Email stopped working - says password not correct but I haven't changed it

[Books1]

I cannot log in to my emails. They just stopped working over a week ago and now say my password is incorrect. I have not changed it.  I do not have a recoverable email so when I say forgotten password, it sends a link to my recoverable email which I do not have. I have been ringing talktalk nearly every day to try and add a recoverable email. After saying they have added it, they say wait 24 hours and try to log in and it still doesn't work. I have been cut off multiple times, spent hours and hours explaining the situation over and over. Today I spoke to a "manager" who says this is a known problem with the new email update. Every agent I spoke to has not mentioned this and there is not banner on the webmail page to inform customers. Has anybody else had this problem or got it rectified?

[Gliwmaeden2]

@gmlack, so basically Gmail worked fine to receive an email re a Talktalk webmail password reset. That's all that I was trying to deal with in my replies, and thanks for letting us know that it worked for you.

Closing this thread.

[fr8ys]

@Billx @gmlack

If you wish to continue a discussion please do do on @gmlack thread as you have been doing. Appreciate @gmlack offered advice initially.

Thank you.

[Billx]

Yes, exactly @gmlack . That's what I had assumed, that the new 'Mailbox Manager' would not accept a non-TalkTalk email address.

Because it was so difficult to get the new 'Mailbox Manager' to move and do anything different.

I was wrong, which I corrected later.

An alternative email address could not be set, unless the mobile phone issue was dealt with.

This applied whether the alternative email address was non-TalkTalk or TalkTalk.

Bill

[gmlack]

>>> I'm not talking about Mailbox Manager but about getting a password reset link email sent to an alternative address.

Mailbox Manager is where you can configure that recovery email.

[gmlack]

>>> The current new 'Mailbox Manager' will not accept a non-TalkTalk email address as an 'alternative email address, and I don't think it's TalkTalk's intention to change that.

It will. In fact TT support recommands a non-TT mail address (well, it did to me).

I suspect you posted this before realizing that the phone number needs to be given a country?

[gmlack]

>> Has anybody else had this problem or got it rectified?

I've had this several times over the past few years.

From time to time 3 accounts I have would just fail all authentication. Oddly, the 4th account I have has never had a problem (which is just as well, as that's the one my wife uses....).

What follows is my recollection - it could be wrong....

The first few times it was fixed by a PM that was requested via this forum.

Then, about 18months ago, after I'd lost access on 3 consecutive Mondays, I also ended up losing access to MyAccount.

In an on-line help chat I got my MyAccount address changed to a gmail account (so it wasn't affected by the TT access issues) and managed to get recovery email and 'phone (for SMS) set up for the accounts.

So now when there is a problem (as there was in January) I can (probably) fix it by following the "Forgot password" link on Webmail login page and resetting the password (which in my case I do by setting the current one, so that I don't have to go around at least a dozen places to reconfigure it in the software I use).

[fr8ys]

@Billx please stop posting unhelpful comments on threads.

The OP had an issue otherwise they would not have posted here.

@siphosethu-TT tried to help but you jumped in and confused the issue so much so that they thought it was you that had the problem.

@Gliwmaeden2 , a Trusted Community Star has tried to get this back on track, but again you have jumped in with your usual criticising comments. 

You have been asked previously not to post where there is no added benefit to the Original Poster. Your posts here do not help them.

The OP, if they still have an issue, needs to discuss this with @siphosethu-TT or another member of staff.

It is not for you to police the forums or how they are used. That is for Staff to do and the community stars who are trusted customers with admin functions.

You have probably put @Books1 off using the forum by prolonging this thread beyond normal help.

Please do not post on this thread again.

@Books1 , if you still have an issue can you please let us know so you can receive help here from staff and apologies and thank you for your understanding here.

[Billx]

I don't think there is anything for the OP to discuss.

[Gliwmaeden2]

I am talking about possible alternatives for @Books1 to discuss with agents / staff.

Please leave this to the OP to discuss with Talktalk support as they see fit - it can become an irritation for customers to keep getting notifications whilst other people chat on their threads. Please give the OP time to run ideas past support.

@Books1, let us know how you are getting on.

[Billx]

You talking about 2 non-TalkTalk email addresses, communicating with each other.

I am talking about a problem email address, being a TalkTalk email address, like @Books1 's.

The only way to set an 'alternative email address' is via 'Mailbox Manager'.

Bill

[Gliwmaeden2]

I'm not talking about Mailbox Manager but about getting a password reset link email sent to an alternative address.

I can get a Hotmail reset security detail sent to a Gmail address if I have set it up in my initial security options; or via text to my mobile number. 

So if the customer is speaking to support, this might be a work around. Staff will confirm this one way or the other for you, @Books1, if you can wait till Monday to hear back from them.

Or let us know how you have got on if you've tried Chat / phoned support over the weekend. 

Edit: the edits in the previous post by Billx make it rather hard to follow the subsequent replies.

[Billx]

Hi, @Gliwmaeden2 

The current new 'Mailbox Manager' will not accept a non-TalkTalk email address as an 'alternative email address, and I don't think it's TalkTalk's intention to change that.

The only way this can go ahead is

if the TalkTalk staff are able to make @Books1 ,s email account work with his current password,

or if  TalkTalk staff  can create an additional TalkTalk email account for @Books1 

At least, this is my understanding.

Edit 1: an alternative would be, if TalkTalk staff can add @Books1 's mobile phone details in the current email account.

Edit 2: I just tested my suggestion in edit 1. This does not work. It should work.

I tested it on my wife's TalkTalk email account, which has a mobile phone as it's alternative contact, but no 'alternative email address' contact. Using the new 'Reset my TalkTalk email address password' , the result was:

. an email was sent to her current email address

. no text was sent to her mobile phone

So, if she had somehow forgotten her password, or she was otherwise unable to login to her only TalkTalk email address, she would be stuck, like @Books1 .

Edit 3: Yes, once one is able to get into the new 'Mailbox Manager' with a TalkTalk email address and a paired password, one can set an 'alternative email address' which is a non-TalkTalk email address, for whichever TalkTalk email address is in 'Mailbox Manager'.

Bill

[Gliwmaeden2]

It's a good idea to have other free email addresses as you can keep  areas of your life separate and not lose them all at once if the email goes down, @Books1.

So hotmail  / gmail  / yahoo 

...whatever, and all of them need one of the others to have a reset password. It's not like when you need a password reset for a shopping site, where it makes sense to have it sent to the same address if you've forgotten the password. 

This is for securing everything, so the reset password needs to be sent to an unassociated alternative address.

Forum staff will be back on here after the weekend. Your only other option meanwhile is to set up one of these other addresses and phone / Chat support should be able to send you a link to reset your password.

Phone 03451 720088 on Saturday, 9am till 6pm, or Chat either day.

[Books1]

No I only have one talktalk email account, the one I can't get into. I do not have an alternative email set up to send a password reset link to.

[Billx]

Hi, @Books1 

I am not sure what you mean by ' I have been ringing talktalk nearly every day to try and add a recoverable email'.

Do you mean 'to add an alternative email address'?

Do you have more than the one TalkTalk email address (that's not currently working)?

If you do,

you can try logging in to the new 'Mailbox Manager', at https://apps.talktalk.co.uk/myaccount/?#/login,

with any of your other TalkTalk email addresses.

After you log in, you should be able to set 'an alternative email address' and a new password for the non-functioning email address.

So, do you have another TalkTalk email address?

Bill

[Billx]

Can't you read @siphosethu-TT ?

The customer who mentioned that he is unable to access his emails is @Books1 , not me.

What I was saying is maybe refrain from confusing @Books1 with PMs.

[siphosethu-TT]

You also mentioned you are unable to access your emails, we are just going to have a look at that issue but if that's okay with you off cause. Thanks

[Billx]

Was that addressed to me @siphosethu-TT ?

As I said I have no sending or receiving issues with emails.

So, what are your PMs for?

Bill

[siphosethu-TT]

No worries, I just had to have a quick check which requires me to access your account okay. If it's okay with you, can we please run a few checks via PM's.

[Billx]

Hi @siphosethu-TT 

No outage. I am not aware of any outage. I was just concerned of other new Community users who might be confused, by being directed to use PMs.

Bill