Freeserve to close email service from May

virgo17 · 9 February 2017 at 11:06PM

Realise that this might only affect a small percentage but the old Freeserve email service is to close on 31st May. This includes freeserve, orange.net, orangehome.co.uk and wanadoo domains.

This service was very useful as it allowed any username before the @ symbol, allowing users to set up any address for any purpose and filter it on receipt.

eg. 123@me.freeserve.co.uk or 321@me.freeserve.co.uk or 231@me.freeserve.co.uk etc etc..

Details here:-

http://ee.co.uk/help/mobile-and-home-connections/broadband-gallery-mobile-broadband/email/email-closure?intcam=ON_EE_E_Orange_email_closure_infomremail_textlink-2017-01-11

Le_Kirk · 10 February 2017 at 11:04AM

Interesting. I have an old freeserve address even though I changed to a BT address 3 years ago and I STILL receive e-mail to the old address no matter how many times I tell people I have changed. Maybe now they will believe me!

DoaM · 10 February 2017 at 12:06PM

My very first ever (non-work) email address was a Freeserve one.

(I set it up when I got Freeserve dial-up Internet as my very first home internet connection ... the joys of DSL with a Frog modem).

S0litaire · 10 February 2017 at 2:36PM

Still got my Freeserve email address dumping contents into my Gmail account these days.

Joined when it first started, and I've kept the email account active ever since.

Lakeuk · 10 February 2017 at 10:07PM

You can have similar control over a gmail address. When you choose a Gmail address, you actually get more than just "yourusername@gmail.com."

Here are two different ways you can modify your Gmail address and still get your mail:

Append a plus ("+") sign and any combination of words or numbers after your email address. For example, if your name was hikingfan@gmail.com, you could send mail to hikingfan+friends@gmail.com or hikingfan+mailinglists@gmail.com.

Insert one or several dots (".") anywhere in your email address. Gmail doesn't recognize periods as characters in addresses -- we just ignore them. For example, you could tell people your address was hikingfan@gmail.com, hiking.fan@gmail.com or hi.kin.g.fan@gmail.com

virgo17 · 11 February 2017 at 8:32AM

Lakeuk wrote: »

You can have similar control over a gmail address.

Whilst this is true, and I have used it, there isn't the same level of control or the ability to create really meaningful addresses with Gmail.

gmx.com will allow up to ten alias addresses and if you can manage a bit of Deutsch then gmx.de provide up to twenty alias addresses.

However. all of these are poor substitutes for your own domain name and hence an endless number of addresses.

paulstar · 11 February 2017 at 3:46PM

Oh ****. My freeserve is my main email address. I've heard nothing from them - is this a recent announcement?

Goodness knows how many places have my freeserve email address as my login username or contact details. And goodness knows how many of them I'll overlook and not change before the deadline.

Robisere · 11 February 2017 at 3:58PM

paulstar wrote: »

Oh ****. My freeserve is my main email address. I've heard nothing from them - is this a recent announcement?

Goodness knows how many places have my freeserve email address as my login username or contact details. And goodness knows how many of them I'll overlook and not change before the deadline.

Use 'cc' and 'bc' to circulate as many contacts as you can reach, with a new email address. You generally find that those you don't reach will ask others for your new address.

paulstar · 11 February 2017 at 4:15PM

Thanks.

Also, this may or not be useful, but you can set an auto responder by logging in to Orange webmail at

https://web.orange.co.uk/r/login/?ServiceId=mdsp&target=http%3A%2F%2Femail.orange.co.uk%2Fservice%2FSA%3FVS%3DMAILWELCOME

emptybox · 11 February 2017 at 4:52PM

Very annoying, as my fsnet address is still widely used, so I'll have to change my Paypal and Ebay and Amazon and a whole host of others. :mad:

Anything I've set up in the last 5 years has used a different address, but all the old faithful sites that I've used for years are still using my Orange address.

Bit ironic that they say at the end of the link that they've given plenty of notice, as I haven't had a peep from them, and this was the first I've heard of it. And I'm a current EE customer. :doh:

Most things are straightforward to change, but changing the Paypal email might cause problems, as it's effectively your identity?

philbostavros · 11 February 2017 at 4:59PM

Many thanks virgo17.

I'm with orange home broadband, though I don't use my orange email account.

One of my sons does however - he even stayed with them (upgrading to fast fibre) when he moved house in the summer, as he didn't want the hassle of changing providers and email account! He will have to now!!

Neither of us have received any notification from EE yet so thanks for the heads-up.

Phil

Freeserve to close email service from May

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