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Maison Secondaire Tarif!


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We will be wanting a phone line put into our house in France and would like to know more about Maison secondaire tarif (hope that is what its called) and whether it will be right for us, I would be grateful for other users experience of it.

Could you please explain how it works and how easy it it to have it connected and disconnected each time we need it? eg. can be done on-line? 

How much it costs?

Whether you can get 'broard band' on the same line and on a on-off basis the same as the phone?

Can't be without my internet for any more that 2 weeks!![Www]

Thanks

Chipie

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Sorry what I meant was: you have to have a fixed FT line in your principal house and then you can opt for a 'maison secondaire' line in your second house. I think this is right as our neighbour refuses to pay extra to FT for this option in his 'maison secondaire'.

Sue

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I was surprised to find that they will accept an English Main residence to justify a ligne Maison Secondaire

Details are here>

http://www.agence.francetelecom.com/mx/?tp=F&ref=3500&IDCible=1&type=3&donnee_appel=FTASN#oc

It costs no more than a basic line, you pay just under 5 Euros every time you disconnect, but you don't pay rental while disconnected.

There is no similar facility for ADSL and I have no information as to how or whether the disconnection affects the ADSL service.

 

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We have been using this system for over a year and it works very well.  We have one fixed UK line and a Maison Secondaire Tarif line in France.  You can suspend the line for "whole calendar months" for a small fee which is outweighed by the rental saving per month.
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[quote user="BJSLIV"]

I was surprised to find that they will accept an English Main residence to justify a ligne Maison Secondaire

Details are here>

http://www.agence.francetelecom.com/mx/?tp=F&ref=3500&IDCible=1&type=3&donnee_appel=FTASN#oc

It costs no more than a basic line, you pay just under 5 Euros every time you disconnect, but you don't pay rental while disconnected.

There is no similar facility for ADSL and I have no information as to how or whether the disconnection affects the ADSL service.

[/quote]

We live in the US and have FT's maison secondaire service for our French vacation home, so obviously it is not necessary to have a "primary" FT line.

We find it quite convenient as we can turn the service on (and off) online from the US.   As you can see on the linked page, we pay about 15 euros a month for the service when it is on, plus a small fee to turn it off.  One can turn it off (minimum 1 month, max 1 year) for up to 6 times a year (we normally have it on twice a year).

When I was looking at internet service, I could not find any FT service that would suit our usage patterns and be cheaper than the regular (then) Wanadoo, (now) Orange ADSL that is about 24,90 a month, so we went with that.  Naturally, the ADSL connection does not work when the phone line is turned off (but as we are not there, that is no problem).  I should add that we spend about 5 months a year in France; if you spend significantly less than that, you would probably want a different internet service plan.  My Wanadoo email account is still accessible through Outlook Express when I connect through my US ISP.

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 So it looks like it is possible to have a ligne residence secondaire in our holiday home.[:)]

BJSLIV thank you for that link, I shall get it printed out and take it along with my proof that I already have a fixed phone line in UK, when we sort out the new connection with FT

As for the internet I may well have to just put up with dial up for now [:(] (not sure if our hamlet even has ADSL yet)

I have looked at the FT website but was unable to understand enough to work out how much putting in a new line is. So if any one can tell me I would be very greatful ( phone lines are just across the road 15m away)

Thanks

Chipie

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[quote user="tenniswitch"]

We live in the US and have FT's maison secondaire service for our French vacation home, so obviously it is not necessary to have a "primary" FT line.

[/quote]

I think that is a superb service on the part of FT - I had no idea about that aspect of it, I only know that our French neighbour, whose holiday home is next door to our home, thinks that it costs too much and so wont make use of the service.

Sue

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[quote user="Spg"][quote user="tenniswitch"]

We live in the US and have FT's maison secondaire service for our French vacation home, so obviously it is not necessary to have a "primary" FT line.

[/quote]

I think that is a superb service on the part of FT - I had no idea about that aspect of it, I only know that our French neighbour, whose holiday home is next door to our home, thinks that it costs too much and so wont make use of the service.

Sue

[/quote]

I don't know what service would cost for a ligne primaire so I don't know what they're comparing it to.  We paid (not counting consommations) about 74 euros last year for the service secondaire- that was for a little less than 5 months of service & 2 turnoffs.  It seems pretty reasonable to me.

It's really very convenient.

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Teleconnect are offering a broadband service for 29,99€ with the facility to suspend service with a cost of 25€ to recommence after volunatary suspension. The operator I spoke to said that usage 5 or 6 months a year only was no problem.

Bill

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Is there a way to find out if my area has broardband? I did try to find out on the FT website, but they wanted my phone number, but I don't have a phone yet!

Would the mairie know?  I cant ask the neighbours (haven't met them yet)

Can I ask if most of you (in France) can get broadband or if you have to settle with dial up? I know here (UK) you need to be within 5km of the exchange and most villages can't get it.

Chipie

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

Thank you all for the info - can I just clarify something.  I went on the link and not being successful in completing the application for the maison secondaire on line I have printed the application.  Fine so far - but can you confirm that if you are using the UK line as the primary line the "evidence" they require?  Is it a UK phone bill and passport perhaps - or something else.  I think this is a brilliant idea and I want to go armed with the right "stuff" for our next visit.

I also assume I just trundle off to the local FT in the local town?

So now I am on a roll - has anyone tried purchasing a French Sim card and used in their "unlocked" uk mobile - does it work - I am really trying to cut down the cost of the "in and out roaming charges" I am being hammered with - and uk providers all seem to charge a similar amount so this was a suggestion - but someone has told me it won't work in a uk mobile??

Look forward to a response

Thanks

aj

 

 

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FT seem to suggest that you need to prove your second home is a private property as opposed to business premises, it suggests an insurance document as proof.

Secondly they would require a [copy of a] local tax bill - council tax bill perhaps? One which shows the exact address of your main UK residence.

Sue

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In answer to the mobile sim question, in an unlocked UK phone the French sim works fine, I know loads of people who do this without a problem.  It is quite feasable to have one phone and two simm cards which you swap on the ferry depending in which direction you are travelling, if that's what your're after, lots of people do just that...  the cost of the sim in an FT shop is about 30 euro's for a pay-as-you-go model, mind you they also had a fairly swish phone on offer which if you bought at the same time it was 49 euro's all in, so a new phone for 19 euro's (and 30 for the sim) so not bad either way..We did both, we bought one phone with sim as OH had an ancient phone and one for me to put in my fairly new UK mobile.. 

Perhaps others will know of cheaper places..we were in a bit of a hurry and didn't think the FT option was toooo expensive

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[quote user="Spg"]

FT seem to suggest that you need to prove your second home is a private property as opposed to business premises, it suggests an insurance document as proof.

Secondly they would require a [copy of a] local tax bill - council tax bill perhaps? One which shows the exact address of your main UK residence.

Sue

[/quote]

Goodness, we never had to do all that to get our "Maison Secondaire" line from FT.  I wonder what will happen when we go to get a phone installed in our new (second) maison secondaire.

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[quote user="tenniswitch"]

Goodness, we never had to do all that to get our "Maison Secondaire" line from FT.  I wonder what will happen when we go to get a phone installed in our new (second) maison secondaire. [/quote]

Perhaps as you are already an existing customer you wont have any of that bother?

I think when anyone begins something like that today, from scratch, then all kinds of safe-guards kick in. But if you are known to a company or whatever then the procedure can be easier.

Sue

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