Am I paying for Hotmail for nothing?

[mjs]

I am currently PAYING for my Hotmail because I wanted to be able to download
my Hotmail emails to Outlook. Before Outlook Connector, and after the switch
from Hotmail to Live mail, this was the only way to do this. In other words,
for a few months, the only way to download Hotmail items locally to Outlook
was to subscribe to the Hotmail pay service.

Since then, from what I understand, Outlook Connector handles this sort of
thing for free.

If the only reason I'm paying for Hotmail is the ability to download mail
into Outlook (and back it up to PST file), am I currently paying for my
Hotmail service for no reason?

Should I feel free to cancel it?

I feel like I've been had, here.

Thanks.

 

[Tom Willett]

That would be a question for Hotmail, not Outlook.

:I am currently PAYING for my Hotmail because I wanted to be able to
download
: my Hotmail emails to Outlook. Before Outlook Connector, and after the
switch
: from Hotmail to Live mail, this was the only way to do this. In other
words,
: for a few months, the only way to download Hotmail items locally to
Outlook
: was to subscribe to the Hotmail pay service.
:
: Since then, from what I understand, Outlook Connector handles this sort of
: thing for free.
:
: If the only reason I'm paying for Hotmail is the ability to download mail
: into Outlook (and back it up to PST file), am I currently paying for my
: Hotmail service for no reason?
:
: Should I feel free to cancel it?
:
: I feel like I've been had, here.
:
: Thanks.
:
:

 

[Diane Poremsky [MVP]]

If that is your only reason for using a paid version of hotmail, yes, it's
for nothing. Paid accounts do have other benefits though.
See http://www.gowindowslive.com/hotmailplus/en-us/default.aspx for the
benefits.

--
Diane Poremsky [MVP - Outlook]

Outlook & Exchange Solutions Center: http://www.slipstick.com/

Outlook Tips by email:
mailto:[email protected]

EMO - a weekly newsletter about Outlook and Exchange:
mailto:[email protected]

Do you sync your mailbox with a smartphone or pda?
http://forums.slipstick.com/showthread.php?t=39473

 

[Brian Tillman [MVP-Outlook]]

Since then, from what I understand, Outlook Connector handles this sort of
thing for free.

If the only reason I'm paying for Hotmail is the ability to download mail
into Outlook (and back it up to PST file), am I currently paying for my
Hotmail service for no reason?

A paid Hotmail account allows for additional benefits, like increased storage,
but, yea, I think most people will find they don't need their paid accounts
any more.

This is how I remember it. If I get some details wrong, I know someone else
will have them.

Prior to 2004, free Hotmail access through an HTTP (WebDAV) account using
Outlook or Outlook Express was permited. In 2004, however, for new Hotmail
accounts, it became necessary to purchase a Hotmail Plus or Premium account if
you wanted to access Hotmail with Outlook. Along with those accounts came the
right to use POP to access the Hotmail mailboxes (for the Premium accounts).
Additionally, paid account holders could use "Outlook Live", which was a
downloadable copy of Outlook that used a version of the Outlook Connector.
Most free accounts had their HTTP access disabled at that point, although some
accounts that had existed for "a while" (I don't know what "a while" is) prior
to that were grandfathered in and remained free (mine was one of them).

In March of 2009, POP access to Hotmail mailboxes was rolled out world-wide.
Some non-US sites had free POP access prior to that. In June of 2009,
Microsoft announced that as of September 1, 2009, WebDAV would stop working
and than a new protocol, DeltaSync, would be needed. This new protocol was
implemented in the current Outlook Connector (and Windows Live Mail).
DeltaSync also saw the reenabling of free access to Hotmail with Outlook.

 

[mjs]

Thank you Brian and Diane.

Could you tell me where to go to cancel the paid subscription? I'm looking
around and having a difficult time finding it.

I love Hotmail/Live mail, but I was only paying for the ability to download
the emails locally. Turns out I've been paying for this benefit for an
entire year for no reason at all. Us paying members would have appreciated
some kind of notice that downloading emails is now a free service.

Since my subscription just auto-renewed (notice of this is what alerted me
to the fact that I was probably paying for nothing) meaning I will have paid
*2* years for nothing by the time this runs out.

Again, when a service that is exclusive to a paid membership becomes free
for all, it's probably a good idea to alert paying members.

 

[mjs]

Please ignore this request, I contacted Microsoft Support and they confirmed
that that was the only way to do it.