The Messaging Company whacks TPG/iiNet/Internode/Westnet free email users

24/07/2024
By Ray Shaw
In Consumer Advice Featured

The Messaging Company (TMC) has revealed that it will charge TPG/iiNet/Internode/Westnet free email users between $3.50 and $8.95 monthly, depending on storage.

In September 2023, we wrote that TPG/iiNet/Internode/Westnet would jettison its email users in what amounted to third-line, forcing its customers to move to The Messaging Company – or go elsewhere and lose their email address. To say it pissed off customers is an understatement, and many went elsewhere.

Atmail.com registered The Messaging Company on 13/7/23 to take over the email accounts, refusing to reveal hosting costs when the free period ended in September 2024.

Well, the new costs are here, and there will be many unhappy Jans, especially if they have more than 15GB of email storage—it is easy to get to that. The fee applies separately to every email address you have.

Update – TMC sold to a multi-national

When we first reported on TPG et al.’s move, we stated that it would save the company millions of dollars by eliminating the need to provide email services. Yet their internet package prices were not reduced. It is like buying KitKats—the same price and getting 17% less chocolate—shrinkflation.

Well, that is not all. It appears that The Messaging Company was the carrot to make Atmail more attractive to a takeover. Within three months, the deal was made to sell to Norway’s Inbox.com. If that is a convenient coincidence, I will eat my hat.

So, Aussie emails are now owned by a multi-national company that operates twelve email brands in Norway, Denmark, Finland, Italy, Hungary, Estonia, South Africa, and the United States. It was all part of an exit plan to reward Atmail investors. It makes you wonder if TGP were among that lot.

Disgusted – now is the time to act

If you feel as indignant about this as many readers have expressed, it is time to jettison The Messaging Company.

Of course, losing your email address is a big decision.

Here are a few resources to help

Google Gmail is a safe alternative to your broadband supplier’s email

Want your own email domain? It is easy

Most have gone to Google Gmail, where you get a free email 15GB account per address. The Gmail client can download your email from The Messaging Company. Other clients that can do this include Outlook, Apple Mail, Thunderbird and IMAP/SMTP/POP clients.