Major broadband firm with 100,000 customers axing free service in days
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A MAJOR broadband firm with hundreds of thousands of customers is axing a free service in days.
All TalkTalk email customers are being moved to a new provider called Everymail from Open-Xchange.
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TalkTalk is axing a free service for hundreds of thousands of customers in days
Credit: SOPA Images/LightRocket via Gett
The company began to email customers in June to let them know that if they do not sign up to the new provider then their email account will be closed.
TalkTalk broadband customers will be able to continue to use the email service for free.
But those who received a TalkTalk email when they first signed up to the broadband company but later switched to another provider will need to pay a £60-a-year fee.
TalkTalk will gradually close the inboxes of customers who do not pay the fee over the next few months.
It will start to restrict customers' email access after July 31, which means they will not be able to send emails but will still be able to access ones they have already received.
Those who do not sign up by September 9 will have their mailboxes frozen.
After October 31 their email address, inbox, contacts and calendar will be erased.
Once the accounts are deleted they cannot be recovered.
Any emails that are sent to the account will automatically return to the sender.
TalkTalk told The Sun that it will contact users several times before it shuts their account.
It will either ask them to take action to keep their email address or download important information that they can transfer to another email provider.
This includes emails they have sent or received, saved contacts, calendar appointments and tasks.
TalkTalk said the changes will give customers 'the best user experience'.
It added: 'We are actively communicating with all those affected. We are providing several options and users are free to download and transfer their data.'
Free email providers
WORRIED about your email being tied to your internet provider?
There are plenty of excellent free email services you can use instead.
Here are a few popular choices:
Examples include: Gmail: Google's offering is feature-rich, with plenty of storage and excellent spam filtering. Integrates seamlessly with other Google services.
Google's offering is feature-rich, with plenty of storage and excellent spam filtering. Integrates seamlessly with other Google services. Outlook.com: Microsoft's webmail service offers a clean interface and integrates with Microsoft Office applications. Good storage options are available.
Microsoft's webmail service offers a clean interface and integrates with Microsoft Office applications. Good storage options are available. Yahoo! Mail: A long-standing provider with a large storage capacity. It includes a built-in newsfeed.
Proton Mail: For those prioritising privacy, Proton Mail offers end-to-end encryption. Based in Switzerland, it has strong data protection laws (free but limited storage).
For those prioritising privacy, Proton Mail offers end-to-end encryption. Based in Switzerland, it has strong data protection laws (free but limited storage). GMX Mail: Offers a good balance of features and storage space. Includes a spam filter and virus protection.
What do I need to do?
If you are happy to pay the £5 a month fee then you should sign up before July 31 to avoid any issues with your email inbox.
But if you are unwilling to pay then you can download your emails now to avoid losing access to them.
You can then upload them to a new account with a different company.
Exactly how to do this varies depending on your email provider but you should be able to find help on its website.
It is a good idea to set up an email address that is separate from your broadband provider to avoid being locked into the account.
Once you have created a new email you should make sure to update all of your bank, supermarket, energy and utility accounts.
Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing money-sm@news.co.uk.
Plus, you can join our Sun Money Chats and Tips Facebook group to share your tips and stories
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Scottish Sun
5 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Major broadband firm with 100,000 customers axing free service in days
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A MAJOR broadband firm with hundreds of thousands of customers is axing a free service in days. All TalkTalk email customers are being moved to a new provider called Everymail from Open-Xchange. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 1 TalkTalk is axing a free service for hundreds of thousands of customers in days Credit: SOPA Images/LightRocket via Gett The company began to email customers in June to let them know that if they do not sign up to the new provider then their email account will be closed. TalkTalk broadband customers will be able to continue to use the email service for free. But those who received a TalkTalk email when they first signed up to the broadband company but later switched to another provider will need to pay a £60-a-year fee. TalkTalk will gradually close the inboxes of customers who do not pay the fee over the next few months. It will start to restrict customers' email access after July 31, which means they will not be able to send emails but will still be able to access ones they have already received. Those who do not sign up by September 9 will have their mailboxes frozen. After October 31 their email address, inbox, contacts and calendar will be erased. Once the accounts are deleted they cannot be recovered. Any emails that are sent to the account will automatically return to the sender. TalkTalk told The Sun that it will contact users several times before it shuts their account. It will either ask them to take action to keep their email address or download important information that they can transfer to another email provider. This includes emails they have sent or received, saved contacts, calendar appointments and tasks. TalkTalk said the changes will give customers 'the best user experience'. It added: 'We are actively communicating with all those affected. We are providing several options and users are free to download and transfer their data.' Free email providers WORRIED about your email being tied to your internet provider? There are plenty of excellent free email services you can use instead. Here are a few popular choices: Examples include: Gmail: Google's offering is feature-rich, with plenty of storage and excellent spam filtering. Integrates seamlessly with other Google services. Google's offering is feature-rich, with plenty of storage and excellent spam filtering. Integrates seamlessly with other Google services. Microsoft's webmail service offers a clean interface and integrates with Microsoft Office applications. Good storage options are available. Microsoft's webmail service offers a clean interface and integrates with Microsoft Office applications. Good storage options are available. Yahoo! Mail: A long-standing provider with a large storage capacity. It includes a built-in newsfeed. Proton Mail: For those prioritising privacy, Proton Mail offers end-to-end encryption. Based in Switzerland, it has strong data protection laws (free but limited storage). For those prioritising privacy, Proton Mail offers end-to-end encryption. Based in Switzerland, it has strong data protection laws (free but limited storage). GMX Mail: Offers a good balance of features and storage space. Includes a spam filter and virus protection. What do I need to do? If you are happy to pay the £5 a month fee then you should sign up before July 31 to avoid any issues with your email inbox. But if you are unwilling to pay then you can download your emails now to avoid losing access to them. You can then upload them to a new account with a different company. Exactly how to do this varies depending on your email provider but you should be able to find help on its website. It is a good idea to set up an email address that is separate from your broadband provider to avoid being locked into the account. Once you have created a new email you should make sure to update all of your bank, supermarket, energy and utility accounts. Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing money-sm@ Plus, you can join our Sun Money Chats and Tips Facebook group to share your tips and stories
The Sun
5 hours ago
- The Sun
Major broadband firm with 100,000 customers axing free service in days
A MAJOR broadband firm with hundreds of thousands of customers is axing a free service in days. All TalkTalk email customers are being moved to a new provider called Everymail from Open-Xchange. The company began to email customers in June to let them know that if they do not sign up to the new provider then their email account will be closed. TalkTalk broadband customers will be able to continue to use the email service for free. But those who received a TalkTalk email when they first signed up to the broadband company but later switched to another provider will need to pay a £60-a-year fee. TalkTalk will gradually close the inboxes of customers who do not pay the fee over the next few months. It will start to restrict customers' email access after July 31, which means they will not be able to send emails but will still be able to access ones they have already received. Those who do not sign up by September 9 will have their mailboxes frozen. After October 31 their email address, inbox, contacts and calendar will be erased. Once the accounts are deleted they cannot be recovered. Any emails that are sent to the account will automatically return to the sender. TalkTalk told The Sun that it will contact users several times before it shuts their account. It will either ask them to take action to keep their email address or download important information that they can transfer to another email provider. This includes emails they have sent or received, saved contacts, calendar appointments and tasks. TalkTalk said the changes will give customers 'the best user experience'. It added: 'We are actively communicating with all those affected. We are providing several options and users are free to download and transfer their data.' Free email providers WORRIED about your email being tied to your internet provider? There are plenty of excellent free email services you can use instead. Here are a few popular choices: Examples include: Gmail: Google's offering is feature-rich, with plenty of storage and excellent spam filtering. Integrates seamlessly with other Google services. Microsoft's webmail service offers a clean interface and integrates with Microsoft Office applications. Good storage options are available. Yahoo! Mail: A long-standing provider with a large storage capacity. It includes a built-in newsfeed. Proton Mail: For those prioritising privacy, Proton Mail offers end-to-end encryption. Based in Switzerland, it has strong data protection laws (free but limited storage). GMX Mail: Offers a good balance of features and storage space. Includes a spam filter and virus protection. What do I need to do? If you are happy to pay the £5 a month fee then you should sign up before July 31 to avoid any issues with your email inbox. But if you are unwilling to pay then you can download your emails now to avoid losing access to them. You can then upload them to a new account with a different company. Exactly how to do this varies depending on your email provider but you should be able to find help on its website. It is a good idea to set up an email address that is separate from your broadband provider to avoid being locked into the account. Once you have created a new email you should make sure to update all of your bank, supermarket, energy and utility accounts.
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I LOVE a deal and there are loads online – but who has the time to scour the web looking for savings? That's why I got a robot to do it for me. To see if I could save some cash, I set Google 's AI systems to work, hunting for product alternatives, " dupes", and lookalikes. It managed to track down thousands of pounds of savings in a matter of minutes using a clever combination of free online features. I used two different tricks – one using Google Gemini and the other using Google Lens. Gemini is Google's chatbot. You can find it here. It's free and works just like ChatGPT. And Google Lens is a special version of Google Search that you'll find inside the official Google app on your phone. You can take or upload a photo, and then Google will hunt for it (and lookalikes) online. Just tap the camera icon in the app. Both of these tools are perfect for dupe-hunters looking to save a bit of cash. They can identify your product and trawl the web to find items that look just like it – only at a much lower price. First, I tried it on a few products in my house to see if I could find places where I would have saved money. But I also had a go with ritzy items I'd seen online – all in a bid to find bargain versions of the same products. Let's start with what I had at home first. Google's Gemini AI app lets you chat out loud with shockingly humanlike virtual helper HOME ITEM #1 – LIVING ROOM LAMP I love my living room lamp. It's the Made Java Arc Overreach Floor Lamp, which normally retails for £179. That's a fair sum of money, but it looks great. For this, I had better luck with Google Gemini. I asked for lookalike lamps that didn't cost as much, and it served me up with three decent options. 27 27 Two looked reasonably similar and came in at £59.99 and £84.99. Honestly, I would've been happy with either. 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