AT&T West → Keep sbcglobal.net or att.net email address after DSL cancel

Hi all,

Trying to help out a friend, but I think ran into a major roadblock. She's had AT&T Worldnet dialup for ages, switched to their DSL service in recent months (still keeping the same address - ****@att.net), then recently (I'd estimate close to a month) to cable (for internet, phone, TV). By canceling her AT&T service, I'm guessing it "immediately" deactivated her AT&T email address? She once used Outlook Express (ran into issues with that), then accessed her email via the web. Don't know the exact site she used, but I can only assume: »webmail.att.net
Given her internet skills, she never migrated anything over to the AT&T/Yahoo setup. Not to be disrespectful, but she's getting up there in age, and her computer skills are not truly there. So it's tough for me to get the answers I need from her. I left my cables internet service for FIOS just over 3yrs ago, and my old address still continues to work. I see this may not be the same for former AT&T Worldnet customers who switch to another provider. I tried entering her ID/password in various ways (through the old login and Yahoo's), and it's no longer being accepted. So basically, it looks like all her recent email is gone. She recently set up another address (yahoo based), and now has trouble even accessing that. I built a perfectly running system for her recently, and that quickly went to mush. Sorry for my lengthy story, but felt I needed to air my thoughts on this AT&T matter.

Randy

I don't think an AT&T Worldnet email address can be migrated. I helped a friend sign up for 'at&t Yahoo! HSI' from AT&T Worldnet dialup. She could not use the AT&T Worldnet email address to set up the 'at&t Yahoo! HSI' account. At the time I set that up, the only way was to sign up a new '@att.net' email address with 'at&t Yahoo! HSI', then call AT&T Worldnet Service billing and request a "Zero bill plan", giving them the DSL email address so they can effectively leave the Worldnet email address active without billing the customer. Something like that. So an AT&T Worldnet Service email address is never actually tied to a Yahoo! account.

I am basing this on what was said earlier about keeping the email address *@sbcglobal.net after manually shutting down the account (not through lack of payment).

I would think it would be in SBC's best interest to allow one to keep using the email address (accessed through Yahoo's portal) because it is free advertisement for their company every time one sends out an email on that account and costs them nothing.

Having SBCGLobal in every message is priceless advertising even if folks are using it who no longer are customers.

It only makes sense to continue to allow the account, especially if Yahoo's servers ($$$) are driving the communication in exchange for the content (Advertisements) Yahoo packs around the system.

I hope to heck the information is correct because I have used this email address for years and we are going to cancel our SBC services shortly because of a relocation. (going to hawaii... heh heh heh -- but won't be able to afford all the services we currently receive after the move.)

Going to be living off of Raman noodles, Free Wifi where we can find it, and using our current cell phones for voice communications.

As I said before: IF you can access the account at att.yahoo.com you're ok, nothing more needs to be done, cancel your service and enjoy the (now) free account.

IF, you cannot access the account there, you will want to contact AT&T Customer Service to see what needs to be done to preserve it (such as paying for dialup access to keep it, etc...) and what your other options may be (if any).

Good luck!

Hi. My name is Erin and I am from the Tier 1 Tech Support Dept. I'm just checking out some things on the internet and saw this Forum Site. Thought maybe posting some infos I know regarding this matter will help. Well, on keeping your @whateverattdomain.com address you have after disconnecting the service, there is actually an option for you to change your email address to a free AT&T email account. After disconnecting DSL, your Dialup service will still be active (since the service you're paying for, even if it's a DryLoop Account or StandAlone internet service account comes up with dialup) for 60days. Now for 2months, you should be able to convert your sbcglobal address or any attdomain address to a free AT&T email account by signing up for it. How? Check out on the Member Facing Support Site. That's "http://helpme.att.net".

As a reminder AT&T Techs will NEVER ask you for your password or ask you to send information to a 3rd party non AT&T email address....

If the information you need doesn't come from David or Frohike7 directly then I'd be VERY careful of what you say to anonymous posters who say they work for AT&T..

I have a question,

If I used to have a yahoo email account and later on I got at&t dsl and merge my old yahoo email with a sbcglobal.net e-mail if I cancel my dsl service will I lose my yahoo e-mail along with the merged sbc email account?

Thanks

No. It has been a couple of years since I deleted a 'pacbell.net' sub account; but there were options offered during the cancellation of the sub account which separated the 'yahoo.com' account from the canceled sub account. I still have that free 'yahoo.com' account years after canceling the 'pacbell.net' account.

I canceled my ATT DSL over 3 months ago.

Today, I logged in my main and sub email account. They are both still active. They are ending with @sbcglobal.net

I just switched from AT&T to Cable last week. I received a postcard today from AT&T stating that my sbcglobal account would be accessible for 30 days after the disconnect. After 30 days, all contents of my email account will be lost. My account is paid in full, and I can access my email address from att.yahoo.

There are specific steps you will need to follow to prevent what the post card says from happening. Please read all the relevant prior posts and then post in the AT&T Direct forum if you have any further concerns.

As long as your account was closed in good standing and not for non payment or a bad payment history/abuse you should be able to keep it... look at the posts by Frohike7 earlier in this thread... he works in a higher position then the tier 1 techs and he has CONFIRMED that the yahoo access is free forever....

I guess I'm a little confused. I have a sbcglobal.net account, yet I can access it from a public computer by going into att.yahoo. The address on my personal computer home page is att.my.yahoo. Is this a AT&T Yahoo Portal?

Yes.

There is a lot of good information in this forum, but do the same AT&T practices occur throughout the country? I just noticed that most posters were from the west. I live in Michigan.

It applies to any AT&T customer that access their email through the AT&T Yahoo portal via att.yahoo.com.

There are regional differences in the way the circuits are provisioned. There are no differences, that I know of, for access through the Yahoo! portal pages, or Yahoo! mail servers. Unless you are not migrated to Yahoo! services, everything should be the same whether West, Midwest, or Southeast; WRT Yahoo! services.

Just so that I am 100% sure on this. I can get my email from att.yahoo.com, that means I can keep my sbcglobal account after I disconnect my dsl service? I can not get my sbcglobal account through my.att.net.

Correct. As long as your DSL isn't disconnected for a payment problem or Terms Of Service Violation. Basically, when you disconnect the account - the account was in good standing at the time.

Yes....
att.yahoo.com = good
my.att.net = bad

See the post(s) above from Frohike7 for certain prerequisites for this

edited for clarity

my att.net acount is suspened now i have a yahoo .com acount can i trarnsfer my info. from att to yahoo?

When the @sbcglobal.net account is converted to free email, can one still access it with a mail client such as Outlook Express using the servers pop.att.yahoo.com and smtp.att.yahoo.com? Or does it downgrade to webmail only?

@garyvand: Free email accounts are webmail only.

@rwsteel: With a suspended att.net account - when you log into it - it should give you an option to create a free yahoo ID. It will transfer the emails and contacts to that NEW yahoo ID.

It will NOT transfer to a new existing yahoo ID because it doesn't give an option to move info to an already existing account. Just an option to create a brand new yahoo ID.

So if you don't pay for AT&T services at all (no DSL, no dial-up, no mail services) and cancel your account, you will still be allowed to use the account if you can access it through »att.my.yahoo.com ?

Is that correct? We're converting to Charter and I really don't wanna go through the pain of forwarding over 1k emails to a new account

Thank you.

As was stated above by Frohike7 several times in answer to variations of your question, if you had bothered to read the whole thread, his answer is as long as your account was not canceled for non payment or violations of the TOS & it can be used through att.yahoo.com (att.my.yahoo.com) then yes, you can keep using your existing email address which you would access through yahoo once you have left AT&T.

Did you even try to access your account through the yahoo portal before making your post? You did read about this before you made your post so I am wondering if you had a technical problem that made you question if this is the correct procedure or not.

I do need to say this:

If you are canceling all your phone services with AT&T (DSL included) - please call 877 722-3755 and cancel your DSL seperately there as well.

Telephone and DSL are 2 seperate companies - therefore 2 seperate systems. I run into alot of customers that cancel their phone service which SHOULD cancel the DSL as well but that doesn't happen immediately.

Basically the DSL is still active and tries to bill - but since the Telephone account is disconnected the DSL system sees that as unbillable and will eventually disconnect the DSL for non-payment. This applies to Landlines only and NOT Dry Loop service.

So in summary - if you are wanting to keep your email for free and you are disconnecting your DSL and Phone service then call 877-722-3755 (follow prompts for billing) and put in a seperate disconnect for DSL or problems could arise.

Just a friendly FYI.

Much props "FRO"...excellent info...just canceled my ATT DSL and downgraded to the lowest landline service, 45 calls/mo. I tried to wait for UVERSE in my are, hammond indiana, for 2 yrs. With no ETA, a man has to cut corners to save $$$. maybe in the future if ATT can offer me a solid package, I may return.

PS - just tested my access at att.yahoo.com using my sbcglobal domain with 100% success. I'm good! )

Thx again

I just cancelled all my uverse services due to a move (prior to findinf this forum). Regarding FRO's last post, should I call back & try to cancel the internet separately? Not sure if that is an option, and would love to retain my att.net addy.

TO be honest - I'm not really sure about Uverse side of it. I work with DSL only. You might want to post your question in the Uverse Forum »AT&T U-verse and see if an Employee and can answer your question.

EDIT:
Might've misunderstood your post. See if this answers it - if you cancel your Uverse Internet - you will still be able to retain your email address.

I have a 'DRY-LOOP' DSL account (good standing) bundled with an AT&T wireless account.

Next week I'm switching to Cable DSL. Will I be able to keep my "sbcglobal.net" email accounts after I cancel the AT&T DSL?

Please confirm. Thanks.