A few questions from readers about their ISP (Internet Service Provider) based email service that comes with their internet access. We’ll try to explain what normally happens.
Keep in mind that each ISP has it’s own rules so you should check with them.
Michael B writes: “Once I switch to RoadRunner, will Earthlink disappear our Earthlink email addresses? ”
Almost certainly yes. If you move from, in this case, Earthlink to RoadRunner, your old ISP based mailbox will be cancelled.
The normal practice is that the ISP hosted mailbox is closed when you stop using that ISP’s services. The companies would argue that the mailbox is part of what you pay for as a broadband customer – you stop paying and the service (all of it) stops. Usually right away, maybe there’s a grace period.
The ISP mailbox is often sold as a ‘free’ addon to Internet access, when it’s really part of a package of services you get. If you stop paying, the services will stop.
The Internet providers know that if people use their mailbox service, they are more likely to stay as customers. People who give out their ISP based email address (e.g. @earthlink.com @rr.com @att.net or many others) are making it harder to move from that ISP. If you’ve used that address widely, changing Internet providers means losing that email address.
(Apple does a similar thing to their customers by encouraging them to get Apple based email accounts)
Nancy G writes: “If I switch from ATT to Comcast how can I move my email to Comcast?”
This question shows a common misunderstanding – that the best email service is from the ISP. Or even that you have to use the ISP’s email hosting. You definitively do NOT.
The point of using Gmail, Outlook.com etc – is to permanently separate your mailbox service from your broadband account. That will give you flexibility of broadband provider and better email hosting as well.
By forwarding the old mail to a new account with Comcast, Nancy is just continuing the same email/broadband link with a new ISP … which skips the main point of the whole process.
Most ISP’s have limited email storage and features. Gmail, Outlook.com and Yahoo Mail offer larger storage and features than any ISP’s we’ve seen. Those advantages include calendar and contacts sync as well as email.
Smart email users don’t use their ‘free’ ISP mailbox at all, it’s just ignored.
Compulsory ISP emails
It’s possible that your ISP will only send emails about your broadband account to the mailbox that comes with the account. Usually you can change the customer email address, but occasionally it’s fixed or difficult to alter.
That’s another reason for using the ‘fetch’ feature that all the major mail hosts provide. It can check your ISP mailbox, grab any stray messages and put them in your primary mailbox.
