Hi ,
thanks for that reply, I am using a Leclerc pay as you go which as you say is probably the reason. I think it is the best non contract deal in France at the moment because you do not have to use your credit by a certain date. So I will put up with the slight inconvenience. Everything else about the phone is so good anyway.
I see you are on free mobile, I looked at them recently but unless I have got it wrong, they have dropped the free mobile bit unless you pay for the internet through them, I use FT(Orange now) and I am very pleased, not the cheapest but all internal and international calls are free and we are out in the sticks where connection is a bit cross your fingers anyway so using the people who own the telephone wires seemed politically a better move.