# Protect your email service - Ofcom E-petition



## John-H (Jul 13, 2005)

BT recently announced that they would be discontinuing their *free* (i.e. advertising supported) email services on Talk21 and BTinternet addresses currently run for them by Yahoo! They have emailed customers and told them that if they wish to continue using the email addresses and service they must *pay for their premium service *or *switch to using BT Broadband*. They have given one month notice after which the *accounts and all emails and data will be deleted*.

Some people have had their accounts for 14 years and use them as their primary email, registering with countless websites over 14 years and linking to bank accounts and services etc. Now they are on short notice to save their data, transfer and sort their email folders over to another provider with no support provided to help do this, contact numerous people and websites to inform them of the change - or pay up.

There is no regulator of email services. BT may only be the first to do this. What's to stop other "free" service providers starting to charge for services previously described as "for life" and using the threat of deleting your data as a marketing ploy.

*If you feel something as basic and important as email should be provided consumer protection then there is something you can do:*

*Sign the Government E-petition for Ofcom to regulate email providers:

http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/48917*

Also contact Ed Vaisey MP and press for Ofcom action...

Contact Ed
Email: [email protected]
Post: House of Commons
London SW1A 0AA
Telephone: 020 7219 6350


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## John-H (Jul 13, 2005)

Well, BT's deadline of the 16th September was extended amidst many people copying their emails onto Google mail or downloading to their local machine. The extreme pain for many has been informing banks, friends, websites etc. in a panic- because of the short deadline, lack of help and BT's emailed announcement resembling a phising scam which many people ignored until they realised it was real.

BT said they had received such an overwhelming response from free account holders migrating over to take up their broadband and premium mail services, in order to preserve their account, that they were extending the deadline.



> "We've listened to our customers' concerns about closing the free basic mail talk21 service and in order to give customers more time we will be giving all talk21 customers the option to move to Premium Mail free for a year. We'll be contacting affected customers from 9th September."
> http://www.thinkbroadband.com/news/6015 ... inful.html


You won't find the announcement on BT's website, only one similarly worded announcement about extending the deadline to 30th September which had also passed without incident.

What has happened of course has been BT's oubidding of BSkyb for football screening rights in an admitted marketing strategy of growing BT's broadband market share.

Free BT mail account users will perhaps see the same motivation behind the way they have been treated.

The situation is still unclear however - what about free btinternet.com customers? Why no official clear announcement from BT? Perhaps they are unsure what to do and are testing the reaction.

BT have had a lot of bad publicity from this debacle. They retain a large historical free account customer base which are served adverts which pay towards the cost of Yahoo's ruining of the service. BT risk alienating all these people.

This comment summarises the thoughts of many:



> I am wondering if its going to dawn on BT that linking all those addesses, and dealing with all the people they will cut out through mistakes, or lack of awareness, and the loss of goodwill, will cost them more than just keeping all the addreses running. That may be the simpler proceedure they are looking for. If there is any cost involved, they could have cut it by just askeing the people concerned about terminated addresses that hadn't been used for a year . Much more sensible than looking at accounts, noting they were in use, and then asking people if they wanted to use them.
> http://forums.digitalspy.co.uk/showthre ... 916&page=3


With no regulator in charge of email services, consumers have little protection from the whims of big business.


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## John-H (Jul 13, 2005)

Just in case it affects anyone else... I had an email from BT. It's not a spoof - I've checked.



> Important information about your email service
> 
> Hello,
> 
> ...


It's all very sad. After using the "free for life" BT internet mail (provided by Yahoo!) for many years and seeing countless annoying adverts it looks like I'm leaving. Not enough people have made a fuss about it to change the course of events with OFCOM but at least BT were forced into providing more time to migrate to a new provider after their previous poorly thought out short notice warning back in September.

I did click the link to get "free premium email" for a year but it wants to charge me £1.60 per month and there seems to be no mention of "free" on the page. I've had enough and have set up another _free_ account.

A colleague on *******@Talk21.com (another "free for life" account) has not received an email. So beware, you may lose the account shortly. Back up your emails to another account if you haven't already.


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## John-H (Jul 13, 2005)

Message from BT



> Last chance to keep your email address
> 
> Hello,
> 
> ...


Both the keep options involve paying money.


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