Hertz gave this # for roadside service to a customer in France but it didn't work: 00 33 800 824 824.
Evidently, some SIM cards, even French ones, don't work for 800 #s.
How do I make sure that my T Mobile phone's international plan works with 800 #'s in France?
I have T-Mobile at home in Colorado, and for travel in Europe, it’s just part of the regular plan - there’s not a separate International Plan. Well, making calls while in Europe costs 25 cents a minute, but receiving calls has no additional cost besides my regular monthly payment, and making and receiving texts are both without extra fees. For the heck of it, I just tried the number you gave, and got a recording saying (in American English) that the call couldn’t be completed. Maybe that cost me 25 cents :-).
The “00” was used back in landline days. I wonder if you replaced the “00” at the beginning with a plus sign, so the number started “+33” ? Can you try calling them using that?
don't forget, if you breakdown on a French autoroute you aren't allowed to use that number (once you have worked out how to use it) - you have to use the official breakdown service to get you off the autoroute, where you could then use the Hertz number.
I feel like we are getting some type of second hand report here so I doubt we know why the number did not work
That's not a French phone number. It looks as if it has been erroneously transcribed.
French phone numbers are ten digits long, often written in pairs. If dialing a French number from within France using a French phone, the first number always would be zero, followed by another number that identifies it geographically within France (for landlines) or as a mobile phone number.
So, for example here's a way to write a French number and compare it to the number you've listed:
03 38 00 82 48 <--- this is formatted like a French phone number, the initial "03" means it's from NE France
00 33 800 824 824 <--- this is not formatted like a French phone number
My recollection is that U.S. toll free numbers generally did not work in France until sometime in the past 7 or 8 years ago. If I have to dial a U.S. toll-free number from France, I would dial +01 XXX XXX XXXX, with the first "XXX" being either 800 or 888.
Within France that number should be 08-00-82-48-24.
What you have there is an approximation for calling from the US to France. From the US, It should be 011-33 800 824 824.
French numbers are 10 numbers. A 08 number is to a computerized phone. My home computerized phone is 09.
00 is invalid. To dial outside the US, it's 011. 33 is the French country code. You need none of this if you are inside France.
I have no idea why they would give someone a number to be dialed from the US to France. Someone screwed up. Before you drive away with your car, ask the staff to go over the telephone numbers with you.
BTW, 800-numbers don't exist as such in France. Yes, we can dial US 800-numbers from France. I do it on my French cell, my French computerized phone, and my American phone. No problem.
And Carol, you are right. It's an easily fixable problem...if you know the answer.
but that's not a US number either - two triplets is one digit short. US (and Canadian) numbers are 10 digits, 3 for the area code (800) and 7 as a group of 3 and a group of 4 for the number (824 824x)
What you should do is always put numbers in international notation in your phone:
eg.
+33 800 824 824
And that for every number.
I even do that for numbers in my own country. eg. all my Swiss contacts start with +41...
US numbers you would then store as eg. +1 415 273 9164
That way you can let your phone figure it out, regardless of where you are in the world.
My phone doesn't figure it out. That would be nice.
If I'm in France but have left the US number configured after visiting the US, my French carrier's message says the number is invalid. I have to manually add the 00 to reach the US. Ex. 001-415-1234 for the US. To call France from the US, 011-33-8.......
What is the official breakdown service for France and what is the phone #?
