Cell phone service providers in France with English customer support
Which major cell phone providers provide English customer support in France? Not speaking French, I find it extremely daunting to deal with them and I already had some rather bad experiences with a French-language-only provider.
Best Answer
French Orange Speaks English
It would seem that Orange has a dedicated customer support line catering to English-speaking customers. Quoting from the linked page:
Orange France has opened a customer service to cater needs of English-speaking customers living in France. It now includes a technical support helpline in English.
The number can be reached from France or abroad +33 (0)9 69 36 39 001
1(calls are charged at your telephone company rates)
Since Orange provides landlines, TV and mobile services, you might be in luck with them.
This English-speaking customer support line from Orange is mentioned in several expatriate forum posts on web. Most of which bring positive feedback saying that when contacted, the customer service was extremely useful:
I just had to call Orange as we had an Internet problem and they gave me a number for support in English - 09 69 36 39 00. Very helpful people indeed, and I can do all the transactions on any Orange account through this number including moving our phone and ADSL to our new address.
Kudos where its due
Other Alternatives
In my opinion your best bet is to approach a company with physical shops manned by physical people. This will increase your chances of finding an English-speaking employee to whom you could ask for help. Such physical network operators are: Orange, SFR, Free Mobile and Bouygues Télécom.
There has recently been a boom of low-cost mobile operators in France, all of which save money by dealing with customer support using online forums and call centres which cost a fortune to call. Personally I wouldn't hope to find an English-speaking customer support line employee of any such services.
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What is the best phone provider in France?
In terms of subscribers, Orange is the largest and most popular mobile operator in France, with over 30% market share. SFR is the second-largest French operator (with around 30%), ahead of Bouygues T\xe9l\xe9com and Free Mobile; both of which have around 15% of the market.Does Orange France have an English helpline?
Orange English Speaking Customer Support If you would rather get help in English, good news - Orange allows you do to so (and is the only French operator to date to have an English-speaking helpline). You can contact the provider's dedicated line at 09 69 36 39 00 (+33 9 69 39 39 00 when dialled from abroad).Does SFR have an English speaking line?
Contacting SFR: English-speaking supportThere appears to be an SFR English Helpline which can be reached at 1026 (or +336 1000 1026 from abroad), but from what customers have reported, it sometimes automatically redirects you to the French helpline.How do I get cell service in France?
Getting a new SIM card You can walk into any mobile store in France (Orange, Free Mobile, SFR, Bouygues Telecom) or Relay, the convenience store chain, and ask for a prepaid SIM for the duration of your time abroad. Once you have it, take your old SIM card out of your phone and insert the new one.When a Frenchman calls an Indian Call Center : The iRabbit
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
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