Keeping email address

[Nikkim1]

I wonder if anyone can help me.

I have had services with Virgin Media for many years including their broadband service.

When I was first a customer I lived at my parents house & had email addresses for both myself & my mum linked to my account (both ntlworld.com).

I subsequently moved out & stayed with Virgin - keeping my email address. My mum took out her own TV/Telephone contract but didn't have broadband as she used it so little. Since this time she has continued to use her email address (linked to my account), but she only accesses the internet either via the data service on her phone or at my house when she comes to visit.

As with most people she is currently looking at ways to make savings on many of her bills & one option that has been suggested is that she may get a better price if she changes her package to have her own broadband. This is something she is considering but wants to know if she does will she be able to transfer her email address to her new contract or will she need to set up a new address?

If anybody has had a similar issue I would be grateful to know if/how it was ressolved??

Thanks

Nikki  

[Graham_A]

Individual email addresses cannot be transferred from one VM account to another so she will need to set up a new email address.  VM no longer provide email addresses to new customers so she would need to set one up independent of  any broadband account that she takes out.

[Lee_R]

Hi Nikkim1 thanks for posting and welcome back to our community.

I cannot add much to what the fantastic Graham_A has advised you.  My own recommendation would be for your mum to get a 3rd party email address and have all emails and contacts forwarded to that email address.  Therefore, should you, for any reason leave our company some day, your mum does not risk losing her contacts and important emails.  When I say 3rd party, I mean independent from any internet provider.

Regards

Lee_R

[m00g]

That implies that email forwarding would work AFTER someone leaves the VM family, it wouldnt. As per VMs policy that once a broadband account has been ended, ALL email addresses associated with that account would be deleted after 90 days thus preventing forwarding.

Lee_R has suggested this but it would only be a temporary fix, temporary until the broadband account is closed, but it would give time for all your contacts to be advised of the new address.

Yes definately suggest a an email account away from your ISP, many out there, Gmail, Hotmail, Outlook all very good and have much better uptime than VMs less than adequate offering.

[jem101]

Nikki 

Personally, what I would do in this situation is the following,

Your Mum does indeed take out a new contract including broadband, VM are no longer offering an email service to ‘new’ customers (which is what your Mum would be), and it wouldn’t be possible either, as mentioned above, to transfer her existing email address across.

As long as you remain a VM customer, then your Mum’s existing address is safe, assuming you don’t decide to delete it, as technically you are in full control of it.

Your Mum sets up an email address with another company, GMail or Outlook say, you setup a forwarder on her VM email to forward any mail to the new address, your Mum can use both but can now start telling contacts of the new address.

In fact it might well be a good idea for you to do the same, in case you ever want to leave VM in the future.

[Sololobo]

@jem101 wrote:

Nikki 

Personally, what I would do in this situation is the following,

Your Mum does indeed take out a new contract including broadband, VM are no longer offering an email service to ‘new’ customers (which is what your Mum would be), and it wouldn’t be possible either, as mentioned above, to transfer her existing email address across.

As long as you remain a VM customer, then your Mum’s existing address is safe, assuming you don’t decide to delete it, as technically you are in full control of it.

Your Mum sets up an email address with another company, GMail or Outlook say, you setup a forwarder on her VM email to forward any mail to the new address, your Mum can use both but can now start telling contacts of the new address.

In fact it might well be a good idea for you to do the same, in case you ever want to leave VM in the future.

---

I have seen mentioned on a couple of posts now that VM are no longer supplying a Virgin Media email address to new customers but have been unable to find any confirmation of this.

The only reference I have so far been able to find relating to new VM provided email addresses is here: https://www.virginmedia.com/help/billing-and-payments/manage-email-account

Please note, from May 2022 Virgin Media will be phasing out the ability for customers to create new Virgin Media email addresses. Customers with an existing Virgin Media email address will not be affected, their mail account will remain as is.

This only states that VM customers will be unable to create any new/secondary email addresses on their account, not that VM are no longer creating a VM primary address for their customers to use. 

Is there a definitive statement from VM that new customers will not be provided with an email address, and where can it be found?

[Graham_A]

The first line you quote in italics seems definitive

Please note, from May 2022 Virgin Media will be phasing out the ability for customers to create new Virgin Media email addresses.

By implication all new VM primary usernames will have to be third party email addresses.

[Sololobo]

---

@Graham_A wrote:

The first line you quote in italics seems definitive

Please note, from May 2022 Virgin Media will be phasing out the ability for customers to create new Virgin Media email addresses.

By implication all new VM primary usernames will have to be third party email addresses.

---

The implication is certainly there but is open to interpretation.

My interpretation is that while new customers will not be able to create new email addresses, there is nothing specifically stating that VM will not be providing a single, primary Virgin Media email address for new customers.

I'd rephrase my original question but it seems clear enough (to me) what I was actually asking. Is there a definitive statement from VM that new customers will not be provided with an email address, and where can it be found?

To be clear, I don't believe the email service from Virgin Media to be stable, reliable, nor fit for purpose. The use of a third party, non ISP provided solution is far more sensible.

However, many broadband customers expect an email service from their ISP's as part of their contract, and if this service is not included they should be informed of this in no uncertain terms.

Keep in mind that the information about the lack of an email service to new customers is currently only contained within the VM Help pages, something a potential new customer will not think to investigate themselves until they are signed up to the VM broadband service - which they won't do if they don't have a VM email address in the first place.

[jpeg1]

Regardless of how one might interpret the rather imprecise wording of Virgin's statement, the fact remains that as stated above their email service really isn't fit for purpose. For proof of this one only has to browse the complaints on this forum.

Anyone relying on VM email would be well advised to create a new account with a non ISP provider, set up an auto forward from VM to their new account, and advise the contacts to use the new one. 

[franUK]

This is day 1 for me as a new VM customer and I find this a deal breaker. I am inclined to do a U turn and go back to BT and my 10 email accounts.