Warning : broadband in France, do not buy Domino

Mountainsandh

As the title says.
Too long, will not read : some internet dongles/boxes in France require you to identify yourself by post, and this will stall your access to internet.

I usually get the no engagement dongles while in France, we stay for a good stretch, and really need internet, so I buy a dongle in a supermarket for 40 euros or so, usually with some free credit, then top up credit as required, and this has worked well for me.

This year though, went into an Orange shop, and got talked into getting the Domino box. It's a little broadband box that was supposed to provide both husband and I with internet on laptops, phones, Ipad...
... for 45 euros. Well, that was a waste of 45 euros, and I'm going to send them back the blOOdy box, with a letter of complaint. What the sales person failed to mention on the day, and what should have been sorted straight out in the shop, is the problem of "identification".
They claim on the box that legally you have to identify yourself within 15 days to avail of their services, and this might also be the case for the dongles this year, and presumably would apply to all companies.
In my case the salesperson failed to mention this. So that meant that once I opened the box, read all the stuff, I had to fill in this piece of paper, get a photocopy of my passport, and send it off, thereby losing out on the processing time, which really should have been a week (out of 3 weeks and bit, that's a heavy inconvenience), and turned out to be... not at all. I sent off my stuff, and nothing, still not able to log in, and top up. I did get a free credit at the start, that was used quickly between 2 laptops, and then, nothing. Customer service not able to help, you simply cannot top up if you are not identified, and the identification should have been happening somewhere, but it didn't.
I remember last year husband getting an sim card for IPad, and identification took place in the shop, this was a bit long but worth it, and this was with SFR.
A lady in a different Orange boutique than where I bought the box agreed I should have been given all details from the moment I purchased, and said that you could not identify yourself in other boutiques (I might have been able to do it as I bought it had I known about it, not sure).
So there you go, I'm sorry this is long, I figured this might interest some on here who go to France for long enough stretches.
Wifi is often expensive if you add it up after 2/3 weeks, so the dongles are a good option, however, if you purchase, please inquire on the spot if you have identify yourself with passport photocopy, and try and do it straight away !
Hope that helps some.

Bigcheeze

Why do you keep buying then every year and not reuse them?

Mountainsandh

Because I lost them, like an idiot