Warning to all

Those calls do exist Amanda...by the bucket load. The kind of calls I meant were the clearly fraudulent calls, where they are selling you something that doesnt exist. The sales calls are boringly there for ever.

I live in france and thankfully have only had one or two of these EDF calls in about three years. Before then none. Perhaps solar panels are not so effective in Britain and not so saleable. When the power companies became deregulated in the UK I remember that the number of sales calls was horrendous (and other types of sales approaches - door to door, leaflets, etc) it was a real scrum.

Here in France I am beginning to receive more calls from somewhere like India with people saying they are called Edward or Thomas or similar and they are from the Computer Department! I don't know what they are selling as I put the phone down at that point. My mother says Britain have had these calls for years - often selling mobile phones or something like that.

Amanda

Ah...now you can relax Jane...and enjoy the normal combative life with unwanted calls....I tend to agree with Christine....in the UK I just have fun with them.....the latest is to talk 19 to the dozen so they dont get a much chance to speak...then I say someone is at the door...hang on....put the phone down, turn on the tv and leave it for 10 minutes before putting the phone down.

These systems require consent from the Mairie/Architectes de France if you live as we do in a National Park and on old houses with traditional slate roofs you won't get permission. I do though suffer from very large bills as I too have a 3 phase supply before which trip out was very common. However even when I speak with friends in England I find that for houses of a similar age and size, and in exposed countryside, bills are not that dissimilar. I think plenty of us people of a certain age are fondly remembering bills that we used to get in the UK a few years ago before we came to France/Brittany. Basically if you want small bills you should go for new build super insulated homes. Plenty of us are living the dream of shabby chic French country living from sepia tinted films and photos that we loved so long ago.

I put my phone number on a list not to receive these calls, but that doesn't stop them. Caller ID usually shows "private" or "out of area", etc. I have to answer because we advertise our courses on line and in the last few months, have received bookings from Canada, Japan, South Africa, Australia........

However, I have noticed that I am usually asked am I the owner. When I say "no, locataires" they hang up. I have had some fun with the "Windows" callers. When asked to turn on my computer, I say "what computer, I have no computer, electricity or running water". Then I hang up. :-)

Hi Jane.

Don't bother too much with Pacitel :D

It only works if they have an agreement with known companies, not the scammers.

If you want too relieve your nerves and make fun of it all, just ask their questions in reverse.

Last time "we" both had a laugh, for a change !

We joined Pacitel to stop these nuisance calls. We thought that EDF had sold our number to a number of these companies, not that they were partner companies. However, has it stopped these calls,no way.
We still have the PVC panels calls and the usual one of people working with the commune and wanting to know how old we are. This working with the commune is another wheeze to make you think it is an " official" call.
We have recently had two calls asking if we have antiques to sell.
It has seemed to stop the frozen food sellers.
I will have to speak to Pacitel.I have been a bit busy with being a British retiree living in France and standing up against discrimination!

Its what Ive always done Mike....didnt speak much French when we arrived...so answered the phone saying...I cant speak French...and noticed the phone always went down...so seemed like a plan.....!

I have a new policy - do NOT let on that you speak French. Always answer the phone in a thick English accent, let them do their sale speil then say 'I'm awfully sorry, don't understand a bloody word you're saying'. All you'll hear is a click

Clearly. Where my OH comes from in the south of Switzerland they order, have an installation fairly immediately and as far as I know, when all of the installations are ready the electricity company comes, attaches the cable at that is that more or less. People have to pay for the installed panels and so on but not the labour and thereafter pay something like a small rental or maintenance charge but no longer have an electricity bill based on units used but only on the difference between what they use and what their panels collect. My sister-in-law pays virtually nothing, even in the depths of winter.

lucky them - we had the guy spell it out and it would be at least 3½ months, but perhaps longer, depending on the weather.... I guess if you live in certain areas it's going to take more or less time if there are people available to do the installation. Nevertheless, in other countries, if you sign up for something like this, the installation would be much and much quicker, and the returns quicker still.

Yes and no. The people a few hundred metres away in the next hamlet who were installed recently were less than two months from signature to connection. But hearing what they say about the return system and how long it might/will take to see any return it most certainly stinks as you say.

Those "firms" "Partenaires EDF" have got nothing to do with EDF. False pretenses.

I phoned EDF who confirmed that a few months ago. If EDF themselves want to contact you for this kind of thing, they said it would not be by phone.

Don't think that EDF will do something about it. They do not care. Same for the rest, as far as I can tell.

If you want to complain formally, your phone operator will be USELESS for I have tried. Again, not their concern. This ONLY way is to document the phonecalls + time & date and after a while, submit that at your local gendarmerie in order to " Porter plainte" which you can also do direct with the local Procureur de la République in writing, should you want to cutting corners.

You can also conatct the Répression des Fraudes, but only if you have everything well documented. Don't expect them to let you know what thy're doing about that afterwards, because they won't, unless it's a snowy day in the middle of summer. You just about can hope that they're dealing with the problem, somehow.

Also, being with FREE for the phonecalls received with the Freebox, there are ways to block nuisance phonecalls with dialling codes on your phones http://www.webchercheurs.com/16/666-fr-bloquer-numero-de-telephone-... at the end of each codes, press dial. A message then confirms what you did. Of course, that's only OK when you do get a phone number in the first place.

Most of the time, "Appel indisponible" are nuisance phoncalls but they can sometimes mean "calls from abroad"...

exactly - you must wait one year after installation. btw, installation takes up to 3-4 months, so after you sign the papers, it's at least 18 months before you see any return. I think it's a great idea to use solar panels, but honestly, the return system stinks. Good old Kiwiland is better in that you are wired directly into the grid and start saving immediately!

I had the same contact, and people turned up. They explained the deal: they install the panels, financed by a loan the repayments of which only start after one year. The idea being that the electricity you've sold to EDF the first year is enough to pay for the loan the second, and so on... I did not take it any further - mainly because of our age, and hence the fact that we would never benefit. But it may be a good thing for young people... Who knows. They do however misuse the EDF name...

Maybe I am being naive....we seem to get tons of these calls in France....and plenty of French Internet ones as well (as the EDF one I shared a couple of months ago).....I dont have these in the UK......I do get the usual rubbish on the internet....with every bank in Christendom or at least the UK telling me my bank account details need confirming...when of course I dont have said bank account.....but we dont seem to get the iffy phone calls that are outright fraud...and nothing from fake electric, gas companies on line.... does France have a bigger problem with these or am I just lucky?

about 20 minutes after reading this, we had yet another call from 'edf' approved solar panel installators. I play dumb and pretend I don't speak french. This often works but some are clever and realise that to tell them that I must speak a certain level of french... then I tell them I am a renter. But seriously, we've had around 25 of these people calling us, and one was so insistent, and unfortunately got OH on the phone, they came around with a proposal. After telling us that we don't earn enough (surprise, surprise!) and presenting us with second rate power point printouts (couldn't they just reprint the page if there were adjustments rather than pencil in the change?), we realise there is money to be made in selling solar panels to customers. It seems they make around €10,000 per sale, that's why they are so keen.

When we get calls saying "we are a partner of EDF...." I simply say "no thanks, we're on the France Telecom "Liste Orange" so we don't accept such sales calls. Good bye". And put the phone down. They don't usually call back. Then you can investigate via the internet to see what offers are really available. Maybe better to contact EDF direct to ask for their advice, to be sure the company is a genuine EDF partner.

When people ring you and tell you you can have something for nothing…do a quick check list 1. Is there a Santa
2. Do I believe in fairies .
3. If you pull the other one will bells ring…
Ok that done then give them your answer…

Steve thanks for that- that would explain why these guys weren't that interested in making our rv either. we waited and no-one turned up! -heres the confirmation RV email they sent us for comparison in case the same thing happens to you.

http://www.clipsol.com

Madame, Monsieur WARD

Suite à notre entretien concernant votre projet photovoltaïque, nous vous confirmons votre nouveau rendez-vous prévu le

Jeudi 13 JUIN 2013 à 10H30 avec un partenaire régional CLIPSOL GDF-Suez spécialiste en énergie renouvelable afin de comprendre en détail les caractéristiques techniques, administratives et financières d'une installation photovoltaïque.

Votre technicien vérifiera la faisabilité technique et constituera votre dossier de candidature pour E.R.D.F.

Dans le cadre où ce projet concerne Monsieur et Madame, la présence des deux conjoints est indispensable.

Pour instruire votre candidature auprès des différentes commissions d' E.D.F et organismes administratifs, merci de bien vouloir préparer les documents suivants.