Virgin Email Closing Down?

[Chris-5471]

I was told the other day by a Virgin Media IT guy that in 2025 (exact date unknown) Virgin will be closing all email accounts.  My VM email address ends in ntlworld.com so have been with them for decades.  I still have, and pay much, for a complete VM service including Broadband, full TV/films, phone, email.  He told me to add a different email account (not a VM one) onto my list of email accounts so that when it all gets closed down, that email address will be used.  I really don't get that - how does that work?  Will VM auto-forward the emails on to that other email account for a set period of time?  He said I should also back up all my email folders using a service called Turgs backup tool.    After years and years of people having my email address, including crucial contacts such as hospitals, etc etc will all need to be changed.  If this is correct, this is a huge let down for VM's customers.  Can someone please confirm this is actually happening for current VM customers?  Many thanks.

[goslow · Accepted solution]

VM is currently very busy closing down VM mailboxes which are not linked to a current broadband account.

Those who are currently VM broadband customers and whose mailboxes are associated with the broadband account are not at risk in the current round of mailbox closures.

Some who do have current VM broadband are being caught in the current mailbox closures if their mailbox has been 'orphaned' from the current VM broadband account

https://community.virginmedia.com/t5/Email/Orphan-Email-accounts/td-p/3492073

You can check the mailboxes currently associated with your VM broadband (via the primary 'My Virgin Media' login).

As a separate issue, VM is asking customers to provide a third party email address as a 'security' feature to run alongside VM email addresses (using the third party email address as a webmail login name and also generating an app password to use with email clients).

No long term plans to close VM email have been disclosed by VM, AFAIK, but the general direction of travel, and all the recent changes, suggest it may not have a long term future.

[jpeg1]

Now that customers have a non VM email for their broadband accounts, there is nothing to stop VM closing their old mix of email domains.

There will be ever fewer VM email users as customers drift away to Openreach ISPs, or simply die off. Eventually it will not be economic to maintain the service, or easy to correct email faults with AI, and we have all seen how VM chip away at their costs whenever they can. It's just a question of time. 

[Tudor]

1) VM have not announced close of any of their products email address.

2) VM are not issuing VM addresses to new customers.

Read what you like into that.

I have never used the email address supplied by VM, I have my own domains and email. Regardless of the current system I have always advised people to get their own email separately from their ISP. Users should realise that an email system is not the place to archive data and any critical data should be downloaded to your own system and also backed up.

[Alex_RM]

Hi Chris-5471,

Thanks for posting and welcome to our community  😊

We began contacting former Virgin Media customers via email who still have an active Virgin Media .net email account to make them aware that we'll soon be closing said email account.

If you have a current active broadband account we can check to make sure your email is attached to it. So I can get a few more details from you, I've popped you over a private message.

Alex_Rm