New Plusnet account - Webmail/Outlook 2003 problems

[#1]

I can receive/send e-mail via BT addresses and Plusnet (Outlook 2003), but even after following various Plusnet e-mail/webmail guides and perusing related Community messages, I cannot setup a Plusnet e-mail address (me@username.plus.com).
1) Webmail - I cannot login to webmail via my Plusnet username/password (initially "ERROR Unknown user or password incorrect", but also "Login failed").
Plusnet chat have advised that the webmail username should be username+me, but that doesn't allow webmail login either.
2) Plusnet Assist - reports "Outlook cannot connect to your outgoing (SMTP) e-mail server. If you continue to receive this message, contact your server administrator or internet service provider (ISP)."
'telnet relay.plus.net 25' in Win7 VM mode (WinXP) reports: "Connecting To relay.plus.net...Could not open connection to the host, on port 25 : Connect failed"
Any assistance would be much appreciated.
Dave.

[#2]

Quote from: Davexxx

1) Webmail - I cannot login to webmail via my Plusnet username/password (initially "ERROR Unknown user or password incorrect", but also "Login failed").

Assuming I'm looking at the correct account, you don't have a Plusnet email address because you haven't created one yet. What do you see if you log in here?

Quote from: Davexxx

2) Plusnet Assist - reports "Outlook cannot connect to your outgoing (SMTP) e-mail server. If you continue to receive this message, contact your server administrator or internet service provider (ISP)." 'telnet relay.plus.net 25' in Win7 VM mode (WinXP) reports: "Connecting To relay.plus.net...Could not open connection to the host, on port 25 : Connect failed"

Why are you using a VM? Can't you try telnetting natively from the Win 7 environment? Try connecting on port 587 as well as 25 and see if that makes a difference.

[#3]

Bob - many thanks ...
"Assuming I'm looking at the correct account, you don't have a Plusnet email address because you haven't created one yet. What do you see if you log in here?"
A blank page (seriously), in Firefox, reloading doesn't help.
"Why are you using a VM? Can't you try telnetting natively from the Win 7 environment? ..."
Because Telnet Client wasn't enabled in Win7 (I now see, apologies), 'telnet relay.plus.net 25' now reports, which I presume is OK:
220 avasout06 smtp relay.plus.net
Dave.

[#4]

Does this address work? https://www.plus.net/manage_my_mail/
May need to log into member centre first: https://portal.plus.net/index_nlp.html

[#5]

"Does this address work? https://www.plus.net/manage_my_mail/"
No, same result (FF blank web page) - same in IE11.
Dave.

[#6]

Nothing wrong with those links they are correct and work fine, possibly something amiss in your PC. What OS is it?

[#7]

Product Name: Windows 7 Professional
Windows OS version: 6.1.7601.2.00010100.1.0.048
Dave.
PS (4:50pm) "Does this address work? https://www.plus.net/manage_my_mail/"
This now working (FF), takes me to Customer Login - but usual Plusnet username/password generate an error:
"Invalid username or password. Please try again."
Retrying sees same message.

[#8]

Quote from: Davexxx

"Does this address work? https://www.plus.net/manage_my_mail/" No, same result (FF blank web page) - same in IE11.

Try again now Dave.
Worth bearing in mind that you'll probably have to wait overnight for DNS to propagate before thee address will start functioning properly.

[#9]

"... you'll probably have to wait overnight for DNS ..."
Working as I type !   Many thanks.
Dave.