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.
Summary (per month per email address)
- $3.50 for 2GB storage
- $5.95 for 5GB storage
- $8.95 for 100GB storage
All going to an off-shore owner!
4 comments
Brian
Two days after I had to go over to the Messaging Comp. Both my email and my wife’s were both hacked . Never had a problem with Westnet ????
Ray Shaw
That is terrible – sorry to hear it. I don’t know what security they have but I have to assume that its pretty standard stuff, no better or worse than other email hosts. My thought is that you need to change all passwords everywhere, particularly financial ones and enable multi-factor authentication.
Dale Borthwick
iiNet were sneaky and underhanded, when they changed their T’s and C’s as part of the sign up to NBN to say that emails were no longer part of your iiNet service.
Not only did iiNet jettison emails, but it took TMC 6 months to move the emails to their services, so in effect we don’t get the full 12 months.
I set up outlook.com email addresses with my Microsoft subscription and moved to Aussie Broadband, who unlike iiNet are absolutely brilliant (I don’t work for or have any association with Aussie BB).
I have cancelled my TMC email addresses now that I am sure that I have captured all the businesses associated with my old email addresses.
Ray Shaw
Hi Dale – you are obviously an educated user and know what to do. The problem for rusted on users is that they will lose their TPG/etc., email address and if they move to Aussie (Australia’s best NBN providers with real people) then they lose their email address anyway.