Hi cjm: Sorry about your troubles with SFR but I've just read the above from an earlier post. I think you'll find that Orange will only suspend the service to a maison secondaire if you have an Orange account in France for your primary residence as well.

My cousin has an account that Orange suspend for the 7 or 8 months he is not in France. But he has had that account for more than twenty years, so it may be a service they used to offer but no longer do.

I have spoken with Orange and perhaps because we had an account when fully resident, they say they are prepared to open one again, having first fixed the line connection, which they tested for me and found to be faulty. So, I live in hope that business will prevail.

Hmm. I'll have to re-check that next time I'm there. I asked this in one of the boutiques in 2008 and was told what I posted above. I *think* I later also read it on their website but I'm not certain now.

I will see if he can give me what it is/was called. Normally, being as tight as a duck's a*se, he keeps hold of every piece of paper, but he did open it very very many years ago.

Thank you.

cjm and Novo
Sorry he and his wife are on another of their innumerable cruises.

But he says yes he still has the account, he suspends it either on the website or by calling them up. Despite (IMO) speaking good French he uses the English speaking helpline when he does it by phone.
He does not know the name of the account off hand, but thinks he will be able to find it when he gets back.
I will keep you posted

Thank you again Biggles.

Well, he's back. He says he generally uses the website as the helpline is so busy The helpline he uses is 09 69 36 39 00, which may have been the old France Telecom line, but I think is just the usual Orange one nowadays.
I have sent him an email asking him to detail how he does it through the website.
For a computer boffin he can be surprisingly vague!