Keeping your existing email address

[Big Bas]

I am considering having all my eggs in one basket ie TV Phone and internet with BT. I currently have a freeserve email address and wish to keep it to avoid telling everyone of my change. Would BT permit that? and if not is there any way of avoiding the hassle?

[sunny-dave]

It's not up to BT - it's up to freeserve (or orange as they now are).

They can/will terminate the address once you are no longer a customer (mine lasted a year or two I think)

[MarkRae]

I would strongly urge you to consider getting a "proper" email address i.e. one based around your own name rather than a second-hand "c/o" one from an ISP.

.co.uk domains can be registered extremely easily, and will typically cost around a fiver every two years.

[Prudie]

That's interesting as I'm planning to switch to BT for internet and they said I could keep my current e-mail. Hadn't factored in that tiscali might not like that.

[Old_Geezer]

Companies tend not to like acting as charities. Either they change a fee for the address or they rely on advertising when you go there, or maybe sell your data on. An ISP is unlikely to say, "Yes we'll keep providing a service for someone no longer a paying customer."

Swopping TO BT.... best of luck.

[sunny-dave]

@prudie - tiscali, now part of talktalk, turn off email addresses for ex-customers pretty quickly (weeks rather than months).

As MR says, either get a proper .co.uk address for a few pounds a year or take a (small) risk and get a gmail one from google - the risk being that they can (and very occasionally do) just decide to terminate your gmail account and because it's a free service you have no comeback.

[BlueScorpion]

We contacted aol about 18 months ago to cancel our account and at the same time cancelled the direct debit payment. They sent an email telling us it would be switched off wlithin 24 hours, but it still appears to be working (at least it is still receiving mail, we haven't used it to send any)

[kaw69]

Hi
I have had my Tiscali email address since they took over Lineone all those years ago, I changed my ISP to 3, 12 months ago but my email is still through Talktalk and works fine.