wanadoo question

[lausha]

Hi

I'm hoping someone here can help.  I got my phoneline ADSL'ed (8mb rather than 512) and although I still have not been sent a modem, or until Tuesday, had a phone line that worked, Wanadoo began taking money from my account 2 months ago. [^o)] 

Could someone tell me - as I have no paperwork whatsoever from Wanadoo - how long am I contracted to them?  When can I cancel the payments - should, or indeed can, I cancel the payments, is there someone better I should be getting broadband from?  It's just when I ordered the line from France Telecom I wasn't offered options.

Next question - once I pick up the livebox from France Telecom (I'm in the UK right now), and when I do eventually get it up and running will it work alright with my already loaded-on Outlook Express and Explorer?  And if not, is there any other system I should use instead?  And is the Livebox easy to install by the way?  (I've brought an English PC over though I have a phone adaptor plug if necessary...) and is there anywhere - a site - with instructions in English..?

Sorry to ask so many questions, it's just I've waited so long for this to get sorted out and there are still so many things that can go wrong and obviously if they do go wrong, I won't have internet access when I'm out there to look up the answers... [*-)]

Thanking you in advance for all or any help

Laura

[Sevenup]

Laura

Yes. A lot of questions.

The good news. Your email won't be difficult to setup to whatever you have already set.

The bad news is that I suspect it will be hard to cancel the contract if you find you wish to go with someone else. Although Wanadoo don't always provide the best ADSL in certain areas. I'm sure it can be got working.

The best solutioon for you is to wait till you come over and bring a normal dial up modem with you. You can then use that to talk to the forum.

I'm in 33. Ste Foy La Grande.

Hope that helps

[lausha]

Thanks Sevenup.

So you can you plug a normal modem into an ADSL-enabled phoneline?  I never thought of that!  Will that be part of the Wanadoo isp service I'm already paying for, or will I have to get a new contract and pay for a different "dial-up" isp?

Thanks

Laura 

[Sevenup]

Wanadoo provide a NoTies service like UK. It's something like 1.5cents a minute so it isn't too expensive for short times on the net and/or reading email. I suspect though that as Wanadoo have already ADSL'd your French line that you will have ADSL up and running fairly quickly.

[Deimos]

Wanadoo are pretty well as bad and as good as all the

others.  Some ISPs may offer special

deals now and again to be “the best” but these tend to expire after a few

months and you are back to where you were. At the end of the day if somebody is

offering you something really “great” bundled in you are in reality paying for

it.

I suspect Wanadoo started charging you from when you asked

for the ADSL (after all they have no idea when you may start using it).  They need to set-up your account to ask

France Telecom to connect your line/ADSL to them (Wanadoo).  Normally Wanadoo ADSL contracts are for 12

months.

Ian

[Vienne_Billygoats]

Hi Laura,

We have just had your problem in reverse in the last 3 months!! - we appointed Cegetel - they didn't deliver, but cost us over 350 euros in all, we cancelled and are now with Wanadoo.

Some points to note, both now & for the future:

1. We triple checked all of the various "degroupage" type tests, well PRIOR to choosing Cegetal as our DSL provider, and checked their tariff structure on the "ADSLFacile" website for example. Even read some online customer reviews from web-user forums.

2. Cegetel confirmed via their own web pages that 1MB ADSL was immediately available in our property (In a town location which already has assorted ADSL providers)

3. I joined them online, paid for a 99euro wi-fi router, and they had a French bank mandate completed on line.  We were charged immedialty with the 99 euro modem/router fee & 1 months line charge of about 30 euros or so.

4. Cegetal expected delievry date of the ADSL service was 10-15 days.  The ADSL router was received with log-in passwords etc ALL within 7 days!!

5. We than had several emails & 2 letters from them advising of a further 2 weks dealy (twice), a letter dated December 2004!!, saying that our line was enabled etc etc etc.

6. We contacted them via phone, but struggled, they had no English speaking assistants and their fench was peculiar??, we got a French friend (I her own Translation business) to question their customer help line, they were fobbed off with a 2 weeks delay. (We paid for that translation service!).  We wrote to them again via the same Translator, requesting a commencement date - now 2 months late!!. 

7. Our Translator friend rang again - routed to North Africa!! - (That explained why we ere unable to get our point across she suggested!), she was advised after 20 mins on the phone, that Cegetal had not even enabled their own server software to make our town ADSL line line work - let alone our own property.  We advised them to cancell there and then!! - They said OK, just as easy as that, but offered us 500 free minutes to stay -we said NO!.

8. Our Translor wrote a recorded letter to Cegetel cancelling the service, as they were materially unable to provide a service that they had said was available, and had been charging us for.  FRAUD springs to mind - she suggested the same to them (I love the way the French argue).  We requested a full refund of the 3 months line rentel/router fee etc - but have had nothing to date.WE ALSO IMMEDIALTEY WROTE TO OUR BANK (RECORDRD) AND CANCELLED THE CEGETEL DIRECT DEBIT etc)

BUT, they have refunded nothing to date, just offset some 30 euros against a cancellation fee of some 30 euros?, and they have sent us a second ADSL wi-fi router in error.

Being pragmatic, thay are a shower, but we are free of them, we cannot recover our abortive fees, their charges nor the fees of the lady who assisted us in cancelling their services.  BUT we have come away pretty cleanly from a TWO year contract - and they didn't even wince!

So, I hope this tale helps you, we were really messed about by Cegetel, and I really needed that service to work from home....

This is, and has been to date, our sole French frustraion in over 2 years  so take heart.

Good luck,

mark B

 

 

 

[lausha]

Thanks everyone - wow Mark that sounds like a total pain.  I just know from everything so far (no modem - twice, no line working) that there will be more problems to come.

But the livebox - nobody had problems setting it up?  You don't know anywhere that has the instructions in English do you?  I see I have to pay a further 3 euro a month to rent the thing.  I don't need wireless access or internet TV or anything so can anyone suggest a broadband modem that will work with Wanadoo that doesn't cost on top of the monthly fee?

Thanks

Laura

[Jonzjob]

Hi Laura, have a look at www.wanadoo.co.uk and go to their livebox section. It gives the instructions there. The U.K. livebox is the same as the French one and is easy to set up. We got a livebox about 6 weeks ago so we can use our laptop where we want ( summertime, terrace, cool drink, yum, yum). After about a month we had a problem with the livebox where it would not connect with either PC. I used the English instructions to go through their hoops and finished phoning the 'help line' (Tangiers) and did not get very far. Eventually I convinced them that the box was naff and should be replaced. Even the guy in the FT shop, Carcassonne said that if we had trouble to take it back for exchange. Anyway, we now have our new box and it's working OK. At 3€ a month it will be a long time till we have paid the same as one of the other wireless routers too. By that time I would expect a lot of changes to have taken place and we should be able to update this box easily (peut etre?).

We have been with w/doo.fr for about 18 months and they have been OK, but not great. When we moved to our own home from a long let place we had just upgraded to 1 meg ADSL, being told, by FT, that it was available in our new place. we were then told that we would have to stay at 1/2 meg and that the price would be amended accordingly. That was April last. A couple of weeks back we found out that it hadn't been amended because we had gone onto a monthly agreement and thet was why we were still paying the same. This was dispite being told that ti would all be sorted out and the correct price charged only a few days before. I didn't know they had  a monthly thingy?

Good luck,

John.

[lausha]

Thanks John - extremely helpful.  I had looked at the site briefly before and couldn't find anything so I gave up, but now I've looked again properly and found it.  Many thanks!  However... they mention a username and password - none of this was discussed with me when I signed up for broadband.  And of course I have no paperwork, except for my bank statement saying the payment has gone to wanadoo - but certainly no mention of password or username.

Seeing as I'm still in the UK and loathe to line their coffers further with long and difficult to understand phone converations - any idea where I might find this information? 

Once again, many thanks

Laura

[Sevenup]

Laura

In my earlier post I said you can use a dialup modem with your ADSL

setup by using the normal telephone port. I forgot to mention that

although you can use the ADSL at the same time. The ADSL takes priority

and so will cut the modem speed to 9600 which is very slow and almost

unusable but it's there. However if the livebox is unplugged then you

should get a modem connect speed of about 34000. This is of course only

if you cant get any other support. You should be able to dial the UK

Wanadoo dial up number 00448450796699 and supply your old ID and

Password and you will at least be able to connect to your old account.

This will obviously be expensive but is there if you need it.

I suspect you wont have any problems as Wanadoo seem to have sorted out their earlier hassles.

Hope this helps.

[lausha]

Thanks Sevenup.  However I don't have a UK wanadoo account.  My UK broadband is with blueyonder.  Is there a good pay as you go internet provider in France that anyone can recommend?  I will have to sign up for it from here in the UK first, won't I, otherwise when I plug the modem in nothing will happen?  Or have I got that wrong? (Can you tell, I'm really not very technically au fait...)

Thanks

[Sevenup]

Laura

I am sorry if I clouded the issue but I think Johns suggestion may be

the easiest. I had assumed you were on dialup in UK and were going to

ADSL for the first time. My idea was only in case the LIVEBOX didn't

allow any connection but I think that will be unlikely.

 

[Deimos]

[quote

user="lausha"]

...

I don't need wireless access or internet TV or anything so can anyone

suggest a broadband modem that will work with Wanadoo that doesn't cost on top

of the monthly fee?

Thanks

Laura

[/quote]You do not need a Livebox to access Wanadoo

ADSL.  You can use most ADSL modems and

can actually buy them from Wanadoo 

(outright purchase at pretty cheap prices – not hire on a monthly

basis).  For example you can purchase a

USB ADSL modem outright from Wanadoo for 1€

(http://www.wanadoo.fr/bin/frame2.cgi?service=wanadoo_et_moi&u=http%3A//nos-offres.wanadoo.fr/no1132053402/ext/op3b-produit-packusb.html).  Alternatively if you want to share the

connection between several cabled (cabled Ethernet computers) then you can buy

an ethernet modem outright from Wanadoo for 30€

(http://www.wanadoo.fr/bin/frame2.cgi?service=wanadoo_et_moi&u=http%3A//nos-offres.wanadoo.fr/no1132053402/ext/op3b-produit-packethernet.html).  these are both cheaper than the

Livebox.  For some people the Livebox

provides what they want.  For many it is

overkill.  Wanadoo push the livebox a

lot (maybe because they get ongoing revenue from it each month.

Ian

[lausha]

Hi Ian

Perfect - that's exactly what I was hoping for!  [:D]  Thanks so much for that.  One last question then (sorry!) - I daren't order from Wanadoo as so far they've failed twice to deliver a modem as promised.  Will I be OK to use a UK broadband modem with a French phone adaptor plug?

Thanks

Laura

[Jonzjob]

Hi Laura, we bought our broadband /ADSL 'modem' from the U.K. We were on Freeserve, which is now W/doo. It works fine here with the French phone cable. We used it on our laptop before we got the livebox. The only thing was that we were limited to where we could use it in the house because of the position of the phone sockets and although you are supposed to be able to use 2 ADSL 'modems' on 1 ADSL account it would not work with 2.

It may be the same situation with the 'modems' as with the phones bought over from the U.K. where somw work and some don't, but if you are to use your ADSL 'modem' then won't you need your user name and password. By the way your user name will start with "fti/xxxxxxx" and you will also have a uaer name and password for your messagerie (e-mail).

John.

[lausha]

[quote user="Jonzjob"]

but if you are to use your ADSL 'modem' then won't you need your user name and password. [/quote]

Interesting.  I wasn't intending to bring the modem I use in the UK as I will still be needing it here.  I was thinking of going to PC World or somesuch place and buying one from scratch.  Is every broadband modem affiliated to an isp then?  Or are they just modems, like a dial-up one is?

thanks

Laura

[Jonzjob]

Interesting.  I wasn't intending to bring the modem I use in the UK as I will still be needing it here.  I was thinking of going to PC World or somesuch place and buying one from scratch.  Is every broadband modem affiliated to an isp then?  Or are they just modems, like a dial-up one is?

thanks

Laura

W/doo U.K. and W/doo France are different companies although they seem to share some things, like the livebox, but I am fairly sure that the 'modems' are pretty standard. Wanadoo of either side use at least 3 different types.  If you are here then you will not be using your 'modem' in the U.K. It's small enough to bring over, at least to try it?

Sorry to keep using the ' ' with 'modem', but a modem is a "modulator/demodulator" which converts the analog signal on the phone line to a digital one for the PC for incoming and digital to analog for outgoing signals. On ADSL/Broadband the signal is already digital superimposed onto the analog signal for the speech part of your phone line. The reason you have a filter on your phone sockets is to take the digital off the incoming signal so you only have the analog bit for your phone. Otherwise you would have a LOT of noise on the line and you would not (have you ever wished you had not started something [8-)] ?) be able to hear any speech on your phone...

[lausha]

Thanks John.  I've been looking at which modems I could buy and bring over, and when I've seen the installation instructions, they all mention a CD from the service provider.  Is that actually necessary?  Or did your modem configure itself automatically?  I can't rely on Wanadoo sending me anything, so will I be able to just "plug n play" into a Wanadoo ADSL phoneline, do you know? (Obviously each modem comes with an installation CD of its own, but I'm presuming that's not linked to any specific provider).

Thanks

Laura

[Deimos]

[quote

user="lausha"]

...

Will I be OK to use a UK broadband modem with a French phone adaptor plug?

Thanks

Laura

[/quote]

Difficult to be 100% on that.  Last year I updated the firmware in my ADSL router with some

updated firmware I found on Thompson’s UK site and the modem stopped working

immediately.  Called Thompson support

and they said it would as the French protocols are slightly different.  However, most ADSL modems these days cover

both UK and French (actually worldwide variants).  I then found a worldwide variant of the firmware and it worked fine.

If you are using e.g. a router configuration (e.g. Ethernet ADSL

modem) then you would not need any ISP’s software (just the connection username

and password).  You would have to

configure the e-mail, IP stack, etc. manually but its not that difficult.

However, Wanadoo are not particularly unreliable.  When then delivered my ADSL modem it was

payment on delivery – so if you are not in France that might be causing

delivery problems.  Buying your own ADSL

modem will be more expensive than Wanadoo’s – Wanadoo’s is so cheap because you

are taking a contract with them.

Ian

[lausha]

[quote user="Deimos"]

If you are using e.g. a router configuration (e.g. Ethernet ADSL modem) then you would not need any ISP’s software (just the connection username and password).  You would have to configure the e-mail, IP stack, etc. manually but its not that difficult.[/quote]

Hi Ian

Thanks - but I'm not sure what you mean by configuration.  I'm guessing it will have a USB plug one end and go into the phoneline with the French phone adaptor on the other.  I can probably work out how to configure my emails in Outlook Express but I don't know what an IP stack is.  Is there a website I can look at to advise me on the setting up thing? 

(As for Wanadoo delivery - I scheduled the modem to arrive when I was in France - and yet nothing happened, no postman, no note saying it had been delivered when I was out etc.  I'm sure this is the postal system at fault, but Wanadoo just shrug and keep on charging me regardless.)

Thanks

Laura

 

[Jonzjob]

Hi Laura, I think that the best thing you could do is to go into your nearest France Telecom shop, tell them the situation, take your passport and a utility bill so you can prove who you are and where you live. They will have your details on their system and should be able to tell you what your user name and passwords are for both your connection and your e-mail. Without those you will not be able to make any connection.

When we signed with them we walked into the shop in Carcassonne and walked out with all the kit, CD, 'modem' and a huge sheet of instructions. But if you want to connect without going through all the W/doo poop (?) then it is fairly easy to set it up manually. When you get to that stage then yell for help, there has got to be loads of folk on this forum who will be able to help, even me pert etra?

What area are you in and do you know where your nearest shop is? If you don't then you will be able to find it on www.pagesjaunes.fr , just trype in France Telecom. It tells you wot to do.

[Lautrec]

I have had a four-week nightmare. struggling to achieve Broadband status on Wanadoo. Today, with more luck than skill, I achieved my ultimate goal! But at what cost? A bill from Wanadoo for 90odd euros for a dial up charge when I though I was already on Haut Debit and covered by my monthly prelevement charge. I stayed on line much too long thinking that it was unlimited, but I was being charged at 2 cents a minute! (Quelle Fromage!)

Now I am advised that my monthly charge is 38 euros, when it plainly states on the charge sheet that 512k is only 19.50 per month, rising to 24.95 after three months! So once again I will have to launch into another lengthy correspondance battle to try and sort it all out.

However it is a so nice to get so much faster speed when you are downloading from the Internet. I suppose it is worth it in the end!

Lautrec