email.com - lifetime membership account closed in error

# 1 for April 23, 2002

Complaints.com received the following consumer message on April 22, 2002:

From: Martin Pavion [Email User]

RE: email.com - lifetime membership account closed in error

Dear Sir, I am writing you a detailed email to hightlight annother problem I have with your service. I hope I have provided you with enough details to rectify my concerns. Many many years ago, when email.com was establishing itself I subscribed for $50 for LIFETIME MEMBERSHIP with the email address Email User'. For this price I was to get all the benefits available for your service, including free email forwarding. Despite numerous problems, which I am sure you keep on record (also available online at complaints.com) you have closed my lifetime account in error. Not only have you closed my account in error, but on contacting you and detailing your mistake, you are unwilling to reinstate it. I am absolubtly disgusted and can only see one explanation for your obtusiveness. After rectifying numerous problems with you I used email.com for many months with only minor concerns. My email was being forward to my hotmail account successfully. I was then informed that I would have to pay extra for the privilige of email forwarding if I desired it. Fortunately I wrote to you explaining that I had paid a lifetime registration and you were kind enough to continue my account unpenalised. A few weeks later I became the victim of a spammer. He forged the IP header of my account and sent numerous unsolicted emails. I discovered this when my inbox became innundated with "mailer-delivery failiure' messages! I contacted email.com asking for assistance, and you replied explaining that I you could not do anything to block these 'delivery error' messages. You have now closed my email account with you, claiming that it was me who sent this spam mail. You did not contact me, and the 1st I knew was when my friend told me that she had trouble emailing me. Your records will prove 100% that I did not sent unsolicited mail. You have the record of my previous emails to you where I relayed my concern about having my email address forged as a header which you acknowledged. When I wrote to you explaining that you have closed my account under completely false pretenses you replied with the following message: "Dear user, Sorry that your account will not be activated again after badlisted by our administrator. Please kindly sign up a new account in www.email.com. " The ONLY reason that I can think of for you to close my account and to not reinstate it is that you do not wish to adhere to your LIFETIME MEMBERSHIP contract which we agreed upon. You would prefer me to pay for annual payments to receive my priviliges. I note that I cannot sign up with the same account name Email User' from your site so I speculate that perhaps you have given this email account to a new user for more money than I paid. I am very upset and will do all that I can to rectify your unprofessionalism, and my inconvenience. Martin