Broadband ISP Plusnet UK Leaves Some Email Users Cut-off for Weeks

Low-cost internet provider Plusnet, which is part of the wider BT Group, has got itself into a bit of hot water with a small collection of their old legacy email users after leaving them unable to access their inboxes for several weeks. But despite the passage of time, the provider still won’t say what has caused the problem or when it will be fixed.

The issue appears to have started, at least for those who raised it with ISPreview, around 11th November 2024 (although others say it started a week later). Since then a member of the provider’s support staff has at least acknowledged that the problem is “affecting all Madasafish email accounts” (e.g. those with the @ic24.net domain and others).

As one of those affected told the provider: “I am 81 years old and e-mail is a lifeline to contact Doctors etc if the phone line fails, so therefore I must have your immediate help to restore my e-mail service.” But thus far, the provider has only been able to reassure those impacted that their “support teams are actively working to resolve it as soon as possible“.

A Spokesperson for Plusnet told ISPreview:

“We are very sorry that a small number of Plusnet customers are unable to access their email. We are working to fix this as soon as possible and apologise for any inconvenience caused.”

The impacted users typically reflect those that have been using the service for a good decade or two. The chances are good that most of you won’t have heard about the once popular little ISP called Madasafish, which following BT’s purchase of the Brightview group was ultimately merged into Plusnet all the way back in late 2007. The provider then continued to operate under its own brand until 2015, although Plusnet has maintained its email facilities and related domains for users.

ISPreview has long advised broadband users to avoid using email solutions provided by your ISP as this can limit flexibility when seeking to switch providers, not to mention that many internet providers (those that still offer email) tend to treat it as a bit of a second-class service. Suffice to say, it’s often far better to spend a few pounds on a dedicated email provider or to simply use a free email solution from Google, Microsoft or others.