Email access broken since 29th October and Plusnet takes a few days off

[#1]

A week has gone by without Plusnet resolving a broken email account. I use my email for 2-factor authentication, business and private communication, banking, etc.

The problem started with loss of Webmail.

Then Plusnet operative suggested changing my password and gave me a link to do this. Now I cannot access my email with Outlook. In short, my email account has a real problem.

Redirection to another email (non-Plusnet) didn't work either.

Today, Friday/Saturday, I see the operative is away until Wednesday.... That does indicate how little customer support matters to Plusnet - does no-one else in Plusnet check status flags. The next step, I was told, would be the operative would escallate ... sounds good but not if you have to wait five days! Without any guarantee of a solution.

Lesson: Don't use Plusnet email.

[#2]

Silly question - maybe - have you changed the password in Outlook?

[#3]

What do you mean by the "loss of webmail"?

That is not a well-defined statement.

Do you mean you cannot access https://webmail.plus.net ?

Do you mean that you cannot log in there?

Do you mean that when you have logged in, you encounter errors?

Do you mean that having logged in and encountered no errors, you cannot see new emails?

Or do you mean something completely different, nothing to do with webmail, but some other aspect of the mail service?

Which mail brand are you using?

[#4]

Not a silly question. Yes, I changed Outlook password to the new password set on Plusnet's email interface. I then waited a few hours for the update to take hold. No dice.

This problem persists in Outlook, Webmail and I even tried Thunderbird in desperation. But none of these platforms allow me access to my email account. I also tried webmail on my Android device in case there was something nasty lurking on my laptop - frankly, that was another desperate "if everything logical fails, try the illogical" moment.

I even tried setting up a redirect to a non-PlusNet email but NOTHING I do makes a difference.

For the problem to persist in both Outloook and Webmail using Windows and Android suggests to me that my email account on Plusnet servers has become disconnected (unsynched) from password verification 'look-up'.

I am able to use other Plusnet email accounts without a hitch.

[#5]

I mean:

- I am unable to access my email using Outlook (I even tried Thunderbird in case Outlook was on the fritz)

- I am unable to access my email through Webmail. Other email addresses behave normally and are accessible.

- On advice from PlusNet, I went to manage-my-mail and completed the "change my password" form - updated Outlook with the new password and still no joy. I left more than two hours between changing the password and trying Outlook and Webmail as advised by PlusNet. 

So, all my Plusnet emails are functioning perfectly - EXCEPT my main email address.

[#6]

Helpful phonecall has resolved the problem. Thanks for responses here through this forum.

[#7]

Out of interest, what was the problem?

[#8]

Apparently, over the past few days, there have been problems with password changes not registering.

So, following the same instructions as I have been using, I was able to get in.

The random errors over the past through days explains how, at one time, I was unable to access the email account using WebMail, but able to do so with Outlook!? Very squirrely. 

As the guy said this morning - sometimes you just have to thump Member's Centre once more and it works...

Very helpful chap.

[#9]

Potentially there is a huge difference between the webmail client reporting a password error and another email client reporting a password error. The latter adds all kinds of connectivity considerations being reported as “password” errors.

If you are changing passwords in the manage my mail interface, you are referring to secondary mail boxes which adds more complexity to guidance which might be relevant. Note that it is far from obvious in that interface that your new password was accepted / rejected. The password rules offer four classes of characters … what is not stated is that there must be at least one character from each … and if the password change fails, it is not blatantly obvious! Been caught out with that more times than I care to remember.

If this were the main (default) mailbox then that would require the ACCOUNT password to be changed, impacting the router WAN account settings (unless this is a legacy email account) and the user portal login settings.

So there are a lot of considerations when offering advice in this space … and the fact that many users incorrectly refer to the mail service as “webmail” adds complications.

Glad you are sorted.