Orange disasters
 

We are all sick and tired of the service we get from Orange in our hameau/ commune

We have frequent ruptures - according to our records, 6+ a year. We have no mobile signal and our broadband is a disgrace.

The latest was for 48+ hours. Everyone who tried to report a fault - by driving up the hill with mobile to get a signal - got the same stupid message.

Translated roughly
"Too many people are trying to complain and you are bunging up the system. If you want information search on the internet" :confused::confused::confused:

Mme le Maire finally sorted it. Orange had dug through their own cable - tried to say it was a builder. Her intervention restored what passes for a service but many businesses have again been inconvenienced if not damaged. I lost the possibility of writing an article, so am down a few €s

Anyone else fed-up or, better still,got any solutions?

Re: Orange disasters
 

We just changed from Orange to SFR, much better.

However I live in a large town so maybe it would be more difficult for you.

Re: Orange disasters
 

Can't be done I'm afraid - We are, as far as we can see stuck. We have looked at all alternatives but none can promise anything here in the near future. Roll on G4 or whatever it is called!

Re: Orange disasters
 

OOOps, I have to nothing but praise for Orange.

I live on the peripheral of the range from our our local telephone exchange as far as broadband is concerned, I have had several problems regarding reception etc ---for which there is always an excuse.

But the good thing is, Orange have an English speaking "hotline" I can ring, the operators at the other end are extremely polite and helpful, if the problem can't be sorted online the longest I have waited for an "engineer " to appear is 36 hours, and they go through everything from the exchange to your your computer.

I did have an occasion where the engineer said he had repaired the problem and within three hours the problem arose again, I immediately phomed the "helpline" and within an hour here was another engineer there to sort the problem, which he did. Later that week there ws a knock at my door and standing there was the original engineer, he apologised for not correcting the fault, said it was something he forgot to check, now whether he was ordered to come and apologise, or, he came of his own volition, i just don't know, all I know is I have convinced others to come onto Orange because I find the service very acceptable.

Re: Orange disasters
 

why put up with it - walk !!

suggest you look at Tooways or someone for a sat based broadband and telephone. IF there is any additional cost you at least will be able to put it down against tax.

understand sat mobiles are costly but the service is good.

Re: Orange disasters
 

Much much too expensive I'm afraid. We don't use a mobile that often being of wrinkly vintage but we do rely on internet to keep in touch with family in the USA and Jersey.

Although Orange offer a poor service in rural Provence they do offer a service. Others do not. We don't need a dedicated English hotline - though if you could get through to a human being in any language it might be useful!! We then could keep all our friends and neighbours informed about what is going on.

The nearest Orange bureau is known as a complete joke - even to other Orange outlets in places like Avignon, it was for that reason the mayor went elswhere to seek help. If you really have to go you have to allow a good 2 hours to get to see the miserable and useless female who seems to be the only employee. A (French) friend actually took a garden chair with him once - Madame was not amused.

Today's developments have unearthed that fact that while it was an engineer from Orange who committed the first foul he/she then left the hole uncovered and, during the night cable thieves moved in and removed an extensive amount of cable.

Re: Orange disasters
 

Do we suddenly have two RichardPs or are you the same RichardP who, just yesterday, was castigating a newly arrived resident for asking about an English-speaking doctor? :confused:

Re: Orange disasters
 

Same person, differing situations,a doctor is a singular person whereas ORANGE is a large company, a company which advised me to use the English speaking helpline simply because, and Ive never implied I am fluent in French, that there was a helpline for English speakers, which, unless you are stupid, you would use because YOU ARE fluent in your mother tongue.

I still had to explain to the ENGINEERS that called at my house what I thought was wrong and IN FRENCH, or at least I tried with actions and words, something someone who asks if they know of an an ENGLISH SPEAKING person won't make the effort to speak the local language.

When I arrived here in France six years ago, at the age of 66,( long past the age of going to school to learn another language in my case), I spoke not a word of French, but was determined to learn, and yes, having a heart condition I had to visit doctors and hospitals, so I listened -- watched expressions --- body movements etc etc, and as I said, I am by no means fluent, but at least with effort I can understand and comprehend what is being said to me, AND more importantly, I can respond in a manner people understand--certainly not perfectly ---but--- in a manner appreciated by those speaking French in FRANCE.

Re: Orange disasters
 

I've read many of the posts from RichardP and imho they make of lot of sense.

Back to subject, I guess that for every disenchanted user of Orange there is a satisfied one.
I've been with Orange since they were known as Wanadoo, and have been very satisfied. We've been to several of the Orange boutiques too, and have always had first-class, polite service. An occasional hiccup has occurred granted, but calls to the hotline have always been met with very professional service.
When this has occurred I've called the hot-line and initially discussed the problem in French. I can tell you though, that many of the technicians are not too familiar with a Windows OS in English, and trying to explain to them that you've gone into, "Settings/Control Panel/Internet Options/Connections etc, are met with confusion. It was at that point - although I didn't request it - they put another technician on who was a little familiar with the English OS terms, and who was very keen to speak English - so we continued in Franglais, and needless to say we got on quite well, and fixed my problem.
Since that last call, never to be caught off-guard again, I set about to learn the French terms, Les parametres du Systeme/Panneau de Configuration/Option Internet etc.
Now with Windows XP/Vista just a distant memory (thank goodness!) I believe I know the most common Mac OS terms just in case things go Orange/pear-shaped in the future. :p

Re: Orange disasters
 

Yes http://www.bigdishsatellite.com/ works anywhere unconditionally ;)

Trouble is the upfront costs :unsure:

Re: Orange disasters
 

Today we have been talking with the brother of a neighbour who used to work for France Telecom.

He said the reason for our dreadful service was the fact that we are a region where tourists rule - not so many businesses. He thinks they ignore the fact that there are many many small businesses who are suffering because of this theory.

The trouble is the terrain is difficult but the people in charge simply don't understand because they are all city - Paris/Lyon/ Marseille based.

It would seem however that cable theft is absolutely rife in these parts - lucky us!!

Re: Orange disasters
 

Bluntly speaking if Internet availability and performance are an important factor when choosing where/what to buy I would respectfully suggest that the time to research that is BEFORE signing on the dotted line not AFTER !!!

When house hunting we turned down probably dozens of otherwise perfectly acceptable properties on that single point alone. Admittedly that was some 6 years ago before affordable satellite services appeared on the scene. Today the services are there so it comes down to a simple question of affordability.

Re: Orange disasters
 

We have lived here for 22 years - long before things like internet/ mobile phone access were an issue.

I was and still am, now and then, a food journalist and in the old days I just used to fax my copy.

I can cope- but French neighbours who are trying to run businesses are constantly hampered.

Re: Orange disasters
 

I suppose I could call myself a wrinkly at 65 but I don't
and I have been in sound and communications since before leaving school - yes I was brought up on valves:eek:

I have ported my old UK telephone number, it is now sitting on a server in London, costing £2.40 inc vat per month and it rings on my PC, which I answer with an ordinary telephone. Costs friends and relatives the same as it did in the UK to phone me.

we cannot have a landline despite living near the middle of a village because there is a gap between us and the next house, no one to fit the conduit as it is the reponsibility of the plot owner. My next door neighbour is in the same situation on the other side. A newish law means we can't have aerial bundling across the road like in the old days. So we use radio telephone for landline and broadband.

but thanks for the hint, when I want some I know where to get a few pieces of copper

Re: Orange disasters
 

I well remember my first "mobile phone", the size of a small suitcase with a "normal" handset and the cable going from the handset to the 'suitcase", if you totted it with you it was like carrying half a tonne of coal.

I thought I needed it as I was in business for myself and I might just miss that ever important call, ( which incidently ---never came). Same thing when the internet started getting really popular, I thought my business would expand, but what was the point of me having the internet (emails etc) when most of those I did business with didn't have one.

Now I use the internet as a "boys toy", mainly a couple of hours in the morning, if we have a power cut, or should the signal "go down" then sobeit, I have other things that occupy my mind. My wife has a 'bog standard" mobile phone, and we are thinking of geting rid of our landline simply because these days most of the calls we get are from ---telephone sales people ----

Before the advent of these things coming into our lives we lived a normal life, if we wanted to contact anyone and we were out on the road, we would either use a public phone --or, if desperate ask a shopkeeper, and pay him a few pennes for the priviledge.

People these days are coming to regard such things as the internet --- mobile phones -- etc etc as life saving bits of kit, when in fact they are, or can be, just simply expensive boys toys, whatever happened to letterwriting --- visiting / meeting ---- you will ALWAYS be in touch that way.