Having a very tricky time with Orange at the moment. Loss of connection for long periods last week prompted me to call the helpline. They were very good at first and asked me to hang on while they checked the line, then came back to the phone to say it was ok so they would sent a technician on Monday afternoon.
On Sunday, I think it was, I got another call to say that, as they had identified the problem and fixed it, the technician would not be coming. Good, and indeed it did work fine for another couple of days but then started shutting down again, but just for a few minutes. Very annoying, especially when I might be in the middle of something like this in full flow so to speak.
They had said that they would ring me back between 5 and 6pm the next day and I dutifully sat by the phone for all that time. Nothing.
The next day they rang when I was busy but I broke off to speak to them and told them that it had started switching off again but it was ok now. She then started banging on about giving her 5 stars for the service so I got annoyed and told her about me waiting for that call before. She then said I did call you but no-one answered. At that point, effectively calling me a liar, I rang off and later gave them one star when they sent me an online questionnaire.
So, is there an alternative to Orange and Livebox? Is it easy to change? Do I have to give them notice and take the thing back to the shop in Perigueux? I donāt need a landline, havenāt answered it in years, just an internet connection for the PC and my internet radio and Netflix/YT etc.
Problems with orange seen to be crippling up more and more recently.
Do you mean an alternative to the Livebox to connect to your existing line (and is that ADSL or VDSL?) or an alternating way of getting broadband altogether?
ADSL I think, been many years since we were invited to a demo in the salle, and signed up immediately. And I was forgetting that it arrives via the telephone line.
I am wondering if a change to a more modern box is the way to go, rather than a change of provider.
If ADSL any modem will do, if VDSL ditto just for the Internet access but Iām not sure if TV decoders can be made to work, almost certainly if your phone is via the Livebox you would lose that.
You need some magic numbers (for ADSL VPI and VCI and for VDSL the VLAN number) to put in as well as the original account details (which will have been sent by post).
The best thing you can do to start with is to go to the website ariase.com
If you scroll down from the top of the page, you will see a group of six boxes under the heading āNos outilsā. Click in the box that says āComparez les box Ć votre adresseā. In the form on the next page, you just need to enter your telephone number or your address and click the red āValiderā button. You will then be given a list of all the operators that can provide you with internet and/or telephone and what type and speed (i.e ADSL, VDSL OR Fibre) and also the cost. You need to be careful as some headline a low price for a certain time and then it increases, but the listing will say so.
If you are still on ADSL (like me), you are unlikely to find anyone faster than Orange/Sosh.
Fibre is close to being available here, so then there will be better options. https://nathd.fr/eligibilite/
No please donāt but just remember some of us on here are complete and utter dummies when it comes to technology - it is impossible to talk down to us.
Snap.
Just to clarify, I am not looking for more speed or anything else except a bit more reliability, as we used to have for very many years, until last week.
Due to the habit of this site when I clicked on my icon it took me straight to @SuePJās post and I didnāt notice the ones above.
So thanks all and I followed @hairbearās advice and it led me to a fibre offer from SOSH. Tellingly, it showed that my current Livebox is 2 whereas the one on offer from them is 5. Maybe that is at the root of my problem as I half suspected.
Always wary of change and as their offer is only slightly less than what I am paying now, would the best course be to get back to Orange and ask for a more up to date box?
Go for fibre - the base technology is much more reliable (not to mention way faster) than ADSL. At the same price or less itās a āno brainerā. Wish I had the option.
Though, yes, if itās a Livebox 2 it is old enough that it could easily be the root of your problems.
Agree with what was said above. Fibre doesnāt get affected by rain or thunder as itās all plastic and itās much faster.
Installation of fibre will be free. Orange are doing a deal at ā¬35 a month for fibre at the moment so might be cheaper than your ADSL.
Note that ADSL is being phased out by 2030, Orange in 2025 I think, so might be worth getting fibre before the rush.
HOWEVER beware: my parentsā and my experience with Orange fibre installers is dreadful.
They outsource the installation to hurried incompetents. My parentsā had their alarm phone line pulled out by the technician, his answer being: get a new Orange alarmā¦ The man was rude from the outset, shouting "Putain"s at regular intervals.
I went with Free after my own Orange debacle: Orange ātechnicianā said I needed to dig a trench from the road to the house (in my driveway) to get the cables through and left.
Guy from Free came and worked about 4 hours and managed to get the cables through.
I have just changed to fiber which has only recently been an option to those of us who live at the end of the line. The Orange techies needed just a couple of hours to connect me and my neighbour having done the preparatory work a week agoā¦ The following day another techie, may not have been from Orange, turned up and started lifting the manhole covers. After he left - no internet. Although the Livebox indicated it had a good connection. Phoned the Orange help line who straight away took me through a reset procedure and, bingo, problem solved.
I endorse what others have said. Consider moving to fiber now. It is the preferred technology and the lack of copper wires makes your connection less susceptible to lightning strikes. I have had two so far and they did quite a lot of damage
As a new build, fibre was the only source of internet and Free organised everything from getting Orange to come and pull the cables through to the fusebox and then they(Free) came out and check it worked via the two small boxes in my utility next to the main fusebox. There are no satelite dishes on the houses which is good as they are so ugly. I also feel safer during lightning as living near Gus, we get a lot of that during the summer from the mountains nearby.
The man was rude from the outset, shouting "Putain"s at regular intervals.