How difficult can it be to update an email address

Shrimply

This is a rant at no particular company, but many of them as a collective.

I've finally got frustrated with Yahoo Mail after using them for many years as my primary account. Everything with them just seemed to be a hassle. There IMAP service seems to have a life of its own, things constantly seem to be going wrong and it regularly for hours at a time rejects log on details.

I've on more than one occasion missed a train because when attempting log in to get my ticket reference number I forgot the stupidly complicated password that they require. Then end up being locked out for a specific length of time, and then it won't let you re-use previous passwords so you have to come up with another ridicules password which you are bound to forget.

Would you believe this rant isn't about Yahoo... Anyway I made a new email account, set up forwarding from my Yahoo account, and slowly started updating my email details with companies.

This should not be a difficult concept for a company, right? A customer has an email address, they may use it to log in, it's where they want all communication sent, including order details and any marketing you wish to send them.

Now some companies, Amazon, eBay, TopCashback, to name a few, make the whole thing simple. You log on, change your email address, done.

As for the rest well. How difficult can it be to update your marketing email list along with someone's account information, apparently very... This is definitely my number one problem. Having to type nice little messages to customer services because having updated my email address with them I can only unsubscribe that new email from their mailing list (which isn't even subscribed anyway in most cases).

Then there are the companies who you can't change your email address with unless you email them for some strange reason (H&M, FragranceDirect).

And the companies who need you to set-up a new account and then have them transfer all your details across, yes really (Nisbets).

The Book Depository have just informed me that they can remove my old email from their mailing list but not add my new one. I have to do that. I've already updated my email address with them, which I can use to log in and get orders sent to. BUT if I ever request a lost password this information will be sent to the previous address. WHY?

And finally, there is one company who I am not going to name which I'd forgotten my password for, they will send you a new randomly generated password. But then offer no option to change this password, or the email address once you get logged in.

So I'm asking you guys, should it really be this complicated? Its funny how much effort has gone into something which should be relatively simple.

Le_Kirk

I sympathise with you, I had exactly this problem a couple of years ago and there is still one company that refuses to or cannot change my e-mail address which is used as a log user name. Some of them I had to try to open a new account before deleting old one and their stupid system says "our records show that this name and address already exists on our system" Yes of course it does it's me and I'm trying to change my log in name but you won't let me!!!

Shrimply

Yes, it's very frustrating. Although given the lack of replies apparently I'm more or less on my own. Haha.

I've got a pretty standard email that I'm now sending to anywhere that can't seem to get it right. Generally though people at customer services don't seem to be able to comprehend the request to update their mailing list. I don't know if this is a language barrier, software limitations or just because they never encounter it. But I've had several replies back stating I have been successful removed from mailing lists but no mention of the new address being added. Given how desperate they are for you to sign up to email newsletters in the first place you'd have thought they'd be more keen to make sure you were still receiving emails.