Onetel...?

[Martin963]

We've been with Onetel in France for seven years;   for the last four or so we have accessed the service by dialling 2* ****  etc instead of 0* **** etc.

However having arrived two days ago in France we now get a message from "Madame France Telecom" telling us that the number - any number - dialled this way is non attribué.

My account still seems to be active - I was able to log into the customer account section of Onetel's website;  however they haven't troubled themselves to reply to my emails thus far.

I wondered if perhaps they are now insisting on preselection (in which case they will lose my account).

Does anyone know if this is the case, or if the 2* code has been suppressed/changed.

Thanks all.

[BJSLIV]

We had a letter last year telling us that we needed to use a 4 digit code instaed of 02, but I didn't take any notice as we had started to use Tele2 instead.

I see that there have been complaints from some French users that they have , without authority, been moved to preselection, meaning no need to dial a code at all.

I have found that Onetel customer service does reply to emails, so you could try that. Otherwise the letter is still in France if you can wait 3 weeks......

PS I see that Onetel are now owned by Carphone Warehouse. Yet another change of ownership!

 

 

[Mikew]

One tel have an English speaking option on their Paris number that I used when I moved house the other year. The number was on the bill.

[Martin963]

Thanks for the replies.   Maybe they'll reply to the emails.

Putting off ringing them as it's a premium rate number,  but may be forced to I suppose.   Goodness I'm mean!

[Chrissie]

So what happens if you just dial the numbers without any prefix?  We've had that system with One-Tel for years - if we want to use France Telecom to get at funny UK numbers we put in a prefix, but almost never have to use their services.

Chrissie (81)

 

[Mysfloss]

This happend to me last week and I just reprogrammed the directory using 00 and all works fine now,I take it that you are on preselection with onetel

[Martin963]

Therein lies the rub.   I'm not on preselection (and would fight tooth and nail not to be) so unless Onetel have unilaterally moved me to P-S then I need the new access number.

If they have moved me to P-S how could I tell?   (apart from getting a letter/email etc).   Is there a way of telling via the phone?

And they still haven't replied to 3 emails over 3 days;  I suspect I shall be moving to another operator soon......

[BJSLIV]

Martin

After some intense Googling in French I think I have found the code . Try 1638 followed by the full number you require 02 47 XX XX or 0044 etc etc.

See

http://www.linternaute.com/acheter/telephone_fixe/lignefixe_faq.shtml

I remember that they had moved to a four digit  code, so its worth seeing if it works.

I think its part of their aim to discourage accounts that aren't on preselection.

Incidentally Martin , why are you so against preselection?. I'm interested as I am (hesitatingly) edging towards Neuf telecom with preselection, despite their rotten reputation!

 

[Martin963]

THANKS A MILLION BJSLIV - that's brilliant and I'll try it as soon as I come off line with the computer.

My fourth email to Onetel borders on the insulting but to be honest I'm past caring,  if they can't reply in four days then something has gone wrong.   I'm still annoyed that they dropped their internet service back in 2001 approx.   Apparently their ordinary customer phone number  (found via http://www.geonumbers.com/fr/search.php) has gone belly up too,  which makes me wonder if they're in trouble - it won't be the first time for the French bit of Onetel.

Why am I against preselection?   Mainly because I am a suspicious cynical s*d and like to make my own decisions about things without being herded.   I've seen too many organisations (banks,  insurance,  phone cos etc etc) who want to herd you in and then take you for a ride.    I don't know that it gets me anywhere,  but at least one only has oneself to blame when things go wrong! 

[Martin963]

FWIW I've still not had a reply to four emails sent to the onetel customer service address.

I would therefore downgrade what would have been previously a fairly enthusiastic recommendation for Onetel to a suggestion of extreme caution - any organisation that gets you into direct debit under the French terms for this method of payment and then hides behind a premium rate number as the only means of access needs treating with the utmost care - at least for the moment. 

[Miki]

[quote user="Martinwatkins"]

FWIW I've still not had a reply to four emails sent to the onetel customer service address.

I would therefore downgrade what would have been previously a fairly

enthusiastic recommendation for Onetel to a suggestion of extreme

caution - any organisation that gets you into direct debit

under the French terms for this method of payment and then hides

behind a premium rate number as the only means of access needs treating

with the utmost care - at least for the moment. 

[/quote]

I am curious as to why you are actually with One Tel Martin ?

We left them a few years ago as they were not as cheap as a lot of

others in the market. We have been with Ex Pat for a while now, they

are among the top few for cheap calls to the UK etc (taking away those

internet based companies, which would not suit our business) and do not

have  a premium number to ring and all emails that we have ever

had to send, have been answered quickly. They have always given

us  a good service, as well as calls abroad, our calls within

France, both national and local are with them and cheaper than F.T

[BJSLIV]

A problem with Onetel is that it is actually quite hard to find out what their non-preselection prices are.

They don't come out too badly in the on line comparisons, but that is for preselection, the only option that is available to new customers.

Perhaps Car Phone warehouse will sort them out. after all they have only owned it for a few months. they are certainly giving BT a bit of a run in the UK.

 

[Martin963]

Well I doubt I shall be with them for much longer.   Joined Onetel in France in Aug 1999 after good experience in the UK;  I remember being amazed then (back in about 1996) at being able finally to get my revenge on BT who had spent the whole of my lifetime charging - as Barry Took used to say - "what they bl***y well liked".   At the time Onetel France did internet access too.

Sadly all that has changed and I shall be looking elsewhere;  it just takes a while for me to quit an organisation who up to recently have been satisfactory....

Incidentally I turned up a BT leaflet not so long ago from 1981 - trunk calls were 20 p min on b circuits then.   Makes one realise how we have come on since then.  

[Miki]

Not sure exactly how much we used to pay to call the UK from France

before approx 1994/5/ (we then went with someone or other, now long

gone and saved money on calls for the first time) but FT were, I think,

the only player until then (if there was another way, we hadn't heard

of them) and the costs were pretty high for calls home.

The only cheap rate was to call after 7 or 8 p.m ? and after Saturday

lunchtime. The cheap call companies have really been a huge bonus to

all us ex pats.

[Martin963]

Onetel fr have finally troubled themselves to reply to my four emails.   Interestingly they claim to have sent a letter to me (which I have never received) but make no mention whatsoever of any alternative to preselection.   Seems to me they are being economical with the truth here as the code that bjsliv kindly gave me (1638) certainly permits calls!  

Will be interesting to see what the bill reveals when it arrives (as I am sure they will take the trouble to send that on time!) but I shall certainly be investigating the alternatives..... 

Shame when companies let themselves down quite so obviously......

[BJSLIV]

but make no mention whatsoever of any alternative to preselection

As I said they no longer give any details of the old code access system , no  pricelists and I don't think you can sign up for that service anymore.

Onetel originally hit the rocks a few years ago when Rupert Murdoch's sons original venture ran out of cash. At that time the French and the UK arms then went to different owners. The UK arm has recently been purchased by Talk Talk , from Centrica (Brit Gas)  wheeras the French arm has been purchased by  Phone House. So they are back together again both being owned by CarphoneWarehouse.

 

 

[Martin963]

......  having recently returned to France,  and being a "B.F." with a failing memory to boot,  I put in the prefix 1644 to make several calls back to the UK,  instead of what I meant to dial for Onetel,  ie 1638.

Research suggests that 1644 seems to belong to freetelecom,  which in turn seems to actually be free.fr.

Does anyone have the faintest idea how I will be billed for these calls,  or how much?   We have a pay-as-you-go dial up with free.fr but no other arrangements.  

Incidentally,  since starting this discussion back in Feb,  I have had several round and round email discussions with Onetel.   Initially they claimed that the 1638 prefix would be dropped soon and that I would have to go for preselection or resiliation,  but when I said I would under no circumstances accept preselection the mention of suppressing 1638 has - interestingly - disappeared from the conversations.....

Hm,.....