Internet Providers
Discussion
There's been a few threads on this over the years, but as the telecoms market changes so quickly, I thought I'd ask about the current set up.
Wife and I are heading to Nice in about two weeks and need to get internet set up in our apartment.
There has been an internet/telephone connection there before, so it should just be a case of getting it set up again.
I understand we are best to deal with Orange (formerly France Telecom).
Can someone tell me how quickly I can get the internet set up, and if there are likely to be any hurdles to overcome (for example, do I need a french bank account, and does this take two weeks while the internet takes one day, that sort of thing)?
Secondly, can I apply for the service prior to arriving there, or would I end up bashing my head against a brick wall?
I'd appreciate if anyone can give me advice on this.
Thanks in advance!
Wife and I are heading to Nice in about two weeks and need to get internet set up in our apartment.
There has been an internet/telephone connection there before, so it should just be a case of getting it set up again.
I understand we are best to deal with Orange (formerly France Telecom).
Can someone tell me how quickly I can get the internet set up, and if there are likely to be any hurdles to overcome (for example, do I need a french bank account, and does this take two weeks while the internet takes one day, that sort of thing)?
Secondly, can I apply for the service prior to arriving there, or would I end up bashing my head against a brick wall?
I'd appreciate if anyone can give me advice on this.
Thanks in advance!
I thought I'd post an update on how we got on with our efforts to set ourselves up with internet and telephone in Nice.
We tried to set up a bank account, but most banks weren't interested, on the basis that "most British people only set up bank accounts to pay for telephones and internet, etc" (not sure where they got that idea!) and it wasn't worth their time and paperwork to set up and manage the accounts.
We talked to Orange and they told us we could have a no-commitment unlimited internet and telephone package with calls to 101 countries throughout the world for 40 Euros per month. No bank account was needed, so we got that set up.
They told us a week to get the connection live, it went live within 2 days.
With regards to the telephone calls to different countries, my wife had a problem calling relations in Asia, so we reported this to Orange. I thought it was probably a problem with the number my wife was dialling, but apparently not. Orange did something and the problem was fixed. They then refunded us 40 Euros for the inconvenience!
All in all, very happy with Orange and the service provided, I'd wholeheartedly recommend them.
We tried to set up a bank account, but most banks weren't interested, on the basis that "most British people only set up bank accounts to pay for telephones and internet, etc" (not sure where they got that idea!) and it wasn't worth their time and paperwork to set up and manage the accounts.
We talked to Orange and they told us we could have a no-commitment unlimited internet and telephone package with calls to 101 countries throughout the world for 40 Euros per month. No bank account was needed, so we got that set up.
They told us a week to get the connection live, it went live within 2 days.
With regards to the telephone calls to different countries, my wife had a problem calling relations in Asia, so we reported this to Orange. I thought it was probably a problem with the number my wife was dialling, but apparently not. Orange did something and the problem was fixed. They then refunded us 40 Euros for the inconvenience!
All in all, very happy with Orange and the service provided, I'd wholeheartedly recommend them.
Yes - we went in to the local Orange store and explained our situation. They gave us all we needed to get set up and told us we would be live within 6 days.
We paid an amount there and then - I think it was around 49 Euros - and were surprised to go live within 2 days. The package we have is Livebox Play + TV, and includes a landline package.
They send us bills monthly by both post and email. We have now set up a direct debit, but we could pay with a credit card if we wanted.
The banks were very reluctant to open an account for us, apparently because a lot of expats just use the account for paying utilities, and the throughput doesn't make it worth their while. Most didn't even talk to us, but Barclays were happy to set an account up for us.
We paid an amount there and then - I think it was around 49 Euros - and were surprised to go live within 2 days. The package we have is Livebox Play + TV, and includes a landline package.
They send us bills monthly by both post and email. We have now set up a direct debit, but we could pay with a credit card if we wanted.
The banks were very reluctant to open an account for us, apparently because a lot of expats just use the account for paying utilities, and the throughput doesn't make it worth their while. Most didn't even talk to us, but Barclays were happy to set an account up for us.
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