Cannot access one of two blueyonder email accounts

[CarolC1]

Since 2nd December 2021, I have been unable to access one of my two blueyonder email accounts. After phoning and being transferred to different advisers via my Virgin Mobile Account, I was told they would be in touch 3-5 days. This is now the cut off for the five days, so I’m guessing I won’t be hearing from anyone?

Virgin are allowing access to the blueyonder account THEY use for my billing (no surprise) but my other blueyonder is no longer accessible giving error messages re:password, which hasn’t changed. Thing is, the account I cannot access has EVERYTHING going to it, as it’s been my primary email since Virgin bought out Telewest many many years ago. So, all services ‘online’ go to this account, which I cannot access. I may have to go and walk into my bank for their advice, as any emails that have been coming from them are no longer accessible.

Whilst I have set up a new email account, I cannot send anything forward from my ‘important’ mailbox within the inaccessible blueyonder account, as it is totally locked down.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated, as this has turned into a very upsetting and frustrating episode, that I have little or no control over.

Thank you, I have only just joined the community, so not sure as to whether I’m in the right place kind of thing.

[Graham_A · Accepted solution]

@CarolC1  Welcome to the Community.  Have you tried following the instructions for unlocking the mailbox as set out here: Email accounts locked, mailbox unable, unable to a... - Virgin Media Community - 4808847

If the mailbox does not unlock after waiting at least 30 minutes from changing the password post back here and a member of the VM Forum Team will seek to help you.

[CarolC1]

Hello Graham,

Many thanks for your swift reply of help, unfortunately I do not have a Virgin Media account, which is where I am taken if I follow your instructions, just a Virgin Mobile account. This was explained during several phone conversations with Virgin, hence their final conversation saying they would phone me in 3-5 days. The five day cut-off has passed and I’ve heard nothing. It seems I cannot have a Virgin Media account unless I have broadband and landline services with them? My husband does have a Virgin Media account, which my devices run from on broadband, they know this; he has no problems with his two blueyonder accounts.

This morning I cannot access online my Virgin Mobile account either, although nothing has changed and the app is working fine, all accessed by a blueyonder account on my devices, not computers.

Thanks anyway.

[Graham_A]

@CarolC1 If the blueyonder email addresses concerned are not attached to a current VM broadband account then I'm afraid that they could be in the process of being deleted as orphaned accounts.  Having a Virgin mobile account isn't sufficient.

[Gareth_L]

Hi CarolC1

I can take a look and check for you 

It does sound like the accounts have been closed for good though 

I will need to send you a private message to pass security 
If you can check the purple envelope top right of your screen that would be great 
Regards     
Gareth_L

[Gareth_L]

Hi CarolC1

Thanks for those details 

I have located your account and the email address you are not able t access has been locked 

This could be for many reasons, but mostly its because the device you are suing may have malware or a virus on it 

If you can run a scan on that device, then reset the password for the email. 

Make sure is a unique one you have never used before

Wait 30 minutes and try and log in again 

Gareth_L

[CarolC1]

Thank you for your reply Gareth.

I am using a 6th generation iPad which has been in use from brand new with my blueyonder mailboxes on there since first purchasing; and I have the understanding that because iOS ‘stuff’ is sandboxed, scans and the like or scanning applications do not exist for my iPad.

I appreciate your time taken.

Carol

[CarolC1]

Thanks Graham, my husband has the Virgin Media account, I run off of that; and have done since Virgin Media bought out Telewest many many years ago.

It’s my primary email address for just about everything, so a bit unfair if they have closed it without warning.

Thank you for contributing to my plight!

Carol

[jem101]

@CarolC1 a fairly minor point but VM never bought out Telewest, TW merged with NTL and rebranded themselves as VM, technically it’s the same company. You are absolutely right about iOS devices being sandboxed with respect to applications running in them - there are precisely NO antivirus products for iOS which do anything remotely useful, they can’t - so my advice would be when asked, just metaphorically smile sweetly and claim ‘why yes of course I’ve scanned all of my devices and they are all clean’.

OK now here’s the issue, your old BY email address, is no longer associated with a current VM broadband account and as such is regarded as orphaned and is prone to being deleted. Now it is possible to do a move an transfer (as it is called) and associate this address with your husband’s account, e are a couple of caveats. Firstly, the old ‘account’ and new one need to be in the same name - may be an issue, secondly if this were done it irreversibly deletes any and all email addresses associated with the new account. So any VM email accounts and mailboxes and email which your husband is using, absolutely will be deleted in this process - this isn’t negotiable, it’s one or the other!

To be honest, realistically, in your place, I would assume that your BY email address, mailbox and all the email within it has gone and isn’t coming back, and proceed on that basis.

John

[CarolC1]

Thanks for the insight John, but we never went to NTL, from Telewest we were then Telewest Broadband, then we were billed from Virgin. Telewest took over from our very first provider 1996-ish Yorkshire Cable, we have never been NTL customers. If I recall it was some kind of four way platform at the time.

Back to point. I have a mailbox within that blueyonder account that houses ‘important’ digital records that need to be sent forward to a ‘new’ account which I have set up, 148 of them, I can’t even download them to copy and paste!!

I appreciate Virgin maybe no longer wish to continue my service with that blueyonder account; however, I do need to access that mailbox though as a matter of human rights. To take it down without warning is immoral and wholely wrong.

Thanks again,

Carol