I talk from personal experiences when I suggest the Mairie… and am well aware that not all Mairies and/or regions are the same… I’d rather make a suggestion which is laughed at, than let someone flounder perhaps needlessly. 
Sadly, for my neighbour… she will not have steps and that’s that. She does have another entrance on the level but prefers the backdoor… aaaargh.
(SS did put in a handrail for her… )
EDIT: as graham suggests, I’ve gone barmy… my neighbour won’t have a “slope”…
1 Like
Yes you can. I did it last week - cancel a direct debit. I had to visit the bank but it is doable.
The problem for the poster is even after porting out of free they still have a mandate so… But the simplest way to escape Free is to port the number - saves registered letters they ignore.
Check if your mother’s house insurance includes legal assistance that may offer some solutions.
1 Like
Ooo-err 
I’ve been on their 2€ deal for a couple of years now. I only use it to receive calls/sms from French entities that have to have a FR phone number to communicate with.
I’ve never had any dealing with them. Maybe I should get out before something blows up?
1 Like
good to know.
The past convention seems always to have been you can’t; has there been a change in recent times and which bank (presumably French).
@KarenLot is my usual go to place for consumer banking matters - does Karen know about this?
1 Like
I thought it was a ramp you were suggesting
1 Like
It will be online in her espace. May, or may not, be accessiblr on the website - look for the official headings for Conditons de Vente or similar at the bottom of the screen in case you can find this standard info without checking your actual contract in your espace.
1 Like
Just port it now I have done it both ways in France and the avoidance of complications porting rather than giving notice is even starker in France than UK.
sosh.fr used to be able to be called but have blocked most ways now.
if she wants calls to the UK included syma.fr is the only low cost one I know that includes them. Do not take the official 9,99 euros, there are multiple recurring promotions at 5,99 for at least the first year (and should get an offer a few months in to freeze it low forever for a nominal amount more). But very very poor signal most places however I suspect Paris will be fine. Syma has really nice customer service though, phoneable too
2 Likes
Yep… it’s true… I’m barmy… she has steps already… wide but narrow, with (now) a handrail to the rhs against the wall, supplied by SS.
To enter the house you can go up the steps, by the left, by the right, or the centre and any combination of… but without even a footlength/width on which to place ones foot as one goes forward, well… most of us villagers reckon it’s an accident waiting to happen. A nice slope, left and right… with a rail across the middle-landing, to lean on and gaze out at the chickens and her veg patch… would be great we reckon, but she is adamant things stay as they are and we wouldn’t dream of upsetting her.
1 Like
Thank you this looks interesting. What are these ? Ombudsmen? Trustpilot type services? Sorry, my French fails me!
Hello all, again. Thank you for your very helpful and thoughtful responses. I’ll let you know how I get on. One last question. Fo you know if va there is an equivalent to the Charity Age Uk in France ? That might also help if so.
Thank you
If you use their online system to move your mother’s mobile to Sosh, they will cancel the contract with Free. I did exactly that one year ago. The changeover was seamless and I received no correspondence or further bills from Free. I have been very pleased with the service from Sosh.
2 Likes
I have SFR and thinking about changing later in the year when my contract expires - I took a quick look at Sosh and understood they use the Orange network, so assume their coverage is the same as Orange - or am I misunderstanding ???
IME sosh signal is worse than Orange by about 1 bar at the same location.
Syma, an Orange MVNO, is consisently 2 bars worse in same location.
This, regardless of device.
The effects may not be noticeable if you are in a very strong signal location.
2 Likes
Great - very good to know, so thanks, as want to try to optimize price/service next time around 
yes, it’s the online only version of Orange
2 Likes
Sosh uses the Orange network, but doesn’t have dedicated shops or a phone help system - everything is online - thus charges less. I’ve actually found the support far better than Orange. As for signal strength, I’ve found them to be identical for 4G coverage.
3 Likes
we have a friend (yes, we do!) who opened a Sosh account for internet access and telephone at his apartment and was very pleased with the service he received. Never a problem with it.
I had this on my UK phone last year. Normal bill £10pm, suddenly had charge of £130, with 8 calls to Seychelles, USA, etc etc which I had not made. Contacted O2, they said I had made the calls, I said I had not.
They finally offered 50%, which I refused. Went to Ombudsman, also refused. Went to Small Claims Court, O2 offered 100% but only if I signed a confidentialty clause, which I refused, as I had already contacted BBC Moneybox, Martin Lewis & others. SCC appointed an Arbitrator, I was then given 100% plus court costs and no confidentiality clause!
Now your Mum is in France, and is a good age, so I think she might have a challenge going through the type of procedure above in France.
But I think you should persevere with the telephone company. What makes me cross is that somehow
they are making money from these fake calls, how do the scammers get cash out of the system? I’m told it is called a Wangiri fraud.
Combats et litiges - UFC-Que Choisir you can contact these people. This organisation is a consumer protection group. There should be a few offices around Paris. Most of the people working there are volunteers and some of them ex-lawyers and public servants. They probably will ask just to subscribe to their site for 15€ just in support. They helped us dealing with Conforama claim.
4 Likes