Paid for email accounts

A friend of mine is still using and paying for one of the legacy premium e-mail service accounts (http://www.plus.net/btbroadband/ I think it is). They are obviously extremely annoyed with the recent problems. As they use this account with work, many of the person's clients e-mail addresses have been compromised as well as their own. So they are questioning whether they should stay with PlusNet, especially as there are more reliable and stable free services out there.

That said, immediately cutting off this account and saving themselves the monthly fee while arranging a new account would be something I've advised them against. No point cutting off your nose to spite your face after all.

So, I ask PlusNet, is there any reason for them to continue to pay for this e-mail service? As far as I can tell the only thing they're really getting out of it is authenticated SMTP (something that other customers have been asking for for a while). If they decide to move elsewhere, can this account be moved to a PAYG account in the same way Broadband packages can to allow a smooth transfer?

It does also add an interesting angle to the whole spam and security angle. PlusNet have in the past (with for example, Usenet) and Tiscali are now (with e-mail) stating that services beyond the actual connection are not covered by certain parts of the agreement between the customer and the company. I'm pretty sure many consumer bodies would see things differently, if you advertise to provide something in exchange for money, you deliver it, no matter what the small print says. Anyway, my friend was paying explicitly for the e-mail services, albeit in a product that is no longer sold. A service which I wouldn't say PlusNet have adequately provided.

In reply to:

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So, I ask PlusNet, is there any reason for them to continue to pay for this e-mail service? As far as I can tell the only thing they're really getting out of it is authenticated SMTP (something that other customers have been asking for for a while). If they decide to move elsewhere, can this account be moved to a PAYG account in the same way Broadband packages can to allow a smooth transfer?

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Hi there,

Thanks for pointing this out. We did have a few customers paying extra for the services package when we rolled out the changes to the spam platform (The services package has similar product features to the standalone essential/advanced account that your friend has). What we did with these customers was to drop the cost of the subscription so they no longer had to pay for the service.

Looks like the BT Broadband accounts were overlooked when we did this. Easiest thing to do would be for your friend to request a downgrade to a PAYG dial up account. They'd lose the authenticated SMTP but this would keep the address active.

Kind Rgds,

Thanks Bob. I'll pass this on to them and get them to downgrade.

Does this mean that in effect that some account holders should have been informed of the changes, but weren't? So have basically been paying for something there was no need to for a number of months? Are all these customers going to now be informed of this? Maybe even offered some sort of a backdated refund?

Would be interesting to se if authenticated STMP was offered to more people too, especially given recent problems and the fact that PlusNet's systems are clearly capable of it

It seems that is exactly what he is saying. However PN will need time to formulate a 'how to get out of giving refunds' policy

always the cynic...

Where have you been I've made a few posts in the last couple of day's have you missed them

Now I'm feeling left out!

They are getting more than the free email accounts though because they get authenticated SMTP (I don't know if the services account had auth SMTP or not). Now if PN were offering that on the basic accounts now, then I could see no difference.

<<<<< cues Group hug >>>>>