Verified: 28 March 2026 03:35 pm CET
Industry: Telecommunications & Internet Service Provider (ISP)
Jurisdiction: France
Primary Regulator: Médiateur des communications électroniques (Mediation) and ARCEP (Systemic Oversight)
Important Safety Warning: Beware of fake customer service numbers on search engines. Scammers frequently target consumers with “spoofed” phone calls pretending to be Free technical support to gain remote access to computers or steal financial details. Free staff will never ask for your account password or ask you to purchase gift cards to “fix your internet.”
Level 1: Customer Support (Service Client)
- How to complain: Your first legal step is to contact the standard customer service layer. You can use Face to Free (video/audio call via the app), WhatsApp, call the central hotline at 3244 (free service + price of a local call), or send a letter by post.
- Address: Address your initial written complaints to Free - Service Réclamation, 75371 PARIS Cedex 08, France.
- Availability: The 3244 hotline generally operates 7 days a week from 7:00 AM to midnight (CET).
- Timeline: The operator has a maximum of 1 month to provide a satisfactory resolution to an initial complaint.
- Source Verification: According to the official Assistance Free - Nous contacter guidelines.
Level 2: Formal Written Complaint & Mise en Demeure
- Who to contact: If the initial Service Client fails to resolve the issue or does not reply within 1 month, you must formally escalate the dispute by sending a registered letter with acknowledgment of receipt (Lettre Recommandée avec Accusé de Réception - LRAR) to the second-tier national consumer appeals department.
- Address: Address your formal letter to Free - Service National Consommateur, 75371 PARIS Cedex 08, France. (Crucial: You must explicitly write “Service National Consommateur” on the envelope and letterhead to prevent it from being routed back to Level 1).
- Timeline: The Service National Consommateur has a strict legal deadline of 1 month to provide a substantive, final response from the date they receive your registered letter.
- Source Verification: Verified directly via the legal procedures published on the Médiateur des communications électroniques portal.
Level 3: Regulatory Authority / ADR (Médiation)
- Telecom Disputes: For unresolved disputes regarding your Freebox, mobile plan, or billing, Free is affiliated with the national telecom ombudsman. You must file your dispute directly with Le Médiateur des communications électroniques.
- Systemic Fraud Reporting: Do not contact ARCEP for a personal refund. Only use the ARCEP “J’alerte l’Arcep” portal to report massive systemic regulatory breaches or severe network outages.
- Timeline: You can open a mediation case only after you have received a negative written response from the Service National Consommateur, or if the 1-month deadline has passed with no response. The Mediator then has 90 days to render a decision.
- Source Verification: According to the official charters of La Médiation des communications électroniques.
Level 4: Legal Action
- Pre-Litigation: You must have proof of your written complaints (LRAR to both Level 1 and Level 2) and proof that you attempted mediation before a French judge will hear a small claims case.
- Filing the Lawsuit: For direct disputes with Free under €10,000, private consumers can bring their case before the local Judicial Court (Tribunal Judiciaire or Chambre de proximité). Claims under €5,000 can be initiated via a simple declaration (Requête) without needing a lawyer.
- Source Verification: According to the Justice.fr - Saisir le tribunal judiciaire official government guide.
Community Action: Is the Service National Consommateur refusing to cancel an abusive termination fee after the 1-month deadline, or are you looking for the correct legal templates to draft a Mise en Demeure to Paris? Reply below (do not share your passwords, full banking details, or account numbers), and our community will point you to the right resources!