French DSL service like a rude French waiter
Nothing to be proud of: French pay for services they don't get.
France has more broadband DSL customers than most countries, including the United States. But if you happen to be one of the millions of customers having major problems with your connection, then life can be a living hell. High-tech service in France is like service in a Parisian cafe – intermittent and snooty.
Not a day goes by when 60 Millions de Consommateurs, the French equivalent of Consumer Reports, isn't inundated with complaints from DSL subscribers about a faulty connections, abusive pricing practices or incompetent technical support. Nearly half of all complaints are DSL-related, the publication says.
According to the magazine, one customer was charged more than $120 to call the technical-support hotline of ISP Neuf and still couldn't get a DSL or telephone connection for nine months. Another unhappy customer tried to cancel her service from Orange, but the company continued to debit her account more than $40 per month, even after it confirmed it had received her request in writing. [...]
