Email service to killed off permanently

[#1]

Just spoke with a tech advisor, who sorted a router problem, and when I asked about email said, words to the effect, he expected it to be withdrawn in the next year, and that all the tech folk hope it will be. He also said that he thought very few people now use Plusnet email. When I said that was not my impression, he said 'virtually no new customers take a plusnet email address now'. I think they're kidding themselves, and that withdrawing it will lose a lot of customers (probably me) - it seems pretty stupid considering the money they spend on advertising and trying to differentiate themselves. I believe and hope they are underestimating the extent to which it keeps folk loyal. However, like most posting here, I'm an aged and longstanding user - it would be interesting to get the views of the young new entry..
With all the 'new customer only' offers they seem to have the same disregard for existing customers as banks and many other organisations. Curious way to run a company...

[#2]

I find this very sad. I have a madasafish email account and Plusnet bought us back in 2007.

I found this article on the web. Boy how lucky was I.....

As you may know, Madasafish was bought by Plusnet back in 2007. Over the last eight years you've benefited from our award-winning customer service and now we also want to make sure you're getting the best value for money and access to our latest products and packages.

I had to pay £20 per year to retain a unique email address until 5 years ago, so sad if I have to change

[#3]

As with anything to do with the Internet, assume claims false/unproven unless backed up by hard, verifiable evidence.

I note that of the three Users who have posted the 'Plusnet no longer going to offer email' claim, none have ever posted on any topic before.

Including the User who says that he found out this a month ago - when you might have expected the Shock! Horror! story to be raised then.

It is not unknown for tech companies to unilaterally withdraw services (Sonos being a recent case - before they caved) but it is unusual for a tech company to remove a service which then leaves them with less offerings than the competition.

ISPs such as TalkTalk etc. presently offer email... so diffiicult to see how Plusnet would feel that they were not likely to see their market share tank by removing that facility (and of course parent BT.com still offers it).

They are only likely to make that move if, behind the scenes, they have been talking to competitors who are all agreed that email is no longer viable.

Also, if they were going to drop email then they would give sufficient notice - not less than 3 months as one User suggests.

Finally, I have always found Plus tech staff (with one bizarre exception) to be very well trained and not daft when it comes to revealing information that is meant to remain confidential.

So, overall all of this sounds a bit fishy - until someone comes up with an Exec name to quote etc.

Hopefully just a case of one or two people thinking it is fun to shout 'Fire!' in a crowded theatre.

[#4]

@dirpluscom 

Creating an air of suspicion about 3 virgin posters on this topic is unjustified. I was the OP and like I said, I've been with PN for almost 20 years and my existence proves that life is not dependent on being a frequent contributor to this forum.

I'm a septuagenarian who has worked in IT and  been on board the PC/Internet development from the beginning. During this time I have seen it develop and improve beyond all initial expectations.  I do not have a history of posting on this forum because I have had the technical ability to understand the workings of most things to do with email, Internet, networks, PC's etc so have never had any need to float any problems or issues on this forum.

In fact I have been delighted with the service I have had with PN support staff.

Because I have been with PN email for many years, I know how serious a matter it would be if email and particularly web mail were to be discontinued. My email address is embedded in many web based services and across a swathe of personal and business contacts.

The writing was on the cards for the last 4-5 years as PN were making no real progress to resolve  web mail issues. This indicated to me that they were intentionally let it wither and die.

During my recent discussion with support the person I spoke to revealed the real situation - whether intentionally or not I do not know.

[#5]

Not being able to move an @plus.com  email address to another ISP is the main thing stopping many people shopping around other ISP. I think stopping email would be a shot in the foot. They will loose long term customers paying over the odds compared to other companies.

[#6]

I disagree @Clangrant - most responsible boards would treat your ‘virgin’ posters who have apparently joined with no other reason than to create mayhem with the same level of suspicion. I don’t think that either your age or IT background add anything to support your claim.

I’m 74, a past IT technical director and I’ve been with PN via Force9 since ‘98 though I’d hope my occasional posting here doesn’t detract from that. My domain, hosting and email address were all courtesy of Force9 and cost a fair amount over the years. I’d be more than annoyed if PN decided to dump it all though of course it’d be little trouble to port it elsewhere. I know from previous chats here that many long term customers are in the same situation. Many of course have left already because of the dumbing down of the service and support.

As has been pointed out PN’s main competitors in the market offer email. The single reason for PN’s continued existence is to broaden BT’s reach into the lower cost market where BT is seen as a dinosaur so it would be a brave move indeed to threaten that. Nevertheless PN have already scrapped almost everything that people of our vintage joined for save for broadband itself so who knows? The single reason I’ve remained with PN is that they host my domain which puts me off shopping for cheaper alternatives.  As I said earlier I’d be annoyed and leave but technically it’d make no difference to me.

[#7]

---

@quelquod wrote:

The single reason I’ve remained with PN is that they host my domain which puts me off shopping for cheaper alternatives.  As I said earlier I’d be annoyed and leave but technically it’d make no difference to me.

---

That's pretty much the same for me. Like many older customers, I got a free domain name and free hosting for as long as I stay with Plusnet back in 2007(?) as compensation for a data breach. I guess the difference it would make for me is that I use the domain solely for email and I'd have to pay to have it hosted elsewhere. However, given that Plusnest don't offer webspace any more, but I still appear to have the webspace allowance my original package provided, that raises two questions:

1. Given that there is not much point in having a domain name hosted by a company who don't give webspace or email (or is there?), could that be seen as a roundabout way of wriggling out of the 2007 commitment and 

2. Also given that they don't do webspace anymore but those of us who had an allowance didn't have it taken away, might the same approach be taken with email (i.e. new customers don't get it but customers who have it keep it as long as they stay). Interestingly, the other historical benefit I seem to have retained which I don't think new customers get is unlimited email addresses (AFAIAA).

[#8]

I'm not interested in cheaper alternatives.

I'm looking for quality alternatives, who treat their customers with respect and provide a good, consistent service.

[#9]

At a reasonable price ? Good luck with that….

[#10]

@Uncle_Tupelo "That's pretty much the same for me. Like many older customers, I got a free domain name and free hosting for as long as I stay with Plusnet back in 2007(?) as compensation for a data breach."

is that really true, if so how come i didn't get offered that? anyone from plusnet like to comment?

Moderator's note by Mike (Mav): Quote fixed.

[#11]

---

@bluewhale wrote:

@Uncle_Tupelo "That's pretty much the same for me. Like many older customers, I got a free domain name and free hosting for as long as I stay with Plusnet back in 2007(?) as compensation for a data breach."

is that really true, if so how come i didn't get offered that? anyone from plusnet like to comment?

---

Ditto and yes it is true. However, I just got to 'enjoy' going from 10 years with ZERO spam to upto 20,000 spam message per week as a direct result of that particular email/webmail fiasco. And I'd never even used the stupid webmail/IMAP system either. PN had apparently quietly put all my contact details up there to be hacked "just in case" I ever wanted to use it   

About the only 'benefit' that these current email issues actually bring to the table is that it will ultimately have a negative effect on the amount of spam still being received for a while !

[#12]

The free domain was offered but you had to opt-in to get it within a certain timeframe. I don’t recall the exact notice it appeared in but it may not have been in an email but on the website, which some people may not have seen there was any incident.

[#13]

---

@RPMozley wrote:
The free domain was offered but you had to opt-in

can someone from plusnet actually state what happened, i'm not going to leave this and will escalate to the regulators if i have to, so might be best if you sort this out directly here.

the inconvenience caused was huge and now finding that what is in effect quite a sum of money offered to some in a way that excluded some of us will be a problem, especially if email as a service is dropped soon

Moderator's note by Mike (Mav): Quote fixed.

[#14]

@bluewhale  does this help ?  anyone remember the free domain hosting offer of 2007? 

[#15]

@Anonymous thanks for the info, so to be clear was this not emailed to everyone, was it just posted on a forum somewhere. I don't remember seeing this, pretty sure i would have taken up the offer and pretty sure i had an account etc then.

would be nice if plusnet said something on here...