I Hate SFR!

[Gardian]

We've been u/s for over two weeks - don't suppose anybody here has noticed nor been the slightest bit bothered, but you'd be surprised at how 'cut-off' you feel without phone & internet.

We've been with SFR for years, largely untroubled. One evening, everything just went, so a call to '1023' the following morning. I've had a read of the previous posts on SFR and had a good chuckle - believe me, I can relate to every single one of them.

The biggest problem is their complete reluctance to send somebody to fix things. Of course I can understand that this isn't the 1st nor even the 2nd thing that you do, but after 2 bloody weeks? I must have made 20 calls during that time (from my mobile) and did eventually get through a couple of times to Service Technique somewhere in Morocco - these were pretty good and sent me down the track of a 'Trotter' which Dave described perfectly in a previous post. Actually, it was useless - slow and not helped by a chafing wire.

Eventually, Saturday morning, Armageddon. SWMBO said she had had enough and here I simplify what she actually said. A call, Morocco, a lengthy rant. 40 mins in total. Promise of an Eng at 08.00 Monday. It was 08.45 actually, not bad for France!

He had identified the problem in 5 minutes - I guess that 99% of faults are within the house, and basically it was Knackered wiring that needed renewing. An hour or so and we were OK again.

Wonder whether we'll get a bill - fight that fight if & when. No real point to this post. Everybody has a good story / bad story about this or that supplier. It's been like a return from hell and I never thought I'd feel like that 10 years ago.

[woolybanana]

Yes, I can't say I was pleased with SFR and was glad to get away from them. But they even tried to make that difficult.

I think they are all a load of rip off shysters who badly need a good whipping. Perhaps we should set Norman on them!

Anyway, back to normal now.

[Chancer]

If I have read your post correctly the fault was within your home ergo your wiring?

 

If so then I would expect them to charge you for the intervention.

 

It wont have been their engineer but an FT one or one contracted by them.

 

I had a similar breakdown with Free.fr, the fault was external, they went to a lot of effort to do diagnostics to ensure that the fault was not within my premises before shunting the fault report to FT, they explained and I understood that they had to do this first and that they could not report a fault for 24 hours and that FT then had their own sweet time to respond.

 

I think an FT Customer may have got service perhaps 24 hours quicker than I did but thats the price I pay for no line rental, 2 weeks is unacceptable without extenuating circumstances, I was without service a few days and the fault was caused by the FT contractors working on a junction box in the street as usual.

[YCCMB]

As far as I'm aware, you are within your rights to demand reimbursement of your bill for the period your service was not available.

[AnOther]

Maybe but getting it might be an entirely different question !

Like

them or not at least with Orange it's all their kit so you're not faced

with dealing with 3rd parties - and in English if that's important to

you.

I can fully empathise with Gardian though and the phone is the lesser part of it, the internet and email have become such integral parts of our lives these days that it's surprising that it hasn't been added to the list of 'ooman rites' !

[Chancer]

And yet only 11 years ago when i pitched up here after travelling the world where even in the poorest of countries like Bolivia I could find an internet cafe in practically every 2nd shopfront, here in troudeculdemondeville there was nothing, zero, nada, not at the hôtel de ville, not at the bibliotheque, nothing anywhere just some vague rumours that such and such a bar might let you use their computer (they wouldnt!).

 

I finally found out by chance that there was an internet café in the university at Amiens, I went there and it was closed, they were on strike [:-))]

 

As you say its an integral part of most peoples lives, many government departments assume that one has internet access, impôt déclarations for many have to be done by the internet, with of course the usual stupid French exception yet I know of many people that dont have a computer or internet.

 

I cant say that of people that i know in the UK but maybe in backsideoftheworldtown there are the equivalent, but it seems that even the poorest of refugees that have allegedly escaped a murderous regime with only the clothes on their backs have an internet connected smartphone in their hand, something that I still dont own and I hope never will.

[YCCMB]

Well, Mr. other, SFR stipulates in its own T&C's as follows:

Délai de rétablissement du Service Internet

Le délai de rétablissement du Service Internet, mesuré entre la date de l’appel du Client noti ant au service d’assistance technique une interruption totale du Service Internet imputable à l’Opérateur et la date à laquelle le Service Internet est rétabli par l’Opérateur, est de 48h maximum.

- A défaut, l’Opérateur remboursera, sur demande du client, la somme cor- respondant au prix du Service Internet au prorata temporis de sa période d’interruption totale, sous forme d’avoir sur sa prochaine facture. Aucune compensation ne sera due au Client lorsque le non respect du délai de réta- blissement résultera :

- d’un cas de force majeure tel que mentionné à l’article 11,

- de la commande d’une intervention d’un technicien au domicile du Client,

- du fait du Client et, en particulier, du fait de l’installation non conforme du ou

des Matériels et des équipements du Client visée à l’article 6,

- d’une interruption prévue à l’article 6§3,

- d’un remplacement du Modem ou du Décodeur ou du Boîtier de terminaison - d’un raccordement de la ligne téléphonique du Client sur le réseau d’un opé-

rateur tiers sans autorisation du Client, pour l’ADSL/VDSL.

[AnOther]

I don't doubt you for an instant just saying, being entitled is one thing, getting it is another.

I'm sure Gardian will keep us posted if he does decide to exercise his rights [;-)]

BTW rather than that condition I think most of us would far rather see one which said that calls to customer support should be FREE, you're already on the back foot when you have a problem then salt is rubbed in when potentially it cost's you €xx to get it sorted.

[YCCMB]

I am fairly sure that the Code de la Consommation states that they HAVE to reimburse you by deducting what's owed from future bills.

[soupagirl]

We also had problems with SFR in November last year. The internet and phone all went off, we went to our nearest SFR shop where we were told to ring 1023 despite not having a telephone to do so. Two mobile phones were drained of credit in the following days trying to get someone to come out and look at the problem and being foisted from one department to another. Eventually someone did come out and tested the line and the box, agreed it was knackered and told us SRF would be in touch by text to organise collecting a replacement box. Then we heard nothing for a week. Eventually on the advice of our French neighbour we unplugged the box and took it, all its connections and paperwork to another SFR shop, plonked it on the counter of their 'customer services' and told them that the box was not fit for purpose, it was no use to us, they could have it back and we wanted the promised replacement. Now. The flustered lady got on the phone to someone 'on high' and after a lengthy conversation she eventually emerged with a new neufbox. As we were driving home, I received the long-awaited text from SFR telling me that the new neufbox was ready to be picked up that day. Coincidence? I think not. Anyway the thing has been working well since then but there was no mention of reimbursement following our fortnight without internet or phone, and the monthly charge seems to be constantly rising without notice, so we are looking to change provider though it appears that they are all as bad as each other in the customer service area.

[Pierre ZFP]

Maybe you should become an off-grid spoon whittler

[AnOther]

[quote user="You can call me Betty"]I am fairly sure that the Code de la Consommation states that they HAVE to reimburse you by deducting what's owed from future bills.[/quote]

Having been here as long as you have Betty I find it quaint that retain such confidence in any company in France doing what they HAVE to without some sort of persuasion or a cajoling.

The code of course says 'on request' so on that basis alone you won't get anything if you don't ask.

A défaut, l’Opérateur remboursera, sur demande du client,

[Gardian]

I accept entirely that I may get a bill because the problem was found to be within my four walls. However, most of us don't have the means nor expertise to ascertain that. Service Technique said at least twice that the problem was "Dehors".

Anyway, more or less sorted now though. They changed the SFR box, but the Eng changed it again when on site - dodgy connection apparently. We have been assured several times over that we will receive a "remboursement" but I'll believe it when I see it. Calls from the mobile will be hefty.

Just had a texted questionnaire on what we thought of the service they gave us! No prizes!