted the shop and an engineer came the same day and found a loose wire in one of our sockets.

[Martin963]

You're a better one than I jc - I went to that website and couldn't find the number.  That's why I posted the link to another thread where someone has spelled it out for thickies like me!