topic Re: Email service to killed off permanently in Email

Email service to killed off permanently

Clangrant — Fri, 12 Nov 2021 11:16:03 GMT

My source within Plusnet advises that senior management have indicated that the email service will be discontined completely in the next 12 months. And that is not just the web based service, it's everything.

After intentional neglect and lack of investment, the web based service has been steadily deteriorating during the last 5 years.

The result of this has been seen this week with the total failure of the email product for two days this week. Also the web based email is still down with no indication when it will be back.

This is a totally disgraceful situation.

PN says email is a "Free Service" however those of us who have been with PN for over 10 years were originally sold apackage that clealy identified broadband, email and web hosting as a combined package. They no longer highlight or mention the latter two in their marketing BUT there is a legal obligation to maintain the original services that were signed up for.

I suggest, like me, everyone immediately lodge a complaint with OFCOM

Plusnet to discontinue all email services in March 2022!

timanddebby — Thu, 11 Nov 2021 21:16:14 GMT

When I had an email problem about a month ago technical support told me that Plusnet was discontinuing all their email services as it was not a profitable side of the business. We will all have to find new email accounts with other suppliers. This will happen around March 2022. We will be warned about a month in advance and they will bounce our emails to our new chosen email address for a short while. Unless we all protest enough I guess

Re: Plusnet to discontinue all email services in March 2022!

emardee — Thu, 11 Nov 2021 22:10:38 GMT

I can see that being very unpopular from the punters. Many will have had their Plusnet/Force9 email addresses for 20+ years (like my parents).

At a minimum, I think they would need to have well over a year of redirects, as some organisations/people only get in touch once a year (or longer!) apart, so you wouldn't know you had changed everything over to a new address unless you left it at least that long.

Re: Plusnet to discontinue all email services in March 2022!

H2a — Fri, 12 Nov 2021 08:43:45 GMT

I’ve been with PN and before that f9 since the early days of internet using dial up and ISDN lines for business, ive stayed loyal through ups and downs, even the latest Plusnet tv debacle, Plusnet have now forced my hand

Re: Plusnet to discontinue all email services in March 2022!

gp — Fri, 12 Nov 2021 09:17:11 GMT

After my previous email provider disappeared in 2013, I decided to register my own domain name.

I then redirect incoming emails through the domain hosting service to a freemail account that offers POP3 access (e.g. GMX). If GMX ever went out of business (or started charging), I can set up an account with another freemail provider in a few minutes and redirect emails to them. My e-mail address stays the same as long as I keep my domain name registered. As a bonus, I can read my emails on my smartphone with the GMX App while I am out and about and then download them later with the e-mail client on my PC. The current email outage at Plusnet does not affect my incoming emails, they keep coming.

If my domain hoster went out of business, I just move my domain name to another one.

At present I am using Plusnet SMTP server to send emails - and as we all know, that does not work. So, until Plusnet fix the problem, I have to use a freemail account for outgoing mail, which is a little inconvenient but better than a complete disconnect.

If Plusnet no longer offer SMTP, then I will need to look elsewhere, but at least I don't have to tell loads of people that my email address has changed.

Re: Email service to killed off permanently

jab1 — Fri, 12 Nov 2021 11:22:42 GMT

How high up is your source? genuine question.

Re: Email service to killed off permanently

thursosmith — Fri, 12 Nov 2021 11:25:23 GMT

Put very simply: If PLUSNET are in breach of contract as you say, could we change providers without occurring a fee?

I for one would change providers a.s.a.p. if permitted to do so without penalty.

n.b. How can you Email me if some-one replies when Emails are not available?

Re: Email service to killed off permanently

bazzer — Fri, 12 Nov 2021 11:26:35 GMT

@Clangrant This does not surprise me at all.

I, too, am a long-standing customer, over 20 years, and email, webmail, was part of the package.

However, they appear to purposely ignore the issues and continually disregard the massive inconvenience it has caused to its customers.

Re: Email service to killed off permanently

stathe — Fri, 12 Nov 2021 11:44:11 GMT

My e mail is useless and plusnet very poor and very slow do they offer a satelite based service for remote customers as I would need to keep my plusnet email address for many reasons

Re: Email service to killed off permanently

jab1 — Fri, 12 Nov 2021 11:57:46 GMT

@stathe - In a word, no.

Re: Email service to killed off permanently

davidj66 — Fri, 12 Nov 2021 12:00:25 GMT

Fortunately ,because I was actively considering moving ISPs in the Summer , I spent an afternoon changing my contact email address with about 60 businesses to one of my public email addys. Only a handful of personal contacts still have my PN address and once this latest fiasco is put to bed, I'll move all of those over!!

Re: Email service to killed off permanently

thursosmith — Fri, 12 Nov 2021 12:02:54 GMT

Which question does your no reply to?

If PLUSNET are closing down Email service in Breach of Contract surely we can change providers without occuring exit fees.

Re: Email service to killed off permanently

jab1 — Fri, 12 Nov 2021 12:04:38 GMT

@thursosmith - Stathes, as I posted.

Re: Email service to killed off permanently

Mook — Fri, 12 Nov 2021 12:09:25 GMT

@Clangrant - So in all the time you have been a customer you'll no doubt have re-contracted several times and each time you'll be subject to a new contract with it's terms and conditions that will by definition supersede anything that has gone before.

I can't see any complaint being taken seriously unless you have a valid and current contract that states your entitlement to these services.

Re: Plusnet to discontinue all email services in March 2022!

SagaPlus — Fri, 12 Nov 2021 12:29:26 GMT

Seems a strange thing to do. It just means that one has even less reason to stay with them. Most companies want to differentiate their product from the competition so people stay with them.

Re: Email service to killed off permanently

mikeb — Fri, 12 Nov 2021 12:59:02 GMT

> Date: Fri, 4 Jul 1997 19:12:45 +0200
> Subject: Welcome to force9!
> From: Force 9 <enquiries@force9.net>
> To: newbie@MyAccount.force9.net
>
> Welcome to Force 9!
>
> Blah, blah, blah ...
>
> Happy surfing!

UNLIMITED e-mail addresses and UNLIMITED webspace plus no end of other goodies various part and parcel of the original and subsequent deals various. However, as has already been said, numerous Ts&Cs updates since day 1 have come and gone with many not actually available in hard copy (so to speak) just online. Information that curiously disappears over time and/or seems to get subtely tweaked I'm really not so sure that there is anything at all stopping the plug being pulled without much in the way of any notice and with no significant consequences. I've even tried to get info in writing regards historic stuff and obtain hard copy or pdf TsCs etc but I've never been in any way successful in getting them. Recent(ish) questions raised just got ignored if not 'accidentally' deleted without response. Maybe it's a different story for business customers though ?

If this all turns out to be entirely factually correct in due course then as posted somewhere else around here the other day, it will come as no real surprise to me that email and webspace join the list of other historic services various that have long since been dumped by PN. They will certainly not be the first ISP to do so that's for sure.

I also think the writing has been very much on the wall ever since "email only accounts" that used to be chargeable apparently became free-of-charge a while back. This together with problems various, many of which just don't get much attention let alone actually get sorted out, have been indicators that bad news is likely coming sometime in the not too distant future. Same story regarding problems various with webspace.

The best part of 25 years of daily email and webspace usage ... and it's going to be a right old PITA if/when that has to come to end But like it or not, all good things DO come to end eventually and it could even potentially be the case that I do before such rumours/concerns/worries actually become hard facts and reality so I may not actually need to worry about sorting it at all

Re: Email service to killed off permanently

MFredericks — Fri, 12 Nov 2021 13:06:12 GMT

Whilst I agree it will be a PITA - how many other companies give you a service free of charge? I have PN Broadband and I also have email and domain hosting - I haven't paid a penny for over 10 years of having those services! Simply put - I will just use one of my other email addresses (most people have more than 1) and I will transfer the hosting of my domain over to someone else (there are already other forums telling us how).

Mikeb is correct - all good things do come to an end, but it's not like there aren't hundreds or thousands of alternatives.

Until it's official there is no rush, but if the sources are correct then it'll just be a case of crack on and deal with it for me...

MFredericks

Re: Email service to killed off permanently

MFredericks — Fri, 12 Nov 2021 13:16:49 GMT

Microsoft stop support of their Operating System and render my laptop useless - Do I get compensation from them??? No...

Apple won't update my old iPad because it's so old and now I can't run a number of Apps - do I get compensation from them??? No...

Am I warned when I buy their products that within a 3-5 year period it will be useless??? No!!

I for one have used PN services for years without charge - will I be annoyed? Yes... Will I let it make me so stressed and angry that I spend my life trying to get £5 back... No I won't!

Re: Email service to killed off permanently

Clangrant — Fri, 12 Nov 2021 13:17:02 GMT

I can see where you are coming from in terms of T&C's being varied over time however there must be some obligation to observe the service originally contracted for - even if it's only a moral one.

Re: Email service to killed off permanently

jab1 — Fri, 12 Nov 2021 13:19:47 GMT

@Clangrant Any chance of answering my question in post #2?