Can't send e-mails and possibly can't receive them

[#1]

Using Windows Live Mail I've set up a plusnet e-mail account yet the only e-mails I'm receiving are from the Virgin Media account which I'm supposed to have left (and the Virgin server rejects e-mails that I try to send).  The error message I'm getting is that an incorrect password was entered.  I've checked it and double checked it.  I use a password management app but have also very carefully typed it in manually.   I've assumed that certain of the characters used in the password that are accepted by the plusnet website are not acceptable on the plusnet servers so requested a password reset but I'm receiving no password reset e-mail.  In fact, upon clicking the 'Get help with password' link, nothing appears to happen.  What now?  Am I paying to lose the e-mail service I once had?  Of course, I won't get e-mail notification of answers I might get here either. 

[#2]

Are you able to log into the Plusnet Member Centre? The same details are used for logging into your default email mailbox.

If you can't login to the Member Centre it will be necessary to contact Customer Services (requesting alternative means to verify your identity), then they can reset the password for you.

To send emails using relay.plus.net requires that your broadband account is active, or you have a paid-for mail only account. If broadband is yet to activate you would have to use webmail for sending emails.

[#3]

Hi there,

If you're wanting to use your Plusnet email service you need to activate this here: https://www.plus.net/manage_my_mail/

If you're experiencing issues with Virgin email, this is something you'd need to speak to Virgin about I'm afraid.

[#4]

Thanks Chris.  You say I need to "activate this here" but the link you've provided just takes me to customer login.  Is anything supposed to happen there?

[#5]

Hi Spraxyt.  Yes, I can log into the Plusnet Member Centre.  I don't understand why I would want to log into the plusnet e-mail mailbox.  I want my e-mails sent to my e-mail app (WIndows Live Mail).  My broadband account is active.  For some reason Windows Live Mail won't work with the plusnet info that it gives e.g. POP or IMAP, port numbers. 

[#6]

My problem has been solved by my brother.  Cut Plusnet out of the loop and go with Microsoft (Outlook).  I followed Plusnet's guide to setting up e-mail and it resulted in a problem that was a major headache to fix.  A password reset should not be difficult (and the incorrect password fault shouldn't have arisen in the first place).

I've also now confirmed that the phone trouble is with plusnet's service.  The socket has been tested on a second phone and it too won't ring when the line is called. 

Not a great start, plusnet.  If your services continue to be bad, at least I'll only be paying a third of what I was paying Virgin for their shoddy service.

[#7]

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@John9 wrote:

Thanks Chris.  You say I need to "activate this here" but the link you've provided just takes me to customer login.  Is anything supposed to happen there?

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If you are not logged into the Member Centre then following the link will require you to login because you can't change your account settings without doing so. After logging in you would be taken to the target of the link. That will guide you to create and name (ie activate) your first Plusnet mailbox. Until you've done that there is no mailbox to login to.

[#8]

Hi there, sorry if you have poor views of our service, with the information provided about the email issues you were experiencing I did provide you the information on how to access your Plusnet email service if you wanted to take one. I do hope that the other issues you've seen are resolved shortly for you.

[#9]

No you didn't.  You provided me with a link without giving me any instructions.  What do you take me for - a mindreader?  "Plusnet Help Team"?  Pathetic.

Moderator's note by Dick (Strat) Insult directed at a staff member removed as per forum rules.

[#10]

But the page linked to provides instructions....

Manage My Mail

Here you'll find tools to setup and manage your email addresses. Change your mailboxes, aliases, redirects and spam protection directly or use our summary page to create and delete email addresses. 

...

This table shows the email addresses set up on your account. If you want to edit an existing email address, confirm what type of address (mailbox, alias or redirect) it is and click on the appropriate tab.

What else were you wanting?

[#11]

Look, let's take this step by step.

1. I tried to contact Plusnet support by telephone and waited over 30 minutes before giving up to try online, as advised by the recorded message.

2. I logged into my account to try to resolve my issue using Plusnet's help guides.

3. Not getting joy using the help guides, I attempted to visit the community forum.  I attempted to post and found to my surprise that I wasn't logged in.  I naturally attempted to use my account login details but this failed and I discovered that I had to register a separate username and password to access the forum.  This is a first for me since I began using the internet in 1998.

4. Having registered for the community forum as well, I posted my question.

5. You replied with a link.

6. I tried to follow the link and found that doing so had ejected from the forum.  Whether it had or not is beside the point.  This was how I interpreted what I had experienced as a new user.  Since it clearly was not a guide on how to set up an e-mail account I was obliged to return to the forum.

7. I replied to your message to let you know that the link you provided me only landed me at a login point.  At this point you began to claim that you had helped me - the clear implication of this being that it was somehow my fault for not recognising what you yourself evidently did not know i.e. that I was not logged into my account and therefore could not access the information you intended your link to take me to.  Had you known that I wasn't logged in, you would have advised me of this , wouldn't you?  However, you did no such thing.  Hence, my return to you to ask you what the link was supposed to tell me.

8. Now you have claimed that my question, "What do you think I am - a mindreader?" is a "direct insult", which it is not.  It's an indirect one via sarcasm - which I wouldn't have made had you not tried to claim that you had helped me when clearly you hadn't.  Note well that the customer is the arbiter of whether or not they feel you have been helpful to them, not you.

I suggest you stop making lazy assumptions about how computer-literate a customer is, and make allowances for the fact that a new customer will be unfamiliar with the website and forum, before you start trying to dictate to them how good you are at your job.

[#12]

"Doing my job"? I don't have a job here - I just give of my time to try to help other customers ... which you then label as "lazy". Now did you say you were looking for help? Did you read the guidance notes on the page you were directed to?

If there is a specific point you don't understand then please articulate a question seeking clarification so that we might be able to assist you. We are not mind readers and are therefore are not able to understand the points you don't follow.

PS:

Now you have claimed that my question, "What do you think I am - a mind reader?" is a "direct insult", which it is not.  It's an indirect one via sarcasm

There is a country mile difference between a direct insult and an insult directed at someone - in this case a member of staff.  Your post was modified for the adjective you applied to a member of staff - an adjective your are apparently overly fond of as you used it again.  It was not modified for your sarcasm!

[#13]

Taking a look at the Managing your mail - Plusnet Help video should provide initial guidance to setting up your first (default) mailbox. In your case after selecting the Manage My Mail icon you will get a dialogue asking you to enter a name for your default mailbox. Unfortunately the video does not show this step since it was made to give a more detailed explanation of the email system.

Once your first mailbox has been created, and you've given time for the system to set up Internet linkages to it you should be able to connect to it using your email program.