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30-03-2020 06:32 PM
Vodafone own the domain demon.co.uk which I've used for my email address since the mid 1990's...
... when they purchased the company that owned it they didn't want to continue with the domain name. For the last 5 years or so they leased the domain to names.co.uk who have taken on my emails.
Today I was advised by names.co.uk that Vodafone will no longer lease the domain to anyone or use it themselves. So during the current virus pandemic I face losing my email address from the end of May 2020. While I can change my email address I will obviously face losing access to some services, companies and friends that I miss. Further, some websites etc don't make it easy to change.
Anyone got any ideas...?
27-04-2020 04:37 PM
Ofcom complaint form, as asked for by snoopwoody, unless anyone comes up with a better one, you could use the below. Fill in and list the company as Vodafone, then click on ‘broadband’, then make it clear that it’s Vodafone withdrawing the demon.co.uk domain that denies you access to your 30(or how long) email address and/or Website. While Ofcom doesn’t regulate the Internet they were interested in Vodafone denying access to existing services. As I’ve mentioned, Ofcom are looking at a new regulation to allow folk to take their email address from one ISP to another ISP, as we do now for private mobile phone numbers. So this adds to the argument that what Vodafone is doing is wrong.
https://ofcomforms.secure.force.com/formentry/SitesFormCCTMonitoring
As others have mentioned I saw nothing in writing that the deal with Namesco was temporary and, considering we’ve had this arrangement for over five years it seems inaccurate to call it temporary. This is worth stating to whoever is interested...
Initially, I was just very shocked at the timing of this, i.e. during a virus pandemic when we need to keep in contact with commercial companies, health and other government agencies as well as friends, colleagues of old and family. Now, like others have said, why should we lose our email addresses that go back decades, it was the first type of social media after all. Some of us still rate email well above tweeting and the other social media that’s come and gone...
27-04-2020 05:50 PM
I have received the following reply from Andy May of VP,, legacy network close down programme Bod. after emailing the directors office. He confirmed the need to close down these legacy systems citing out of date/unsupported equipment. He also confirmed that the closure date has been postponed to the end of August.
I did ask about alternative options and even enquired about re-direction of emails (similar to royal mail slow mail re-directions). No comment.
Any one here know if email redirections are a supported feature within the general email service. It would to me seem to be a useful feature.
27-04-2020 05:54 PM
PP
Andy also suggested double checking with NamesCo that they are extending the date as well. I therefore suggest individuals do this at there own behest.
27-04-2020 06:35 PM
Interesting.
I received an email from Alice Stokes at Vodafone Customer Relations this afternoon containing this response to my original enquiry:
"In your email you explained that you're unhappy with the closure of our Demon domain and are concerned about losing your long standing email address. I looked into this and found that the following statement has been issues to customer effected by the domain closure.
'We notified customers of our decision to close the free Demon broadband email service in 2016. However, in order to give them more time to move to an alternative service, they were given the option of becoming a Namesco customer and therefore retain their current Demon email address on a temporary basis.
Namesco has been responsible for migrating customers over to alternative sub-domain names for some time. Anyone with concerns should contact them directly to discuss in more detail.'
We take all complaints seriously, and hope this has addressed your concerns"
As you can see this is unsatisfactory in just about every way possible.
In the meantime as I'm a member of Which I've emailed them as well with all the details.
28-04-2020 12:33 PM - edited 28-04-2020 12:38 PM
For those who no longer have the notification we were sent in 2016, I re-paste it minus the broadband offering bits...
---
"As part of our ongoing upgrades, we’ll no longer be offering free email with our broadband products. Don’t worry – we’ve got plenty of ways to keep you connected. Including a hassle free way to transfer your existing email address.
What happens next?
Your free Demon email will stop working 30 calendar days from the date of this email. So if you’ve been using it, make sure you have a new email service set up and ready to go. Apart from this, your Demon broadband service will continue as normal.
Want to keep your Demon email address?
We’ve teamed up with names.co.uk, expert providers of a wide range of domain and email solutions, to make sure you can keep using your current Demon email address at a great rate."
...
This would be a transfer of an existing included service to an alternative location, and as part of the transfer it is becoming a specific paid-for service, and the word 'temporary' does not appear in the notification in any way, shape or form.
Additionally, the 'teamed up' bit does not to me suggest separation from Vodafone (as being owners of Demon) in the way that the expression 'option of becoming a namesco customer' makes it sound like it's some unrelated thing rather than a change to a continuing agreement.
02-05-2020 05:15 PM
Hi, xdmn_083,
Would you mind posting the full email, without your email address and other personal details, that you kindly posted above i.e. ‘notification we were sent in 2016’. It would be very useful to have the email address details this was sent from (Thus, Vodafone, etc...) and the name or at least position of who sent from.
For some reason I could only find the following:
From: ebill at .co.ukSent: 23 March 2015 11:40
To:
Subject: Transfer of Demon Web Hosting and Domain products to intY LimitedImportant Notice: Transfer of Demon Web Hosting and Domain products to intY Limited
Dear ?
Providing you with best-in-class products and services means regularly reviewing our portfolio, as it helps us innovate and improve our offering. As part of this review, we’ve decided to transfer all Demon Web Hosting and Domain products to intY Limited.
This change will take place on 31 March 2015 and won’t affect your Demon broadband service. We’re contacting you now, as you currently have access to one or more of the products we’ll be transferring.
What is intY Limited?
intY Limited is an expert in cloud-based applications, products and services. An established, global IT company, it’s been a trusted supplier of Demon products and services for over eight years.
What happens next?
From the 1 April 2015 onwards, your existing service for Demon Web Hosting and Domain products will transfer automatically to intY Limited for at least 60 days. There’ll be no interruption in service.
If you wish to continue using your transferred services after this initial 60-day period, you will be able to take advantage of special offers from intY’s Domains and Web Hosting partner, names.co.uk, who will be writing to you shortly with details.
...
We’d like to thank you for using Demon services. We’re confident intY Limited, in association with names.co.uk, will continue to meet your future Web Hosting and Domain needs.
Yours sincerely,
P.M.
Vodafone Enterprise Director
Vodafone UK Limited
Vodafone Limited. Registered Address: Vodafone House, The Connection, Newbury, Berkshire, United Kingdom, RG14 2FN. Registered in England No: 1471587
03-05-2020 11:30 AM
Hello - in case useful mine of 12 September 2016 came from vodafone at demondotnet was signed by Philip Mottram, Vodafone Enterprise Director:
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To unsubscribe from future emails or to update your email preferences click here. |
03-05-2020 01:39 PM - edited 03-05-2020 02:12 PM
I have attached a screenshot of the message as it seems better for clarity (and evidence as to what was said and how) though that might just be the way I think.
From vodafone at demon.net, gif signature of Phil Mottram, Vodafone Enterprise Director.
Two-pager side by side, personal info blanked. Fingers crossed no meta info got added, open via 'view more options' button below.
Or depending whether it displays full sized or shrunk if embedded in a post.
Or even displays at all, either I messed up or there's a delay or something. Use 'view more options' until the required miracle occurs or I figure out what I did wrong
03-05-2020 03:07 PM
Thanks xdmn_083,
Yep if I click on ‘View more options’ I see the two pages fine, so that’s good enough. It was the same person that sent the similar one to me, though I think yours is even more clear this wasn't a ‘temporary service’ from 2016. I think some current folk in Vodafone are reflecting the position in 2015, when it ‘was temporary‘ before the agreements with Namesco that allows us to retain our email addresses.
We should all quote this in any complaint, which is why Ofcom suggested also contacting Trading Standards. I’ve recently tried to get Vodafone to reconsider based on their email to me and the quote that xdmn_083 posted. I’ve also tried to get Ofcom and Trading Standards (and my MP’s Office) to help, by quoting the damage it will do when Vodafone retains the demon.co.uk domain but denies access to Namesco or anyone to allow us to continue to use our email addresses going back decades. I’ve even suggested this is just an email redirection service so we can use another domain and email address of our choice but still receive emails sent by old contacts still using our demon.co.uk emails. This may be more acceptable to them, as we’d no longer be overtly using the Demon Internet name that they have a project to shut down. It would, however, still need infrastructure using the demon.co.uk domain which someone would have to be paid to continue to use, perhaps even Namesco.
03-05-2020 04:01 PM
I am looking at the terms and conditions THUS sent me.
section 18.3 states - 'you are the registered owner of your domain name for the service and can transfer it upon termination of this agreement to another internet service provider'
what does this mean/imply