bhouse

Hello all,

I've been lurking here for several months as I found all my questions had already been asked - and answered - so there was little need to speak.

However...

After a fairly swift and simple process, we gained ownership of our new house (in Poitou Charentes) in early December 2013.

Taxes, electricity and water seem to have been transferred to us easily but there seems to be a mouche dans la soupe concerning (you may have already anticipated this) the phone...

On our first day of residence, the phone, then the internet stopped working. The sellers had written to Orange giving them our name (but no RIB info) asking that the service should be transferred to us.

I emailed Orange several times via their website from about 7 days before completion date referencing the address and seller's name - together with our RIB info - but I have only received auto-acknowledements.

So how can I get the service re-instated?

I have tried going via the Orange website entering the previous owner's details but it says "compte terminee" without suggesting how I can set up a new account.

I've tried the English helpline - 0969 36 39 00 - from the UK but get an "unobtainable" tone. I did replace the leading zero with 00 33 when dialling from the uk.

If anyone hass any suggestions or contact numbers I would be very grateful to receive them.

Looking forward to your replies,
A bientot,

Brian

EuroTrash

I think you'll need to set up your own account. I don't know whether Orange do transfer the service just like that - unlike other utilities they have a range of different packages to choose from and you might not want the same deal that the previous occupant had - but in any case, I doubt they would start a contract and provide a service without having bank details upfront, Orange are very keen on getting their money! Probably the easiest way is to go into an Orange shop if you have one near you. Take all the usual stuff - proof of address, proof of ID, name of previous occupant and your bank details, and they will sign you up on the spot for whichever package you choose. It'll probably take a few days for them to connect you. Otherwise, go to the Orange website, select the package you want, and you should see a section where new clients can enter their phone number to check their line and then you follow the steps to sign up.

bhouse

Thanks for the rapid response.

The nearest Orange shop is an hour away, and our time in France over the next few months needs to be focused on working on the house rather than spending time in shops so does anyone know of a phone or email contact host would work?
I did try the website and entered the phone number etc but the displayed message said the account was terminated - no options (that I could see) to start a new account for that number or address.

Novocastrian

A whole hour away! Wow. I think you'll find the time investment worthwhile if you want to get along with the working on the house a bit more efficiently by using telephones and the internet to source materials etc.

Welcome to the forum.

EuroTrash

Yes, the previous occupant's account is terminated, you can't resurrect it, you have to set up a new account in your own name and you may (or may not) get a different number.

The website definitely has the option for brand new clients to set up accounts. For instance if you look at the page http://abonnez-vous.orange.fr/reside...-internet.aspx
you will see, on the right of the screen, Comment nous rejoindre? and under that you have the option to test your address (since you don't have a phone line). Try starting there. As you answer the questions you will see that one of the questions is 'Do you know the number of the previous occupant?' and that is where you put the previous phone number.

As Novocastrian said, welcome to France. You might have get used to having to invest a little time and inconvenience in getting the admin sorted - life is not quite as 'need it all and need it yesterday' as in the UK. Patience is a virtue

EuroTrash

Just to add - of course you don't have to choose Orange, there are other providers, you might want to shop around. I'm not with Orange and overall I'm happy with the provider I chose. But Orange has started offering more competitive packages of late, and if you don't speak much French they also have the advantage of offering English speaking customer service.

Chatter Static

You have to check to see if the NRA "Exchange" supports Dégroupage "Unbundled Services" not all of them do. I will also take the time to point out to the OP that You can have Haut Debit with Voip "Adsl" without paying line rental and have a portable "Mobile Phone" bundled into the contract the it works out cheaper than having the three on separate accounts. The Voip phone can have a local number.

bhouse

Thanks for all the helpful comments - I now have several paths to follow.

I'm sorry if my original post indicated impatience on my part. I know that bureaucracy in France has reached the level of an art form, but wondered if anyone here was aware of the rules that Orange had adopted so I could play the game with a hope if a successful outcome.

Thanks again!
Brian

Chatter Static

They don't have any

EuroTrash

Simply, Orange don't provide a service before they have a contract in place and money in the bank.

Choose the package you want, apply for that package either online or in the shop, give them all the details and all the proofs that they require, and within a specified time you'll be connected.

To be fair, they can't guess which package you want and they can't assume you'll want the same package as the previous occupant. Telling them what you want will go a long way towards getting a successful outcome