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Summary: People ask every day how they can reach someone at Microsoft to help with Hotmail problems. You can't phone, but there is now on-line help for Hotmail.
This is a question I get a lot. And what's interesting is that the answer keeps changing.
Things are getting better, but it still feels like we're dealing with variations on the theme of "no".
Of late, however, there's a little hope.
•
Once again I have to be very, very clear: there is no telephone support for Hotmail. Seriously, it's on the Windows Live Help site:
"We don't offer any direct phone or email support for Windows Live Hotmail."
But the good news in that statement is that there's a Windows Live Help site.
That's new.
The Windows Live Help Solutions Center is currently your only official support resource for Windows Live Hotmail. If you're attempting to contact Microsoft, this is your only resource.
Don't expect hand-holding.
The site focuses on two approaches to support:
Self-help: in the form of online documentation and tools that you can use to learn more and occasionally even fix your own problems. What to do if you think your account has been stolen is a great example of an article that walks you through the steps, and online tools, that in some cases can restore a stolen or lost account.
Peer-to-peer help: aka discussion forums. The primary means of disseminating information is in what boils down to a open discussion forum. Now the good news here is that there are in fact Microsoft personnel who are interacting on the board. They'll frequently answer questions, point you at the answers elsewhere on the site. It's unclear how quickly or reliably they respond, but it's most definitely a start.
One of the things I'll reiterate is simply this: use search. Clearly, the vast majority of questions being asked on the site have already been answered elsewhere on the site. It's very much like Ask Leo! in that way.
If you take a few minutes to learn about and exercise the search capability of the site, read the existing answers and the existing discussions posted by other users, there's a very good chance you can get your Hotmail question answered without having to wait for anyone.
Related:
Are free email services worth it? Free email services and accounts are convenient and ubiquitous. But free email services aren't the right place to keep your important information.
Ask Leo! - Would you please recover my password? My account has been hacked or I've forgotten it. I'm asked daily to reset lost passwords, recover hacked email accounts or retrieve lost information in them. Here's my answer.
Internet Safety: How do I keep my computer safe on the internet? Internet Safety is difficult and yet critical. Here are the seven key steps to internet safety - steps to keep your computer safe on the internet.
Article C3689 - March 25, 2009
After 6 months of trying to figure out who and how someone is accessing my Hotmail acct., I tried to get some help from hotmail customer support. Forget it! Since my problem is not the "Norm" I have gotten no help whatsoever. I didn't forget or give my password to anyone, and have changed it several times. Still numerous e-mails sent to me are not delivered... Intercepted by someone unknown to me. Lost in cyberspace along with the Hotmail help staff!
Posted by: s kick at September 25, 2009 6:10 PMThis is outrageos. I can not sign in just because windows live wants me to change password. I have the same password for last four years and i am NOT GOING TO CHANGE IT! I am 60 yrs old and I forget things. If I change password, I'll forget it. If I write it down, I'll lose it.At sign in are boxes to "remember me". Every time I check them, byt windows maliciously does not want to remember just because I refuse to change my password.Where are those days when you click on hotmail and just opened it. I WANT IT BACK!!!
I do not want this run around like government, or something. I really need answer(in simple language-I'm not computer person), otherwise I will go to someone else for service, because is just pain in the rear to deal with your "innovations". Regards, MJK.
As much as you want to keep the same password, it's a very, very bad idea, and could easily lead to your account being stolen - it's important to choose good passwords and change them periodically. Tools like Roboform can help manage them for you (I honestly don't know my online banking password, for example, but I don't need to - Roboform remembers for me.)
Ultimately, though, these should be your choices, I agree. I know of no way to force Hotmail to operate as you wish, and if they're not responsive then I regularly advise people to use a different service, exactly as you've threatened to do. It's often the right move.
03-Oct-2009
Posted by: Michael J. Kulczycki at October 3, 2009 5:33 AM
Apparently Hotmail cannot handle spam mail. They have shut down all incoming emails from @att, @bellsouth, @comcast, @rr.com and a few others. This was done (they say) due to people complaining about spam mail. Now, just so everyone knows, I am getting emails from my yahoo account just fine AND I am getting plenty of spam in my hotmail account. I just can't recieve any emails from my friends. And lucky them, they have no customer service....I need to get rid of my Hotmail account and move somewhere else, for good.
Posted by: Deborah Mortimer at October 7, 2009 8:39 AMI'd problems with opening a hotmail account since only 3 registrations are allowed per day per IP, which in my case is used by over 5000 college students. So, I asked the support team to enable more than 3 registrations from our IP, and the response was within 2 hours. So, the hotmail online support feature seems to be quite effective.
Posted by: Samir Majhi at October 9, 2009 5:29 AMLeo.. thanks for all your help, you are great. I can't get into my hotmail account due to forgetting the new password (I was made to change it). I did the form with the all the information, IP's, folder names, etc. They said I would be notified in 24 hours - it's been 3 days. Any advice?
Thanks
Cathy
09-Oct-2009
my friend cant send me emails from his work account his email address is [Removed]. i have two addounts in hotmail and the other one recieves his email fine. its just that [Removed] doesnto recieve his emails at all. please assist with this matter...please?
Posted by: eric brown at October 9, 2009 9:10 AMHi Leo, MSN Hotmail prompted me to reset my password because I tried to sign in few times with the wrong password. It appears someone was trying to access my e-mail. . . the issue here is every time I tried to reset my password using the secret questions it tells me this option isn't available and they will mail me my password to my e-mail address which I can't access in the first place. What should I do to access my e-mail. They don't give you an option to give them a different e-mail address other than Hotmail. Thank you.
Posted by: Charles rabamad at October 9, 2009 12:42 PMHi,
Posted by: Marie at October 30, 2009 1:13 PMI am looking for a mail adress to Hotmail. Please let me kno`?? Thanks in advance. BR Marie
My ISP is earthlink. For some reason hotmail is blocking e-mail to my sisiter who has a hotmail account. I contacted earthlink and they advised that the problem is with hotmail. I went to hotmail's postmaster page and filled a form about blocked access. The form really seemed to be for bulk mailers (which I am not), but it was the only contact information they had. How can I get hotmail to stop blocking my mail?
01-Nov-2009
Posted by: Dorothy Howard at October 31, 2009 7:20 PM
Hi,
I'd like to close my hotmail account and I can not. I've gone through all the steps and tried to even close my Windows Live ID. I get the response that it can not be closed until my hotmail account is closed. So I click on that link and I get the error message that the option of closing my hotmail account is not available on my account. Help???
Posted by: Maxine at November 1, 2009 6:42 AM