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how to get a Plusnet Mail Only Account

swissbank
Grafter
Posts: 25
Thanks: 2
Registered: ‎09-01-2018

Re: how to get a Plusnet Mail Only Account

Townman, thank you very much for your interest and advice.
I'm sure that would work but I've run out of time as we switch tomorrow, 24 January 2018
In any case, I've now had to accept that what you and the others have suggested is way beyond my understanding and technical capabilities. If something did not go according to plan when setting up the re-direct, I wouldn't have a clue as to what to do.
I try to avoid situations like that if I can.
I hope I'll be with my new provider for a long time, but I'm still going to keep a note of what you and others have said re. re-direct needs to be done, in case I switch again!
So your time and efforts have not been wasted - I'm sure others will have found what you've said helpful.
At least I've got PlusNet to set up a Mail Only Account for me so that I can manage my changes of email address.
I'm also going to use a Gmail address when I switch, which someone helpfully suggested to me on this PlusNet Community forum a week or so ago (to reduce the work involved of notifying coa)
Once again, thanks very much for your help.

swissbank
Townman
Superuser
Superuser
Posts: 22,923
Thanks: 9,542
Fixes: 159
Registered: ‎22-08-2007

Re: how to get a Plusnet Mail Only Account

Hi,

If you are keeping a Plusnet mail only account, then there's no urgency to make these changes.  Your email program can access email accounts with different providers concurrently.  It needs a little bit if tech savvy, but nothing too difficult.

The right way to protect yourself from future change is to obtain and use your won domain name.  Many ISPs provide domain name hosting so that email sent to you@yourdomain.co.uk ends up in the email service provided by your ISP.  When you change ISPs, you just move the domain hosting and have no need to tell the world about a new ISP email address.

Alternatively you could use a Gmail or Yahoo email account if you have no reservations about what those search engine providers might be doing with the content of your email.  Personally I have little idea of what they do with it, but given they provide the services for free, there has to be a commercial 'up' for them, in hosting your email / data, somewhere along the way.

Superusers are not staff, but they do have a direct line of communication into the business in order to raise issues, concerns and feedback from the community.

swissbank
Grafter
Posts: 25
Thanks: 2
Registered: ‎09-01-2018

Re: how to get a Plusnet Mail Only Account

Townman, that sounds like very good news to me.
When you say “ ... then there's no urgency to make these changes.”
are we still talking about re-directing my Plusnet mail to my new Gmail account.
If so, are we saying days or weeks in which to set it up.
I really would like to have a go as it would be both very useful and satisfying if I can do-it-mysel!
The switch yesterday seems to have gone well. I even got an email from Plusnet confirming my DD of £1.06 pm for my Mail Only Account.
I’ve visited PlusNet Webmail this morning and everything I expected is there and working i.e. receiving and sending mail.
I’ll get back to my new ISP (I’ll pm you later to let you know who that is) and ask about this domain feature.
My broadband and phone package includes a “free static IP Address” - is that the same as the “domain” you mentioned, I fear not?

Peter (swissbank)
Townman
Superuser
Superuser
Posts: 22,923
Thanks: 9,542
Fixes: 159
Registered: ‎22-08-2007

Re: how to get a Plusnet Mail Only Account

Hi,

Let me try to break this down in to steps for you...

  1. You have chosen to retain your Plusnet account as mail only - this will therefore keep on working just as it always has done - you could just do nothing
  2. If you want at some time to 'ditch' the Plusnet account (to save money?) you will need to 'manage' a change of email address
  3. You need to establish a new email provider - this could be your new ISP or it could be Gmail or Yahoo or Outlook.com etc they all have something to offer...
  4. You can choose to use the provider's 'naked' email address (domain) or you can obtain your own domain name (you.co.uk or you.me.uk ... there's lots to choose from)
  5. Your new provider needs to provide domain name hosting if you want to take this route, if not just use their domain name
  6. At THAT STAGE you can think about redirecting your Plusnet email to your new provider - after which you can tell people about your new address

You really can take your time over this - so long as you are content to pay the email only charge each month, you do NOT HAVE TO do anything now.

Note: A fixed IP address and a domain name are not the same thing.

Hope that helps?

Superusers are not staff, but they do have a direct line of communication into the business in order to raise issues, concerns and feedback from the community.

swissbank
Grafter
Posts: 25
Thanks: 2
Registered: ‎09-01-2018

Re: how to get a Plusnet Mail Only Account

Townman, thanks so much for this advice and the time its taken you to do it.

I'll read it carefully this weekend and proceed when I've understood it all.

My switch over is still running smoothly and I'm grateful for Plusnet and my new ISP for that.

I've started to tell people about my new email address, but it would be nice to implement that re-direct function.

 

Thanks,   swissbank

swissbank
Grafter
Posts: 25
Thanks: 2
Registered: ‎09-01-2018

Re: how to get a Plusnet Mail Only Account

Townman, just to update you.

The service with my new provider is running fine at the moment.

My Plusnet Webmail Mail Only Account is working ok too.  I'm content to pay £1.06 pm for this service.

My "strategy" (that sounds a bit pompous, I know) is that when I see an incoming email from someone on my Plusnet Webmail Mail Only Account  and I want to let them know my new email address, I reply to the email giving my new address or, go to their website and change my email address.

 

So at the moment, I'm not going to attempt a re-direct.

BTW I've had quite a torrid time changing my Apple ID recently.  I decided to change it to my new email address and change the password at the same time.  

I won't bore you with the details suffice to say that our local Apple Store couldn't handle it when I went in and the Apple Support telephone adviser had to refer me to a "Senior Adviser" somewhere which seemed many many miles from the UK.  He was very good and the problem on my old iPhone 4 and iPad 3 seems to be solved.  i still don't understand how Apple ID works - far too clever for me!

 

Would you mind confirming one point please?

I've found that even though I can still see and read incoming emails on my laptop Windows Live Mail client, I can't reply to them?

I can only reply if I go to my Mail Only Account on Plusnet Webmail.

 

I get an error message something like "server not responding/unknown" or similar.

Is that to be expected and if so, why is that happening?

 

Peter  (swinbank)

 

 

Townman
Superuser
Superuser
Posts: 22,923
Thanks: 9,542
Fixes: 159
Registered: ‎22-08-2007

Re: how to get a Plusnet Mail Only Account

Hi Peter,

On WLM account settings, is the outgoing server configured to “my server requires authentication / logon”? It should be set to “use the same as the incoming server”.

Superusers are not staff, but they do have a direct line of communication into the business in order to raise issues, concerns and feedback from the community.

swissbank
Grafter
Posts: 25
Thanks: 2
Registered: ‎09-01-2018

Re: how to get a Plusnet Mail Only Account

Townman, oh boy, I’ll be able to apply to Plusnet soon for a technical adviser post!
Many thanks for this advice, I’m confident that it will fix it for me.
I’m not near my laptop at the moment but I’ll look at what you suggest this afternoon.

Thanks again, Peter (swissbank)
swissbank
Grafter
Posts: 25
Thanks: 2
Registered: ‎09-01-2018

Re: how to get a Plusnet Mail Only Account

Townman, yes it worked!

 

I just clicked the radio button that set "“use the same as the incoming server”, and that was it.

 

I'm so pleased.

 

Thanks very much once again for your interest, patience and advice.

 

Peter  (swissbank)