1 - By shopping around for a telecoms provider, you could save between 30 and 60 per cent on a typical bill. Make sure you get your telephone service up and running quickly to avoid the huge costs of using a mobile but weigh up all possible options

2 - The French telecom market is less regulated than that of the UK and misleading advertisements and poor customer service are common problems. Look out for adverts offering ‘free’ calls as sometimes they are not and hidden fees such as connection charges may be levied

3 - Be sure to investigate what you are being sold if you get a phone line installed; you may be signing up for a package that could be expensive and tie you in to a contract. Remember that if you want to cancel a contract in France you must always send a letter by recorded delivery

4 - If you have a holiday home, rent your line only when you need it. Ask France Télécom for a ligne résidence secondaire that can be suspended when you are away. Remember this is not suitable for use with broadband

5 - It is a good idea to avoid long-term contracts. If a service is good there is no need for a provider to insist you give more than 30 days’ notice

6 - Once you have chosen your ideal provider beware of getting hijacked. Just receiving an unsolicited call from a competitor’s telesales person and expressing an interest, say asking for information to be sent to you, is all they need to justify taking your custom. You may find yourself paying more and changing back can be difficult

7 - Broadband is often a priority, but is not available in many rural areas. Elsewhere quality can be poor because of the distance between your home and the exchange. Many commission-based sales people sell the service without checking it can be delivered. As there are set-up and cancellation fees this can cost you a lot! Go to www.degrouptest.com and check for yourself

8 - If you want to make calls over your broadband line make sure you are not more than five kilometres from your exchange otherwise the quality is likely to be unacceptable

9 - Do check the level of customer support offered and if it is in English and free. Some providers require you to call a premium rate number, and only in French, making it difficult to deal with technical matters for some. Others can be understaffed and poorly customer focused

10 - Your friends and family in the UK can make large savings on the cost of phoning you if you have your French telephone number ‘translated’ into a UK low-cost number. It does not affect the way your normal number works but calls to you will only cost 3 pence per minute from a BT domestic line saving between 70 and 84 per cent

Bob Elliott
Commercial Director
UK Telecom Ltd

UK Telecom Ltd specialises in telephony services to English-speaking expats

Tel UK: 01483 833 795 or France: 0800 940 614