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MTS changing email service soon

92K views 120 replies 32 participants last post by  no123one 
#1 ·
Well, I guess there's no worry of getting heck for mentioning this since MTS has a press release about it on their website (August 7th)

MTS is phasing out their in-house email service, and switching to Microsoft Windows Live.

http://www.mts.ca/portal/site/mts/m...nnel=ed7c8dca20041110VgnVCM1000001342a8c0RCRD

"New customers will be able to take advantage of this new service starting August 17, and existing customers will be contacted by email with directions on transitioning to Windows Live services starting in October. Once the customer completes the transition, their existing emails and content in the customer's current MTS Webmail online account will be transferred to their new Windows Live account all within a few minutes."

So now it'll be the customers responsibility to set up their email, main reason being privacy laws. I could see a lot of people being upset by this, but it sure makes the installers job a lot easier, as people often want multiple email addresses, which can be a PITA using the MTS Webmail.

It sure seems odd that an internet provider won't have their own email system anymore. I guess it's just part of the evolution of the internet. Wonder who will follow suit.

What are your thoughts?
 
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#2 ·
It sure seems odd that an internet provider won't have their own email system anymore. I guess it's just part of the evolution of the internet. Wonder who will follow suit.
Actually, many have done that. Rogers switched to Yahoo a few years back and, IIRC, Sympatico uses Microsoft. I have concerns about using anything from Microsoft.
 
#5 ·
Here's some info I have:

"How does this change in service affect MTS customers (existing and new)?

New MTS Internet customers who wish to have an email account will be issued an mts.net email address(should they wish to use the @mts.net address extension)and a Windows Live ID. They will then be directed to Microsoft to agree to their Terms of Use and complete the provisioning of a Windows Live account. The Windows Live ID used
to provision the Microsoft service will be “userid@mymts.net”, which will be used by the customer for accessing the Windows Live service.

Existing MTS Internet customers will be given notice of MTS’s change of its email service commencing mid-September. Existing customers will be advised that they can obtain their email service with Microsoft as their email service provider. Customers will be directed to a Migration Wizard, which will provision a Windows Live ID and if they
continue and accept Microsoft as their email service provider, this will result in a migration of the customer’s online email content from MTS’s email service to the Windows Live service. The Windows Live ID will be “userid@mymts.net”. This ID will be used for accessing the Windows Live service.

@mts.net vs. @mymts.net
MTS Allstream's relationship with Microsoft will allow users to use the @mts.net domain for their Windows Live email service. When a user registers their email address they will set up a Windows Live login ID of username@mymts.net. The @mymts.net login ID will also be an email address that shares a mailbox with the @mts.net address. Only mailbox usernames will be assigned an @mymts.net Windows Live ID. All aliases will still be @mts.net.

Further comment re:username@mts.net
The Windows Live ID will appear on a user’s email as their email address and although no change to existing email addresses need to be made, the Windows Live ID can be used by customers as an alternate email address.
Customers will continue to have a @mts.net email address, with all mail sent to a @mts.net address automatically forwarded to their @mymts.net Windows Live mailbox.

MTS is also working with Microsoft to enable aliases so that customers can login with their @mts.net ID in the future."



Yes, it'll be possible to continue using your mail client (Outlook Express, etc) but it will need to be reconfigured. I won't post instructions, as they'll probably update their website soon.
 
#6 ·
99semaj said:
Personally, I cut bait with ISP's email years ago, and went with an outside provider like gmail. Now I can move or change ISPs without having to be worried about my contacts.
Ditto.

I own two domains for this purpose. One is the same as my moniker, used for online accounts and conversations.

The other is my name. I've had it 10 years, and everyone knows to use that e-mail address, which ultimately forwards to a web-based service. I can switch web services twice a day and nobody would know the difference.
 
#7 ·
So now we are paying MTS the same price for fewer services. They had better not be advertising email as a part of their internet package, because Windows Live accounts are free, and available to everybody.

Imagine the money they save not needing hardware for email, and all the support $$$ saved. I feel for any MTS employees who have had their jobs cut because of this.

Also, Hotmail (oops, I mean "Windows Live Mail") is FULL of spam. YUCK!

So now when there is an email problem, and we phone MTS Tech support, are they going to be saying "that's not our problem, you need to contact Microsoft" ? I bet that will be the case.
Which means MTS isn't really "changing" their email service, but rather, they seem to be dropping it altogether, under the guise of it being "moved" to Windows Live. Mhmmmm.
 
#8 ·
Guess it was a bad choice of words on my part. Oops. I thought it would generate a lot more discussion than it has.

Yeah, they've "entered into a relationship with Microsoft" :rolleyes: I totally agree with you on this one. At least you could still have an mts.net domain , but it's definitely the end of MTS email as we know it.

I'm not even sure if it'll still be tied to your MTS account, and if it would be terminated if you quit MTS. If so, there's not much point in signing up.
 
#9 ·
I've let my friends who are MTS customers know about this, and they are not impressed in the least. They've been seeing MTS' advertising campaign buttering up it's customers, thinking they are getting all these new services for free! Well, in fact, we are getting fewer services for the same old price, because anybody with a computer and internet connection can get a Windows Live account.

I think it's time to let the media know about this.
 
#10 ·
So I was waiting for notification from MTS for existing customers to be able to migrate their email to Windows Live. My work sent out the URL early, so I tried it a few times with no luck.

Finally, two days ago they got the migration wizard going, and I decided to see what it was all about. I figured it was inevitable, so why not do it sooner than later. Well, it went pretty smooth, but I decided to continue using my mail client (Apple Mail 3.0) and read MTS' instructions on how to re-configure your client.

I found out soon enough that there must be an issue with Windows Live and how it deals with outgoing email being sent from a mail client. I kept getting an error message from Apple Mail saying the SMTP server was wrong or something. I triple-checked my settings, and was getting very frustrated. I check my new Windows Live account via my browser, and found an automated email Microsoft sent saying something like "Please enter your password..." to verify it was me. I guess they are paranoid about spammers hijacking someones email, so now it intermittently interrupts my outgoing email and I've now had to do this 2-3 times.

I migrated my in-laws email and got the same thing. I'm not impressed at all. I knew they were taking a step backwards, but I didn't think it would cause problems this soon.

Oh, and it's only been one day and I'm already getting spam. Before I migrated, their servers almost never let any spam through. I'm switching everything to Shaw shortly anyway so my wife can finally have a PVR, at least until MTS Ultimate is in my area. I don't even think I'll bother with Shaw's email now. I guess I've been stubborn up til now by still using an ISP's email service. I bet MTS will lose at least a few customers over this Windows Live crap.

Gmail FTW!

:mad:
 
#17 ·
I got this further response this morning.

Hello,
If transition process is not completed on your part by the end of
March, the account will be automatically moved to a new platform and
any emails sent in the meantime will be stored on Windows Live
servers, so there will be no disruption in terms of service delivery.
By our current stats only 5 percent of our customer base who already
received notification have not completed the transition process yet.
If for some reason you decide to wait until your account is
automatically moved over and find out that you cannot log into
www.webmail.mts.net anymore, you can simply go to
http://mail.mymts.net and log in using yourid@mymts.net and curren
password to complete the process. After that you can visit
www.mts.ca/windowslive/screenshots to got screenshot based
instructions on how to setup your mail settings on your computer.

Regards,
MTS Tech Support
Apparently dm4u and I are in the dumbest 5th percentile.
 
#21 ·
I am a sack of meat to be bought and sold

I just switched my webmail over to Hotmail or Bing or whatever Redmond is calling their crap factory this month. I still have to switch e-mail client settings on four computers, my Blackberry, and two more people in the household with their assorted computers and mobile devices.
This is the lowest point in my relationship with MTS. If I hadn't upgraded to MTS-TV Ultimate last year, I'd be on the phone with Shaw right now to switch everything over. I'm reluctant to say anything more because I'm so angry I'd probably write something awful that I would regret later.
 
#22 ·
Instead of Hotmail, why not switch to GMail? It's an excellent service that works well. You can access it via web mail or use a regular email client via POP or IMAP and SMTP. They also default to full encryption on web mail, instead of just the loggin, as on some other web mail sites. If you want to can even set up your own domain (extra cost), so you could have an email address such as lorne@lorne.net.
 
#23 ·
I'm definitely considering it after the crap I've been through today, and gmail is high on my list of options.

Speaking of the crap I've been through today: Third Party Cookies. If I want to log out of Windows Live, I have to enable Third Party Cookies. Seriously. To use this thing I have to make my browser less secure.
 
#24 ·
Now MTS is okay with Live?!

What I find really amusing about this is that about a year ago I tried signing up for a Live account (for my Zune, not for email) and was getting odd errors and when I contacted MTS about it, they told me that they didn't allow MTS addresses to be used for Live accounts because of security and spamming concerns. I guess Live must have improved a lot over the last year...:rolleyes:

I have only ever used ISP email accounts - I never trusted having my emails stored with some remote service that I felt (perhaps unjustly) was less accountable. Especially emails related to online bills and banking... I guess that's a choice we are rapidly losing.

On the bright side, I guess this will give me a chance to try out Thunderbird's webmail abilities.
 
#25 ·
This is a horrible move on MTS' part. I've let all my co-workers who were thinking of switching from Shaw to MTS (for TV as well), and they all agree - in-house email service is something you EXPECT from your ISP.

I haven't gotten an invite yet, and if/when I do I'm planning on ignoring it. When they "migrate" me, I'm going to call in and play dumb... then "play" angry and demand a discount for this drop in service. Why pay for "features" anyone else can get for free?

I also avoid Gmail like the plague because instead of blocking obvious Spam emails, they just redirect it into a "Spam" folder. I've had a Gmail address for 2 years, I've only ever used it a couple of times... and yet my Spam folder is full every time I log in. Google won't fully block the emails for some reason - they let them through and instead I'm dealing with 500 emails a month from companies that are obvious spam factories...
 
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