topic Re: Cancelling PN But would like to keep email acounts in Email

Cancelling PN But would like to keep email acounts

FishyJ — Thu, 22 Feb 2024 00:55:29 GMT

Hi,

After many years with PlusNet it's time for me to move providers ( The whole PSTN phone line magically disappearing 🪄 only to re-apear as 'Digital Voice' with some providers ) That and a need for a static IP address leave very few options....

Anyhow... Back to the main point which is that I've found an alternative provider and I've signed up with them, and in the cancel period with PN. But.... Is it possible to retain the PN email accounts..? I read in earlier posts in this forum that it is ( or at least was an option ) Is this still available...?

Thanks 🤞🤞🤞

Re: Cancelling PN But would like to keep email acounts

agedgopher — Thu, 22 Feb 2024 05:11:56 GMT

It used to be an option to retain email accounts but now the rules have changed.

When you leave Plusnet your email access is no longer available, all accounts close.

Sorry

Evan

Re: Cancelling PN But would like to keep email acounts

Baldrick1 — Thu, 22 Feb 2024 08:40:41 GMT

@FishyJ

To expand on this, be aware that if you use the IMAP protocol to access your emails then all your past messages, both sent and received, reside on the Plusnet email servers. Unless you download these to your own PC storage, they will all be immediately automatically deleted when you leave.

Re: Cancelling PN But would like to keep email acounts

FishyJ — Thu, 22 Feb 2024 09:25:20 GMT

Ah, okay. That’s disappointing, but understandable. I hadn’t originally thought it a possibility until I stumbled on posts in this forum and mentioned beyond. On well. 🤷

Re: Cancelling PN But would like to keep email acounts

bmc — Thu, 22 Feb 2024 12:49:20 GMT

@FishyJ

Probably too late now but you could have transferred your PN connection onto a SAGEA line and then ported your phone number to an independent VOIP provider like A&A.

https://www.aa.net.uk/voice-and-mobile/voip-information/

Brian

Re: Cancelling PN But would like to keep email acounts

Townman — Thu, 22 Feb 2024 19:18:56 GMT

@FishyJ wrote:
Ah, okay. That’s disappointing, but understandable. I hadn’t originally thought it a possibility until I stumbled on posts in this forum and mentioned beyond. On well. 🤷

The rules / options on retaining email after departing changed. It used to be possible, it is no longer.

Re: Cancelling PN But would like to keep email acounts

FishyJ — Thu, 22 Feb 2024 21:18:47 GMT

Thanks @bmc ,

That's a good point. But, as you suggest too late in may case.

I think I'll be happy with the move. Always a bit unnerving when moving providers/suppliers 😜

Cheers

🐠J

Re: Cancelling PN But would like to keep email acounts

Anonymous — Thu, 22 Feb 2024 21:28:51 GMT

@FishyJ wishing you a trouble free move !

I'm guessing that you're off to Zen ?

Re: Cancelling PN But would like to keep email acounts

HPsauce — Fri, 23 Feb 2024 10:38:13 GMT

I terminated one of my Plusnet lines yesterday morning and the router stopped authenticating later in the day though email and the Member centre were still normal.

Today the Member centre is still useable though does say my account is closing down and I can't change anything. Sensible.

My email just evaporated overnight as expected. Whilst I knew this would happen, and I am in no way dependent on it, it still just feels wrong. 😖

I think the way Plusnet deal with emails on account closure is fundamentally flawed and at the very least disrespectful to customers. It certainly makes like difficult for some. Plusnet should at least offer a free transition period, ideally an extended service (at a fair price) or assistance with migration to an alternative/preferred service. But I guess it's too late now....... 😢

PS I've still got a (heavily-restricted but useable) free Tiscali email account and I can't even remember when I was with them or what for!

Re: Cancelling PN But would like to keep email acounts

Townman — Fri, 23 Feb 2024 12:06:16 GMT

@HPsauce

Running these services does cost money ... and Plusnet does not have the billing system capability to bill for them. This is why when the new billing system came in, paid for mailbox retention became a zero charge item.

The real issue however is that most of the product strategy is now directed by BT Consumer Division young enough to know it alls who are from a generation where loyalty (in both directions) is not an understood concept. They flit from provider to provider driven by price. They think that @gmail.com is the answer to every email problem / requirement and no one needs a landline. They probably do not migrate their mobile number when they change mobile providers - every thing is disposable.

From a business perspective I suggest that Plusnet's position is not entirely unreasonable: You stay loyal to us and we will continue to provide your 'free' email service; choose to move your paid subscription elsewhere, then sorry you'll lose your 'free' email service. Users wanting to flit around from a unified service provider to point providers need to do their own planning for change and should in the case of email make those plans at least 3 months ahead of deciding to move to a different ISP.

Are any ISPs still offering bundled ('free') email services? It used to be a real sweetener to keep users loyal ... but that has become a deprecated concept.

Re: Cancelling PN But would like to keep email acounts

jab1 — Fri, 23 Feb 2024 12:16:23 GMT

Are any ISPs still offering bundled ('free') email services? It used to be a real sweetener to keep users loyal ... but that has become a deprecated concept.

@Townman Zen still do - I think, but I do know they are/were considering making it a 'paid for' extra when I discussed it with them last year sometime

Re: Cancelling PN But would like to keep email acounts

Anonymous — Fri, 23 Feb 2024 12:33:09 GMT

@Townman wrote:

Are any ISPs still offering bundled ('free') email services?

But right there is the issue that Plusnet is getting wrong, you are saying the ONLY options are "free" or "nothing".

Wouldn't it be an income opportunity if Plusnet offered an email account for a small monthly fee, to existing and leaving customers. If necessary the fee could be proportional to the number of mailboxes, storage size, messages per month, etc.

Even the supposedly "too expensive" A&A offer an email account for just £1(+vat)/month !

If Plusnet offered a similar service (effectively as an "ADD-ON"), that would resolve the "cost to provide" argument, and they would be able to keep their low base price for JUST providing very low cost broadband services.

Re: Cancelling PN But would like to keep email acounts

jab1 — Fri, 23 Feb 2024 12:26:29 GMT

I see what you mean, @Anonymous , but, and I may be wrong, it appears that the Plusnet brand is seen at Consumer Division as a purely basic 'Internet Provider' with zero added bells and whistles. That is the impression I get, anyway.

Re: Cancelling PN But would like to keep email acounts

FishyJ — Fri, 23 Feb 2024 14:00:00 GMT

Thanks @Anonymous Me too 😁

Yep, I'm off to give Zen a spin. Hope they are as good as their reputation suggests 🤞

Also hope the move to fibre from copper is smooth.

Thanks,

FishyJ

Re: Cancelling PN But would like to keep email acounts

FishyJ — Fri, 23 Feb 2024 14:11:15 GMT

Hi @Townman ,

Yep, I understand about running email server is a cost to them, and for this reason I was surprised there ( used to be ) a way to keep the email access after moving to a different provider.

I have been one of those 'loyal' customers for around 20 years. But despite this loyalty PN feel it's justified to charge above inflation rates of increase when the existing loyal client is much less likely to need support. That practice ( and it's not just by PN ) just wrankles me.

Had there been the option to pay a small fee to keep the email accounts I'd likely have gone for it. But the option isn't offered, so there we have it.

The driver for my move was that copper lines are marked for decommissioning so driving the move to fibre. Unfortunately PN doesn't offer a fibre phone service. I realise I could use a 3rd party, but ( perhaps I'm old fashioned ) I'd prefer to keep the broadband and phone as one account.

Oh well..

All the best,

FishyJ

Re: Cancelling PN But would like to keep email acounts

HPsauce — Fri, 23 Feb 2024 14:25:09 GMT

Yes @Townman I fully understand running email services are a cost and equally understand Plusnet as a business no longer wants to do that; fair enough. BUT as I thought I'd made clear the way they are managing it is really poor, especially for some long-standing customers who probably don't know their options, how to avail themselves of them or how immediate and draconian the cut-off is.

Re: Cancelling PN But would like to keep email acounts

Baldrick1 — Fri, 23 Feb 2024 16:30:13 GMT

If I remember correctly, when I joined Metronet over 20 years ago, I paid for email.

What goes around, comes around.

It never ceases to amaze me how undisciplined some are in managing important emails, relying entirely on a freebie service, with emails residing on a third party 'cloud' server and with no local record.

Re: Cancelling PN But would like to keep email acounts

Baldrick1 — Sun, 25 Feb 2024 08:18:16 GMT

Moved to It's own topic and re-titled

Re: Cancelling PN But would like to keep email acounts

corringham — Mon, 26 Feb 2024 11:02:21 GMT

@Townman wrote:
Running these services does cost money ... and Plusnet does not have the billing system capability to bill for them. This is why when the new billing system came in, paid for mailbox retention became a zero charge item.

I don't think the cost is significant - the marginal cost of an individual user's e-mail is tiny. Getting rid of e-mail altogether (eventually) will save real money, but deleting one users e-mail the instant they leave Plusnet won't.

What I see as more significant is the matter of liability - with a "free" (or rather "included" in the broadband price) e-mail service people may be forgiving of some rough edges and low mailbox allowances. With a paid for e-mail service any issues will bring down the ire of users demanding that they get what they are paying for.

I think that is why e-mail was never a separately chargeable service, and why no charge was made for mailboxes that continued after a user dropped Plusnet broadband.

From another perspective, maintaining e-mail for ex-customers does keep a connection with that customer going - arguably making it more likely that they would come back to Plusnet in the future, or recommend Plusnet to new potential customers (while probably costing less than advertising with an equivalent impact). Deleting e-mail without even a notice period immediately cuts all connection to the ex-customer - most probably forever.