iiNet handing off email service to "The Messaging Company"

[2Brix]

Any iiNet customers also get the message today from iiNet that your email accounts will be deactivated from around mid-September (and emails wiped in November) unless you actively opt in and request via the Toolbox to get all your emails transferred to and managed going forward by a (mysterious) third party service provider named "The Messaging Company" ?

 

Concerningly the message did not come to my main email address, but rather to one of the auxilliary email accounts, that (thankfully) i do use.  But otherwise i could have missed it all together 

 

Seems genuine https://help.iinet.net.au/iinet-email-messaging-company

 

 But as a 20++ year customer it clearly counts for nothing, no consultation at all.  Not at all happy with this    

 

If you use iiNet for emails then better check it out.

 

Cheers

2B

[roachy]

Yes also received this today.

 

Thing that has me worried is it will only let you migrate a ****@iinet.net.au address where I have been using a ****@iinet.com.au address for over 20 years as my main email account

 

Not sure what my options are

[2Brix]

@roachy if not already try seeking clarification by calling their 13 or 1300 number.

 

I've got to dust off my feeble IT skills and see if i can make a backup of my emails before the migration.  Have a few weeks before needing to decide but most likely have to trust this new service provider - at least in the short term - as changing over to another provider and advising all personal and business contacts would be a right PITA 

 

I'm kind of hoping there will be a massive groundswell in aggrieved customers who will express their unhappiness direct to iiNet in no uncertain terms.

[xlr8or]

I got the exact same email a few days ago but using TPG instead. No consultation whatsoever. Like many here a long term customer with a fixed email address that has been in use for yonks. I'm currently exploring other options porting over to another ISP carrier. Something about the name "The Messaging Company" just doesn't sit right with me. If there was a split in services and things were branching off in a new direction due to growth I would understand but no comms on the subject to explain the context behind it all really doesn't help.

[Single-Malt]

TPG owns iinet( and by extension, internode), so looks like it's a once size fits all solution from the parent company

[blybo]

I used to have my company email (and website) hosted by iinet and they fobbed us off back in April. Really annoying. They are still charging the same monthly rate just to host the website. I've closed that side of my business so this is a good reminder to close that website too.

[Steff]

14 hours ago, 2Brix said:

service provider named "The Messaging Company"

Creepy Orwellian undertone. They probably used "The Marketing Company" for their brand name design.

[Single-Malt]

1 minute ago, Steff said:

Creepy Orwellian undertone. They probably used "The Marketing Company" for their brand name design.

Funded by "The Finance Company" perhaps?

 

[davewantsmoore]

40 minutes ago, Single-Malt said:

Funded by "The Finance Company" perhaps?

Definitely.

It would be way too expensive (relative to the margins involved in providing retail internet services) to be running a good quality email service for a (relatively) small number of users, when it isn't your core business.

There would have been more backlash (in terms of lost subscribers/revenue) for TPG putting their prices up by $10 per month ... than cutting the email service.

[aussievintage]

 

I am quite happy about this.     

 

I had already (about a month ago) moved all my email communication off iinet onto a service that is "portable", i.e. that I can use no matter which ISP I am with.  This makes it possible for me to ditch iinet for a better deal when it comes along.  Oh boy, did I ever do the right thing this time     There is nothing to keep me stuck with them now.    So,  onto Aussie Broadband,  who can flip me onto fttp (iinet cannot do this)  perhaps...

[blybo]

1 hour ago, aussievintage said:

So,  onto Aussie Broadband,  who can flip me onto fttp (iinet cannot do this)  perhaps...

We moved recently and Aussie offered us a free migration to FTTP at the new place, as long as we upped our plan to a 100mbps speed.

 

It took around 30 man hours and at least 100m of fibre to complete the upgrade (at no charge) and we appear to not have an upper speed limit, usually sitting around 270mbps

[aussievintage]

Just now, blybo said:

We moved recently and Aussie offered us a free migration to FTTP at the new place, as long as we upped our plan to a 100mbps speed.

 

It took around 30 man hours and at least 100m of fibre to complete the upgrade (at no charge) and we appear to not have an upper speed limit, usually sitting around 270mbps

 

Great info.  Thank you.    Aussie Broadband actually told me over the phone that I needed to subscribe to 100mbs to get the fttp, but that I could downgrade later if I wanted.   Very helpfull.  Iinet have really shot themselves in the foot.

[Single-Malt]

Can recommend Aussie. Have had no issues with them for Internet service.

I host my own email so not at the mercy of any ISP for that

[blybo]

54 minutes ago, aussievintage said:

 

Great info.  Thank you.    Aussie Broadband actually told me over the phone that I needed to subscribe to 100mbs to get the fttp, but that I could downgrade later if I wanted.   Very helpfull.  Iinet have really shot themselves in the foot.

 

Yes there is no lock in period with the plans, but with 2 teenagers and all of us streaming on the TVs we've decided to stay on the 100 plan, just in case we get limited to the lesser plan speed.

 

We got it done in Feb and haven't had an outage since. We don't need our modem either now, just plug straight into an Orbi wifi mesh router.

 

[2Brix]

The way i foresee this could play out is as follows:

 

1) for iiNet / TPG....an inhouse committee decided not to ask customers and instead unilaterally decide to sell off what may well be lower (or losing) margin email services with the aim of increasing company profits.  However a significant number of customers i.e. subscribers to their internet services who valued a bundled service (internet+email) and don't want to take a chance with a mysterious new player with undisclosed location and undisclosed future fees take issue with that and look and go elsewhere for their internet services, thereby reducing or eliminating the desired increase in profitability by a double wammy effect...less subscribers full stop...and retaining or regaining subscribers will be in direct competition with existing lower cost internet services providers.  e.g. lose 10% of your customers, and drop your subscription fees by 10% to compete---> around 20% drop in revenue.

 

2) for The Messaging Company (TMC)...buy the email services from iiNet/TPG and get no revenue for the first year (according to the information from iiNet there is no charge for the first 12 months for people who opt in.  Either iiNet is paying...more loss...or TMC is paying) and only start charging in September 2024.  By which time a significant number of people have long since already made other email arrangements, and a significant number might well depart when the TMC fees are eventually disclosed. 

 

 

 

 

[Tony B]

I received this message also. 25 years of loyalty has now stopped

and have setup starlink satellite internet. Goodbye!

[Benje]

I have been with Adam forever (now iinet).

 

Any suggestions on email providers who can use my existing email address eg benje@adam.com.au ?

If I don't go to the Messaging Company, I might well change internet providers as well.

I'll look into Aussie Broadband given the remarks above.

 

ps  I was really peeved recently at iinet's direct marketing on two separate occasions for their 4G/5G broadband vs the normal NBN wired product.  I don't care which might be better or fractionally cheaper, I wanted continued service that was stable.

Yes, am becoming disillusioned with my provider in 2023.

 

Benje

[aussievintage]

3 minutes ago, Benje said:

I have been with Adam forever (now iinet).

 

Any suggestions on email providers who can use my existing email address eg benje@adam.com.au ?

If I don't go to the Messaging Company, I might well change internet providers as well.

I'll look into Aussie Broadband given the remarks above.

 

ps  I was really peeved recently at iinet's direct marketing on two separate occasions for their 4G/5G broadband vs the normal NBN wired product.  I don't care which might be better or fractionally cheaper, I wanted continued service that was stable.

Yes, am becoming disillusioned with my provider in 2023.

 

Benje

 

 

The trouble is that the domain name is controlled by iinet

From a whois...         Registrant Contact Name: iiNet Hostmaster

 

I am just changing all my contact email information at all the companies and websites I care about, to an email address at a new domain name controlled by my new provider.  Choose anyone you like.   Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo, etc etc
 

 

[2Brix]

9 minutes ago, aussievintage said:

 

 

The trouble is that the domain name is controlled by iinet

From a whois...         Registrant Contact Name: iiNet Hostmaster

 

I am just changing all my contact email information at all the companies and websites I care about, to an email address at a new domain name controlled by my new provider.  Choose anyone you like.   Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo, etc etc
 

 

don't forget SNA 

 

[GregWormald]

I've been with Internode for many years and always been happy I could go down to the office and deal personally. I've also had no issues with the Cape Town help desk so no issues there. 

 

I've also had no notice about an email change from Internode. (Yet?)

[Quark]

Telstra (who I'm with) was talking about doing the same thing a year or two ago, but sanity prevailed. Grab your popcorn and sit back for TPG's upcoming profit warning as subscribers move on to other NBN providers. This sort of stupidity will make a good subject for business studies students. Expect a new CEO at TPG in the next 12 months...

[GregWormald]

Internode just posted their intent to pass the email business to The Messaging Company with no payments needed until November '24.

 

That'll give me plenty of time to sort out who needs my new email address (unless it's cheaper to keep the new duo).

[Whites]

This is super annoying, I have been with tpg for ages and happy with their service. Never thought about changing mainly because of the hassle of changing emails, well this issue has broken that bond.

 

I started to make a list of companies, banks etc that I need to change to my gmail, didn’t realise how many there are

[LogicprObe]

 

I'd be peeved too.

I'm waiting for Telstra to try the same thing and I'll have to migrate to Gmail as well!

 

[Herbs]

Can you buy stocks in Aussie broadband?

 

Been with Internode forever.

 

Time for a change.