Hi all
I need to arrange a broadband supplier and considering Orange Zen (previous owner had this) or UK Telecom, the latter appears a good price for basic internet + phone and would appear to be quite a bit less than Orange, UK Telecom also mention getting BBC/ITV within the package (subject to fair use I assume).
I'd appreciate any experiences/thoughts you have had especially with UK Telecom.
Also anybody out there tried the new Google Chrome cast audio (enables old style audio to broadcast wifi radio services such as spotify), its a very clever bit of kit
Thanks
Mike
Hi Helen
I can't get the web site to progress an order from the uk using the address option, it works if I use a local friends telephone number, the old number will not work. The dial back facility is limited to French numbers, do you happen to have a telephone number please, do they have any english speakers do you know.
Thanks
Mike
We get on fine with an Orange ZenBox for internet & we live in the countryside-our nearest town is Sauveterre-de-Guyenne that is a 10 min drive away.
We use internet quite a lot
1. Internet radio through a Revo SuperConnect or BBC RadioPlayer on iPad.
2. Have a sub to The Times/Sunday Times that downloads fine.
3. Use SuperVPN for UK football highlights on The Times.
4. Was able to listen & watch Derby County beating Hull last night (with SVN)-listen to Radio Derby's commentary (through a sub & Sky Sports via a day pass). Radio commentary tends to get a bit out of synch, but otherwise great with no freezing.
5. Have an Amazon Prime sub & able to watch free or paid videos, via Mac & Apple TV to the main TV.
6. Also use Skype for calls to UK or video to the kids & grandkids in UK.
Very occasionally the service packs up due to a fault elsewhere. Then we can use the SES/Europasat satellite as a backup with their lowest sub of about €10.95. We did use them as our main provider but for us the service was worse than Orange & expensive due to our heavy data usage.
I guess there are a lot of variables & very much an individual choice.
My experience of Orange has been very positive. The ‘shop’ is 50km away but that’s my fault for buying a house that far away. As far as Internet and phones go I would recommend them every time.
Well put Brian - the longer I live here the more I find myself accepting (well almost!) levels of service I would have found completely unacceptable 35 years ago - in any country!
Sadly - Orange / France Telecom epitomise the 'how not to do it' camp. My nearest 'shop' is staffed by vile individuals who frankly... I'd have flogged! I'm amazed they're not ashamed or embarrassed at the way they treat customers - but then I suppose that would put them vaguely in the human category. I once witnessed an elderly South African lady being treated like scum in store and so I intervened - just in order to call off the Rottweilers - despicable, shameful behaviour. I've witnessed similar behaviour from a ticket inspector on a local TER train....a whole other story but incredibly upsetting.
Sometimes I find myself choosing a company based on the lessor of the available evils....a sad indictment....
I ageer agere agree. As much as I like France and as much as I like how many things remain in public hands, there are sectors that suffer by staying under the state's thumb which is what France is struggling with. The Orange/France Télécom schizophrenia typifies that. They are one and the same company, so why play one off against the other when playing the blame game? That is because of the traditionalist versus market oriented business view. France ostensibly has the best telecommunications network in Europe, now to be overlapped by countries with companies that offer the service they promise in order to compete. Here it seems as though in certain fields, and this is one of them, we go to whoever seems least flaky or is complained about until somebody else improves service and/or who we are using begins to deteriorate. That is anti-competitive, more like a race to the bottom and back but to hell with the punters on the way.
In my opinion Brian this is just the dying throws of a typically badly managed transition from a privileged, lazy and overpaid State monopoly to the real world. It’s a lottery whether one gets a customer focused employee or a ‘traditionalist’. BTW, I’m not a unrestricted fan of privateisation but there were several, telecoms and air treavel for two, that I believe were an outstanding success.
That, having been said, the spell checker on my privatpte sector iPad is totally out of comtraol 
Forgot to say - it's best to canx by recorded delivery with receipt (LRAR) but you can do that quickly and easily on line here : Recorded Delivery with Receipt - Online - no need to waste your life in a post office queue!!!
Orange - How To Cancel Internet services: Orange Canx Internet
Instead of calling 3900 - write to: Internet Orange - Service Client, 33734 Bordeaux Cedex 9
Proforma letter : Proforma Canx Letter
Nordnet is a division of Orange so I am hoping the will let me go without any problems
The engineers, as said were here days ago, came in a van bearing the words Orange and France Télécom. It was the first time I had ever seen one in fact. However, when chatting with them they were clearly malcontent since they showed no sympathy or loyalty to the company. It transpired that although engineers come out in Orange vehicles, they in fact have very few engineers available and this pair were employed by a subcontracted company that does telecommunications installations in mainly new large buildings such as government offices, hospitals and places where there are complex networks. A few of them draw the short straw and go out to do work like ours. It was not the work they objected to, it was Orange administrators who gave them addresses and a vague instruction what they had to do. So, when they got to us they got coffee, biscuits and were allowed to smoke in our house over the coffee (SHE who must be obeyed who does smoke ordained that) with our electrician who reinstalled all the inside connections. As a result we got more than just a new box on the outside wall but re-cabled to the pylon. So, yes the engineers are great if people are OK with them but admin staff would appear to be on a par with the moronic sales 'teams'.
Andy, When I swapped SFR gave me the correct legal wording to tell Orange to take a hike. I think they also indemnified me up to a certain limit against Orange acting the idiot but it wasn’t required as Orange retreated, when faced with my all encompassng lette :-, from the field “honourably”.
I have just changed to Nordnet WIMAX in the Hautes Pyrenees, I know it is not available everywhere, at the moment its working ok at around 8.7 mbs. Orange had gradually gone down to about 0.5mbs, they didnt seem to be intrested in getting it any better. I can now stream films tv through an android box without any buffering.
I just have to try and cancel my Orange account, they said after waiting 25 mins I have to write in, where to I ask, the address on the back of my bill, my bills are online I say, send them to Lille she says.I give up.
I was reading Connexion this morning and they highlighted an offer from Free of Phone, TV and Broadband for €1.99 a month for twelve months. I’ve a duel sim phone with one slot containing a €2 euro PM Free deal. Two hours free calls a month including European (maybe even US) landlines. I find it a great standby. To avail of their latest offer one has to buy through Vente-Privee, I downloaded their app, signed up for free (no pun intended) and then searched “Free” and the offer came up. It might be worth a look. I only changed to SFR this year and I’m off wandering for a couple of months and don’t want any internet glitiches on my return otherwise I’d give it a go.
Hi John
Ah thanks that is really worth knowing about the "degroup" not come across that before hence the discussion, we seem to have a good head of steam regards thoughts.
The SOSH service for basic internet @ 25 euros/month (fibre + 5 euros/mth) with no fixed contract if I'm degrouped looks the cheapest and so far all spoken well of it. I guess the trick is now how to move forward with it, I'll see what else drops out of the discussion over the weekend.
Thanks
Mike
What you call “busy” Geoff is actually contention. That’s the number of subscribers hanging off the same line. There are recommended upper limits for this depending on the medium. Obviously old copper is the worst. In yout case I would guess that since the line for everybody is provided by France Telecom, as was, no matter which service provider you change to you’ll have the same problem. The issue, IMO, is the capacity of the line. Brian has exactly yhe same problem.
I only ever sign up with ISP and mobile providers on a 'sans engagement' basis - no contract to get out of and no being tied to renewal dates / penalties.
As a complete aside - it does make me smile when people say, by way of validation (?), - 'everyone here says....' or 'we all think......' or 'everyone agrees that.....' etc....