Hah, BT got me again :(

Having just migrated away from a very expensive BT Broadband package,
I thought I could be very clever and keep my BT pop3 email address
whilst subscribing to my new ISP. Not a chance! Today, just three
weeks after I migrated, BT stopped all pop3 access to my email
address, only allowing me to access my emails through their crappy
bt-yahoo webmail.

Further enquiries revealed that to enjoy continued pop3 access to my
BT email address, I would have to upgrade to what BT call their
"Premium Email Service", at a cost of £1.50 a month.

I guess this proves that I am not very smart after all, and it also
proves there is no such thing as a free lunch. But I still feel a
little miffed. Bugger, I thought I was away from BT once and for all.

Seriously though, I'm not complaining about the £1.50 but do any other
ISP's make this kind of charge just so you can keep your pop3 addy?

Travec the Tightwad

On Tue, 10 Oct 2006 19:10:03 +0100, Travec The Dacian
<(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:


>Seriously though, I'm not complaining about the £1.50 but do any other
>ISP's make this kind of charge just so you can keep your pop3 addy?

Not trying to be funny and I certainly am not defending ISPs but do
you know how tight you sound? FFS you can get a domain and email for
less than a tenner a year from companies who are likely to be here
next year!

I don't see any reason at all why an ISP should maintain an email
service for a non-paying customer.
--
John Naismith

Travec The Dacian wrote:
> Seriously though, I'm not complaining about the £1.50 but do any other
> ISP's make this kind of charge just so you can keep your pop3 addy?

You are expecting them to provide you with a service at no charge?

Travec The Dacian wrote:
> Having just migrated away from a very expensive BT Broadband package,
> I thought I could be very clever and keep my BT pop3 email address
> whilst subscribing to my new ISP. Not a chance! Today, just three
> weeks after I migrated, BT stopped all pop3 access to my email
> address, only allowing me to access my emails through their crappy
> bt-yahoo webmail.
>
> Further enquiries revealed that to enjoy continued pop3 access to my
> BT email address, I would have to upgrade to what BT call their
> "Premium Email Service", at a cost of £1.50 a month.
>
> I guess this proves that I am not very smart after all, and it also
> proves there is no such thing as a free lunch. But I still feel a
> little miffed. Bugger, I thought I was away from BT once and for all.
>
> Seriously though, I'm not complaining about the £1.50 but do any other
> ISP's make this kind of charge just so you can keep your pop3 addy?

Many ISPs, and BT have done this for me, allow you to downgrade your account
to dialup Pay and Go. You can then keep your old ISP e-mail address and
(usually) collect via your current ISPs pop server. Usual requirement is to
dial into the account every so often (60 days?)

--
Old Codger
e-mail use reply to field

What matters in politics is not what happens, but what you can make people
believe has happened. [Janet Daley 27/8/2003]

On Tue, 10 Oct 2006 19:10:03 +0100, Travec The Dacian
<(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>Seriously though, I'm not complaining about the £1.50

^^ Read my lips, FFS, lol. ^^

I am NOT complaining about the charges. I knew this would pull all
the righteous do-gooders out of the woodwork. Jeez. do you guys live
on a perch like vultures just waiting to swoop or something?

All I am saying is that this is the first I have heard of such a
practice in my experience. Please spare me the lectures on corporate
economics :-)

Travec

On Tue, 10 Oct 2006 19:10:03 +0100, Travec The Dacian
<(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>Having just migrated away from a very expensive BT Broadband package,
>I thought I could be very clever and keep my BT pop3 email address
>whilst subscribing to my new ISP. Not a chance! Today, just three
>weeks after I migrated, BT stopped all pop3 access to my email
>address, only allowing me to access my emails through their crappy
>bt-yahoo webmail.
>
>Further enquiries revealed that to enjoy continued pop3 access to my
>BT email address, I would have to upgrade to what BT call their
>"Premium Email Service", at a cost of £1.50 a month.
>
>I guess this proves that I am not very smart after all, and it also
>proves there is no such thing as a free lunch. But I still feel a
>little miffed. Bugger, I thought I was away from BT once and for all.
>
>Seriously though, I'm not complaining about the £1.50 but do any other
>ISP's make this kind of charge just so you can keep your pop3 addy?
>
>Travec the Tightwad


Truth be told - I have a lot of clients who migrate from x to y and
then to z etc etc for NORMALLY no good reason, change email address' -
put up with the migration process etc and yet still are able to
continue to receive their POP3 mail for months and months if not for
ever. I have always failed to understand why the ISP's continue this
at all without any charge....... I've never come across your BT
issue b4 thou'

On Tue, 10 Oct 2006 19:33:39 +0100, Travec The Dacian
<(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>On Tue, 10 Oct 2006 19:10:03 +0100, Travec The Dacian
><(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>
>>Seriously though, I'm not complaining about the £1.50
>
>^^ Read my lips, FFS, lol. ^^
>
>I am NOT complaining about the charges. I knew this would pull all
>the righteous do-gooders out of the woodwork. Jeez. do you guys live
>on a perch like vultures just waiting to swoop or something?
>
>All I am saying is that this is the first I have heard of such a
>practice in my experience. Please spare me the lectures on corporate
>economics :-)
>
>Travec

With a bit of practice you'll hear the sound of the beating of their
wings as you type.......just don't let it put you off posting at all
thou'!

On Tue, 10 Oct 2006 18:35:35 GMT, Matthew Millichap
<(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>Truth be told - I have a lot of clients who migrate from x to y and
>then to z etc etc for NORMALLY no good reason, change email address' -
>put up with the migration process etc and yet still are able to
>continue to receive their POP3 mail for months and months if not for
>ever. I have always failed to understand why the ISP's continue this
>at all without any charge....... I've never come across your BT
>issue b4 thou'

It's lethargy on the part of most ISPs and dates from the days of
dial-up - probably that part of their billing system hasn't been
touched for years and so the free emails continue albeit being
periodically deleted. Back in the days of dial-up there was far more
chance of the customer coming back as there was no MAC nonsense - oh
and you could still count them as "customers".

Now it is really only the more disreputable end of the market which
engages in the "customer inflation" scam. That'd be about 50% of UK
ISPs then - and no I am not joking.
--
John Naismith

On Tue, 10 Oct 2006 19:18:00 +0100, Paul Cupis <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

> You are expecting them to provide you with a service at no charge?

They have been for me over the last five years! When I dumped BT Openwoe
for an enlightened ISP, they changed my account to a Pay as you Go and
allowed me to keep my POP addresses. Every two or three months, they
kindly send me an e-mail reminding me that If I don't connect once within
90 days, they will close the account. So, a quick dial-up, connect then
disconnect, to reset the timer and I'm done for another 90 days. Don't
even have to check the mail boxes when dialling in - the connection is all
that is needed - cost about 2p at local rate. Job done!



--
Using Opera's revolutionary e-mail client: http://www.opera.com/mail/

"Travec The Dacian" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> Having just migrated away from a very expensive BT Broadband package,
> I thought I could be very clever and keep my BT pop3 email address
> whilst subscribing to my new ISP. Not a chance! Today, just three
> weeks after I migrated, BT stopped all pop3 access to my email
> address, only allowing me to access my emails through their crappy
> bt-yahoo webmail.
>
> Further enquiries revealed that to enjoy continued pop3 access to my
> BT email address, I would have to upgrade to what BT call their
> "Premium Email Service", at a cost of £1.50 a month.
>
> I guess this proves that I am not very smart after all, and it also
> proves there is no such thing as a free lunch. But I still feel a
> little miffed. Bugger, I thought I was away from BT once and for all.
>
> Seriously though, I'm not complaining about the £1.50 but do any other
> ISP's make this kind of charge just so you can keep your pop3 addy?
>
> Travec the Tightwad

My old IC24 and Onetel email accounts are still active. As with most ISPs,
I can only receive email, not send, unless I am connecting through their
line.

I think they are now on PAYG dial up though. They don't delete them in the
vain hope that you might be tempted to come back one day bacause you already
have the email address. BT prefer to get a guaranteed 1.50 a month by the
sounds of it.

Funnily enough, my lineone account stopped being available a few years ago
(I am still with Tiscali who bought them out), although my Dad can still
access his (and he went with another company).

Bob