Are free email services worth it?

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With respect, setting up an Autoresponder from an obsolete but still live account is not really a sound idea as it will give the spammers another string to their bow.

I don't know why I can't receive any mail inbox my computer. It always alerts some errors when it's downloading or uploading (send or receive)from internet. I didn't know setting an account how is exactly!

I can not sign into to my hotmail. It comes up and asks me to sign in. Then I click signin and it tells me my password is not correct. I haven't typed in my password. It will not give me a box to type it in. help!

I use gmail, hotmail and yahoo, and I get very little spam. I only use the gmail address for signing up to things, nothing personal, and even then I don't get much in the way of spam, mainly from junky things I signed up to and don't want anymore so marked as spam. Obviously back up, but surely if you have all your emails set to forward to each free email address you have, even if one goes down you're fine? Anyway, Thunderbird is also free.

I have all kinds of e-mail accounts, several free ones and also several with my own domains through web hosting. In the past I also worked for international huge companies and was doomed to use what their IT department considered the best fit. Quite frankly, your answer from, let me guess 2004, is totally outdated. My favorite is definitely gmail with more than 7 GB free, great search features, the option to have my mail local either through gears or Thunderbird yet still available anywhere I can get Internet access. What a great combination of features for free. If Google would ask for $10 / year I would happily pay that for one account and give up the catch all e-mails. But even the subscription only e-mails are almost spam free. Google did a great job with filtering!
Having used gmail since beta, it is the best e-mail service I ever had. Yahoo is OK but much more restricted. Hotmail I can't comment and I have little desire to go there.
IMHO, it is very tough to beat gmail!!
RT

Dear Leo,

I would like to take your advice and "spend a little each month to get a "real" email account from a regular ISP or mail service"

But I don't know where to get this

Please be so kind as to name several of them that you think are good, or at least worthy of consideration

In your article on Online Storage, you did name several specific companies that you consider to be reputable

Can you please do the same for email services with good customer support ?

thank you
Robert

You mean, this article? What for-pay email providers do you recommend?

02-Sep-2009

GMX Mail is the best. Free pop and imap access. And larger than life attachment size limits

For years I've used "throwaway" free web-based email accounts for occasional things also. And I've been 99% spam-free; I'm not kidding! I guessed a long time ago that it has to do with clicking on nearby items on the page (anything other than what's in the actual composing area). I NEVER EVER click on anything I don't have to click on when I am using free web-based accounts. I remember the first time I learned this. I clicked on an article about finances and suddenly I was deluged with spam that had to do with finances. Can't get any clearer than that. (However I don't tend to give out my address to places that might spam me either.) So you might consider starting over with a new address if you are overwhelmed by spam and just promise yourself you will not click on anything that is not reserved for writing/receiving emails (no news, no advertisements,...). If you must read something, open a new window and find it another way. Don't use the links!

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