Télépéage (HOW LONG TO GET ONE)

[Chimpaholic]

Hi all,

Off to France in a couple of weeks and ordered the Télépéage today.

For those that have also ordered this useful device I have a question.

How long did yours take to arrive?

Thanks all.

[Chimpaholic]

Lensey said:

I got one beginning of last year, ordered it on the Monday and it came on the Thursday!

Thanks Lensey,

It looks like I should get it in time then.

However can you help me by explaining the validation process.

Unfortunately my schoolboy French is letting me down.

VINCI have sent me an email that seems to want me to complete and send them a PDF form to validate my credit card.

Any help is very gratefully received.

[Chimpaholic]

Lensey said:

I got a Sanef one and I can't remember them asking me that? I did however get the info on how to apply for it from Lowdrag, he may well be able to help you?

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/profile.asp?mem...

Failing that google translation maybe good enough to do it?

Thanks again mate,

It seems VINCI may be the new provider of the Télépéage replacing Sanef.

My guess is the French government ran a tender & have awarded the contract to VINCI.

I could be wrong about this but all the old UK motoring forums talking about the Télépéage transponder link to Sanef & the links fail.

When you French Google "Télépéage" it points you to VINCI.

Just shown the VINCI validation email to a French friend and she said it was very badly worded and she couldn't make any sense of it.

Then I checked my Hotmail and VINCI have sent me email number six !!

This time confirming the transponder has been dispatched & will be with me in four working days.

I think everything will be fine, they just need to improve their communication.

Its a shame its not easier to navigate the site & understand the package.

The Télépéage is a fantastic little gadget that ultimately saves an awful lot of hassle when touring France.

Lets hope VINCI create a multi lingual site for us Ros Beefs.

[Chimpaholic]

neilus said:

Chimpaholic said:

I could be wrong about this but all the old UK motoring forums talking about the Télépéage transponder link to Sanef & the links fail.

The Sanef website has been revamped, so that maybe why the links fail. But the are still offering the Télépéage device ( http://www.sanef.com/Offres-Liber-t/Offres-Liber-t...)

Hope my VINCI one works OK then?

[Chimpaholic]

Motik said:

Lensey said:

Motik said:

For those who want to subscribe to Télépéage, here's a hint : when you have to choose which motorway to order it for, select A28: they do it for FREE, and it works on all French motorways.

What do you mean "they do it for free"? Do you mean the subscription is free or the transponder? I think I pay €uros 2 a month (when I use it) and I paid an initial €uros 30 for the transponder?

Both the subscription and the transponder are free: http://www.alis-sa.com/fr/offres/libertConfort.php

Really nothing to pay, and you get exactly the same service

Damn, that would have saved me some money & the site is in English too.

It looks like you can get the Télépéage device from a number of sources (SANEF, VINCI or ALIS).

They all appear to be concession holders.

The ALIS website tells us that "a concession holder is a legal entity delegated by the State, by the means of a concession contract".

From what I can see ALIS offer exactly the same thing, the only difference is its free.

Seems like a no brainer to me, good tip from Motik.

Edited by Chimpaholic on Monday 12th July 13:12

[Chimpaholic]

Good news, my Telepeage device turned up today.

However I am a bit worried now as they seem to be asking for my bank details.

I completed the application using my credit card so they will definitely get paid, surely the credit card is all they would need?

I just cant see why they would need my bank details too?

I also don't have a French bank account.

Here is a translation of the letter they sent me.

"It is with pleasure that we give following your request for Spare Telepeage Time.

We thank you to have chosen the service from VINCI Motorways and let us send you your badge and its support fixing.

Also read the enclosed “Guide Telepeage VINCI Autoroutes” to benefit fully from all the advantages of the telepeage.

In order to finalize your subscription, if you have not done so already, we thank you for turning over to complete your statement of banking identity in under 15 days.

We remind you that after the passing of the 15 day deadline, we would be constrained to deactivate your badge if we have not received the documents.

We remain at your disposal for any further information & welcome you very soon on our motorways"

Not sure what I should do next, any ideas chaps?

[Chimpaholic]

Motik said:

Send them your BIC and IBAN instead of the French "relevé d'identité bancaire" ?

Thanks Motic, I will complete the form using my IBAN & my BIC.

That would mean they will have my credit card details, my IBAN & my BIC.

I cant imagine they could want more than that???

Edited by Chimpaholic on Wednesday 14th July 09:11

[Chimpaholic]

Hi all,

I have just arrived in Dijon.

460 miles straight from Watford & the TVR ran like a dream

Shame I cant say the same about my VINCI Télépéage transponder

It worked a treat at the first toll.

Then refused me entry at the second one, although I managed to reverse out & go to another gate & it worked.

OK I thought, my one doesn't work on the 30kph Reserve gates.

Not so!

When I arrived at the third toll it failed again.

This time I was trapped by a German in a motorhome so I had no choice but to pull a ticket out of the machine to open the barrier.

After trying a Reserver "T" gate one last time we ended up in a que & paid by credit card at the exit to Dijon

I guess I should hunt down a VINCI office but its 4.45pm here in France so I expect they will be shut by the time I find them.

I will try an email to VINCI but I have now lost faith in the device and I don't want to spend my holiday on this project.

Wish I spoke better French so I could call their help desk

The annoying thing is when I went to France three months ago my mate had a Télépéage transponder from another provider & it worked perfectly.

Guess I went with the wrong provider?

Dave.

[Chimpaholic]

What a way to run a business!!!!!!!!!!!

VINCI are happy to send the transponder to the UK.

They have taken my credit card details & they are guaranteed payment.

Yet it seems they have cancelled my transponder.

What a complete waste of time.

Time for me to put this nonsense behind me and enjoy the TVR, wine & great food.

I guess I'm back to sitting in a que?

[Chimpaholic]

My Télépéage transponder has been consigned to the bin.

I now have SWMBO fully trained in the art of negotiating the French toll gates.

I am finding that dispatching a trained wife for these duties to be infinitely more reliable than a Télépéage transponder.

However my SWMBO is also a rather annoying speed reduction device.

SWMBO: "Slow down, slow down, why do you have to be the fastest on the motorway?"

ME: "It a bloody TVR darling!"

HAPPY DAYS!

[Chimpaholic]

Hi all,

Its not over, I got a letter today from VINCI.

The letter seems to say they will only continue my account if I send them details of my French bank account.

I do not have a French bank account!

Enclosed was my original registration form that I sent them before my trip.

By the look of it I don't think they were satisfied with my IBAN & BIC.

I also received an email today that says they are charging me 32 Euros for my first months usage!

Well it did work twice before it packed up so I expect this is about right.

Here is the translated email.

"Hello

Your bill toll in July 2010 in the amount of € 32.20 is available in your area subscribers, under "My Invoices".

To ensure the security of your information, consultation of your bills is strictly personal and requires authentication.

To access: vinci-autoroutes.com
Then, simply enter your customer number - ??????? - and your personal password"

I might even pay them

This whole Télépéage transponder saga turned out to be a compete joke.

Its such a shame, I was using my friends one earlier this year and it was fantastic.

And to think we welcome the French to enjoy our roads for free whenever they want to wreck their suspension on our lovely potholes

[Chimpafrolic]

JonathanT said:

I've just ordered a Liber-t tag from Sanef UK - http://www.saneftolling.co.uk - for our summer hols in France this year. This should simply direct debit from my UK bank account.

That's uncanny JonathanT,

I was just starting to look at this again for my August trip to the Cote D'Azur.

As you may have already read above, I got burnt by VINCI last year.

But in principle the idea of having a transponder is still an excellent one for us right hand drive Brits, especially those of us like me in low sports cars and wives with short arms

Reading the site it explains I am looking at a total up front fee of 39.14€, of this 20.00€ is refundable when/if you return the transponder, much the same amount as I lost to VINCI last year

The direct debit from a UK bank account is the key to solving the problem, even though VINCI had my credit card details they disabled the transponder when they realised I had no French bank account.

The disabling of the device caused me to get stuck in a "T" lane twice with very embarrassing consequences

Finnally I lobed the dead transponder in the bin in utter disgust

I sort of understand why they did it, I guess they need an account to cover the possibility of my credit card going over it's limit, getting stopped because of fraud or such like.

Clearly someone at sanef has realised the English need a solution, and the new government regs in France that insist on a direct debit has forced their hand.

So it looks like they have created a UK subsidiary of sanef to solve the new rules, the site says they have implemented a dedicated UK IT system and Customer Service centre in Harrogate to enable UK motorists to pay in £GBP via direct debit.

BRILLIANT

I wonder if they will be redirecting Customer Service centre calls from Harrogate to Deli or Bangalore

Any way my wife will be delighted to find out that this year she will not be leaping from my TVR at every toll to insert the credit card

Well done sanef, & well done JonathanT

Do tell us all how you get on with the Liber-t tag.

Many thanks, Dave.

[Chimpafrolic]

blueg33 said:

Sanef UK give great service.

I am still with Sanef in France using a UK credit card and they are great too. I am allowed to keep my account and use my UK card from a UK address. Plus the standard of service could teach a lesson to many English businesses.

Reading that really makes me wish I had chosen sanef not VINCI last year.

Oh well, sanef on a direct debit is better than VINCI on a credit card who then promptly disable the transponder so becomes nothing more than a paper weight.

You live & learn.

[Chimpafrolic]

Ordered my sanef transponder a couple of days ago and it arrived this morning.

I have just activated it from my newly created sanef UK online account.

Couldn't be simpler.

Just go to:

https://www.saneftolling.co.uk/

I wont be able to report on if it works correctly until my trip in mid August but all the signs are good so far.

Thanks again to JonathanT for pointing us in the right direction

[ChimpofDarkness]

JonathanT said:

Came across this old thread and thought I'd post an overdue update on my saneftolling.co.uk tag.

Basically, it worked flawlessly. The first toll was one of the 30km/h ones so there was some worry, but the tag just beeped and the barrier went up and we were on our way without stopping at all. There were no queues for the telepeage lanes too.

My account has been direct debited for the relevant amounts and that's it. Simples....

Yep me too, the Sanef transponder & direct debit system works a treat and totally solved my earlier VINCI frustrations.

You can manage it all online and they send you a warning email 10 days before they pull the funds.

Combine a Sanef Transponder with a bit of Google maps planning before you go, punch it all in your TomTom and you can just get on with enjoying your holiday.

The best bit for me was this years Le Mans Classic, I simply breezed through the tolls while my mates struggled with their credit cards, they had to play catch up every time

If you drive through France (especially in a right hooker) the Sanef transponder & on-line direct debit account is a no-brainer