Keeping btconnect address now that I've switched to BT residential

[ipsecurity]

Hello,

in reading a prior thread on this [link], it appears that a btconnect address can indeed be kept, so long as there is some billable product. 

Given BT residential is a billable product, does it qualify? 

I've had the email address in question since May 2005 and am loathe to lose it given the business contacts who use it.

Would much appreciate your advice,

Thanks in advance!

[markp]

Hi there ipsecurity,

i am afraid policies have changed since that thread was posted.  At the moment to keep @btconnect.com email addresses active you need to have Business broadband with us.  This is because the email addresses come for free when you have business broadband, so when you cancel Business broadband you will loose the @btconnect.com email addresses.

regards

markp

[ipsecurity]

Thanks markp,

appreciate your followup.

Understand - I think - what you are saying about @btconnect addresses issued to BT Business accounts.

The thing is, the @btconnect email address in question was setup with a BT Residential account ~12 years before upgrading to a BT Business account.

If this new policy is now a one way trap door, then surely it shouldn't apply to @btconnect email addresses that were issued to BT Residential customers who then chose to upgrade to a more valuable package?

Reasons include:

• No warning ever received that the @btconnect Residential email address was to be locked to a BT Business account in perpetuity on upgrading to BT Business

• This new policy is being retroactively applied to email accounts set up over a decade ago, without apparent due consideration for how it affects customers with you for longer than that

• "The email addresses come for free" when you have Residential broadband as well, so there is arguably no difference

• Dead zoneing 'my primary business email address' is extremely disruptive - in this case affecting a broadband customer of yours for 15+ years - that could ultimately lead to loss of business

• It is now arguable that upgrading from Residential to Business has put me at a disadvantage, given that I would still have the email address if I hadn't upgraded. Is this really the 'added value' of a Business account with BT?

I would most appreciate your thoughts on these points.

Thanks in advance.

[markp]

Hi ipsecurity,

@btconnect addresses have always been business addresses, before we had @btconnnect we had @btclick for business users, all home/residential accounts are @btinternet.com, before that they where @btopenworld and they also had @talk21 accounts too.

we do supply free email addresses to both business and home acocunts, these are @btconnect and @btinternet addresses, but as home and business are 2 separate ISP's these accounts are not able to be moved/migrated between the 2.

Markp