BT eMail

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

I’m honestly not sure when this was announced, BUT … I’ve been tidying up some stuff on the old MacBook Pro [which is not upgradeable beyond El Capitan] and happened to open Safari on the BT eMail log-in page.

Shock/Horror … up pops another tab, with this:

https://www.bt.com/help/email/manage-email-account/updates#:~:text=Not%20all%20of%20our%20customers,service%20might%20no%20longer%20work.

If you use BT, and an older computer of any persuasion … I suggest reading it.

MichaelG.

[NealebParticipant @nealeb]

It’s been coming up as a warning on my machine for a few weeks now although as I use an up-to-date browser I wasn’t worrying too much. Not sure why older browsers are becoming incompatible, whether it is lack of functionality to support new features in their email system or security holes which can’t be fixed.

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

This could keep me ‘amused’ for a while:

https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/bt-email/id1467369544

 

BT has a long history of NOT playing nicely with Apple.

MichaelG.

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[Chris CrewParticipant @chriscrew66644]

I am preparing to leave BT the very second my current contract expires. After 45 years of being an independent customer (the family’s lines I had use of before that were obviously provided by what became BT) I have been ripped once too often by their pricing policies. In anticipation of losing my btinternet.com email address I have migrated all my business account settings to a generic gmail.com address and notified all my contacts that the previous address will not be monitored. A fibre-optic internet provider, that has recently cabled the village, has assured me I can have a higher speed internet connection and keep my landline number for at least two-thirds of what BT is charging. A colleague who has recently moved to the new fibre service tells me he is very pleased with it. I can’t even explain why I should want to keep the landline number, the line only exists these days for the internet. I never now tell anyone what it is or to contact me on it and the only people who use it are scammers with Asian accents, but I suppose it’s a connection to the past, if you will pardon the pun?

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

I have already left BT, Chris … for the reasons you mention, and more.

My old land-line number has been ‘ported’ to my Fibre installation at the new physical address, and works on VoIP. The copper cabling has been removed.

The reason I started this Topic was just to warn people that ‘the march of progress’ now means that their ageing computer might no longer be able to access BT’s dreadful eMail system.

MichaelG.

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Edit: __ this is the killer line from my first link:

If you’re using older software, your email service might no longer work.

[noel shelleyParticipant @noelshelley55608]

As some one who uses the computer but has little idea of how it works anything like this worries me ! As a loyal BTcustomer I’m affraid to change to another provider for fear of the trouble, loss of number and chaos it may cost me even if it is cheaper. 2 things have happened this last year A, whilst I can view E bay I am unable to bid or make offers I just get a white square and the rotating buffering circle and B, Emails take 12 hours or more to arrive. If using Ytube it sometimes tells me that the video I wish to see cannot be viewed, I need to update my browser, something I don’t know how to do.  Ah well, Noel.

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Sorry to say, Noel … things are only likely to get more difficult in that way

The new ‘improved’ BT eMail [the web-mail page, not some fancy App] simply won’t open on my old MacBook Pro … the version of Safari Browser is just to old for it.

Fortunately, I have several other machines … but anyone reliant on an older computer could be in real trouble.

Have a look at the first link I posted, and see where your computer sits in their tabulation.

MichaelG.

[bernard towersParticipant @bernardtowers37738]

I personally do not have any trouble with bt email and have not had any info regarding change, its funny how the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence!

[Nigel Graham 2Participant @nigelgraham2]

I must admit this thread puzzles me. I wonder if the problems are to due with computer or OS incompatibility somewhere.

I’ve had no problems with BT, though there are a couple of rather irritating snags on the e-post form. If you mis-type an address you can’t simply correct the error, but have to re-type it completely. The window also covers all of the page so you can’t refer back to anything.

Other than those the service itself has normally been good. The only time I have left it was when I was talked into a combined “smart’-phone / broadband contract with EE, which I did not realise at the time is BT owned anyway. After thinking about it for all of a day I reverted to BT, retained the “smart”-‘phone for a short time then sold it. (I had to pay off the rest of the two-year EE contract, of course.)

I know BT intends moving to fibre-optic services, presumably so the electricity bill is all ours and not its but I don’t expect a consequent price reduction, in the next couple of years; but I am not yet certain what that will mean in practice. There is a useful summary of this on the Age Concern web-site.

I gather 3G services will disappear, apparently by 2030, but here too I don’t know what this will mean for me.

Meanwhile I am staying with BT Broadband. I have had no reason to change.

[Ian PParticipant @ianp]

I have been with BT for more years than I care to remember but about a year ago after seeing adverts for combined landline and broadband packages that were cheaper than the line rental and BT broadband I proceeded to switch to Plusnet as their deal was about half what I was paying. A couple of days after initiating the changeover I had a phone call from a BT salesperson asking if they could persuade me to stay with them. Their new deal was cheaper than Plusnet so now still with BT.

I never set up or used the BT email/s as I have a domain name so only use BT for the internet connection.

From Noel’s description (emails taking 12 hours to deliver) I’m sure (well I hope!) that the problem is not the fault of BT.

Ian P

[Nigel Graham 2]

On Nigel Graham 2 Said:

I must admit this thread puzzles me. I wonder if the problems are to due with computer or OS incompatibility somewhere.

[…]

Sorry for that, Nigel … I hoped I had made it very clear

BT is rolling-out its improved version of web-mail AND has explicitly warned that:

If you’re using older software, your email service might no longer work.

… Nice of them !!

I just thought it might be helpful to mention that ^^^

[ everything else here is predictable ‘topic creep’ ]

MichaelG.

[Nigel Graham 2Participant @nigelgraham2]

Fair point!

I did take the hint and look at my software, which seems OK.

I have had odd messages from BT though, about changes.

As for “improved”, we shall see…… Usually “up-graded” means merely “up-dated”!

[BazyleParticipant @bazyle]

You don’t have to use webmail – dedicated email programs exist.

[Bob Unitt 1Participant @bobunitt1]

I’ve had my current BT landline for 14 years, as a BT Business customer. Now I’ve retired I asked BT if I could retain the landline and my phone number, but move to a residential tariff rather than a business one, with nothing else changing (my broadband is with a different provider) – “No problem !” they said, “we’ll do it straight away !”.

Needless to say, my current broadband connection disappeared a couple of days later. BT had informed my current provider that I was changing to them, and instructed them to cease my broadband. My own provider had asked if I wanted to cease and I’d said no, but apparently BT had gone up a tier to my provider’s provider, and got them to cease it. I was told it would take 14 days minimum to reinstate, but my provider managed to persuade the tiers above to make me a special case, and I was reconnected after 4 days.

I then got a snotty email from BT saying that I hadn’t made an appointment with their installation engineer for my new broadband ! Fortunately I mentioned this to my provider, who said that they’d have to have words with BT as BT would probably use the non-visit as a pretext to cease my line again.

Since then (several months ago) I’ve had no more problems, but I’m still paying BT  a business tarriff. Does anyone know of a land-line provider who can take mine over without requiring me to switch to their broadband ?

I’ve been dealing with BT for over 50 years, both as an employee* (including one of the earliest large leased-line networks in the UK) and in my own business (ISDN). At no stage have they been anything other than utterly bloody useless…

* Edit:That’s a bit ambiguous, I wasn’t a BT employee, I worked for a large automotive manufacturer who had many dealings with BT.

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Bob

Given that ‘the plan’ is to remove all copper connections pretty soon … I would suggest you consider taking the plunge and moving to Full Fibre to the Premises at the earliest opportunity.

When I relocated to North Wales in August last year … everyone except BT was on the ball, and the service from Zen has been excellent.

My old land-line number was ported-across, and now works on VoIP

… the only issue with that system is that my Pacemaker monitor doesn’t use the same codec.

MichaelG.

Note:  the standard work-around uses a cell-phone dongle, but mobile coverage is dire here, and it’s failed to send data to the Hospital today [maybe tomorrow!]

[Howard LewisParticipant @howardlewis46836]

Still using Windows 7. It ain’t broke so why fix it and have the problems reported with later versions

A few months ago, with NO warning, my E mail stopped functioning.

I had heard that BT has implemented some changes. Wonder if this was the cause of the proble; an “upgrade” incompatible with older systems, that spread across to some of their subsidiary internet suppliers?

It took 3 weeks, and £105  for my tame “fixer” to check both machines and to install Thunderbird on my PC and my wife’s laptop. (Absolutely plugged with work, and he  reprted problems with Virgin about the same time!) Co incidence?

Complained bitterly, and Talk Talk did give some credit againt my bills, for the loss of service.

T – T did not seem amused to learn that I had installed a different E mail system; but it works which is what I want.

Howard

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