Spark to charge for all Xtramail accounts.

Forums › Spark New Zealand (including Skinny and BigPipe) › Spark to charge for all Xtramail accounts.

Bung

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#312005 6-Mar-2024 22:57

"We’re no longer offering Xtra Mail for free

Xtra Mail has kept New Zealanders like you connected for almost 30 years. However, costs to run the service have increased significantly and it’s no longer sustainable to offer it for free.

So, from 16 May 2024, Xtra Mail will cost $5.95 a month for Spark broadband, pay monthly mobile and landline customers and $9.95 a month for everyone else."

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20174 posts

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#3203943 6-Mar-2024 23:17

I got the email and surprised that you have to opt out if you don't want to be charged. Surely people should have to opt in if they agree to be charged for it. Still see a lot of xtra email addresses used by tradies on business cards

cokemaster

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#3203944 6-Mar-2024 23:22

costs to run the service have increased significantly

I think there is a sign for that...

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michaelmurfy

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#3203947 7-Mar-2024 00:05

Hopefully companies will then notice that having an email address tied to a domain name is actually around the same cost!

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nzkc

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#3203952 7-Mar-2024 00:48

Google Business Starter is NZ $9/month/user. Where on earth did Spark get their pricing?

mattwnz

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#3203954 7-Mar-2024 01:29

nzkc:

Google Business Starter is NZ $9/month/user. Where on earth did Spark get their pricing?

To be fair, it is run by a NZ company, and it has been very reliable since it moved from Yahoo. It also includes up to 5 separate email accounts at $6 / m if you have broadband. Although if you are a current user and currently have more than 5, you can apparently keep them all. There is also a lot of support time with email and troubleshooting, so it does have a high cost to provide that support, so I can see why no one really wants to provide it. But it is a good time to buy a domain and connect it to some form of email hosting or use a free email service. Not that these free email providers won't also eventually start charging.

Bung

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#3203955 7-Mar-2024 01:32

Apparently $5.95 is what non broadband customers used to pay so let's start there and they have to go up but make it under $10 so $9.95 it is. Next.

nztim

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#3203957 7-Mar-2024 05:59

mattwnz: I got the email and surprised that you have to opt out if you don't want to be charged. Surely people should have to opt in if they agree to be charged for it. Still see a lot of xtra email addresses used by tradies on business cards

There are still business and sole traders running off it

If you made people have to opt in then if they did nothing and closed or missed the memo then Spark may be legally liable

Auto opt in is the best approach most will just cancel,

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Silvrav

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#3204011 7-Mar-2024 09:49

mattwnz: I got the email and surprised that you have to opt out if you don't want to be charged. Surely people should have to opt in if they agree to be charged for it. Still see a lot of xtra email addresses used by tradies on business cards

better to wake up one morning and find you cant access your account without opting in causing further delays then have access and opt out later

tim0001

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#3204036 7-Mar-2024 10:50

I'm no marketing expert, but it does appear to be an odd decision to charge for email. One of the things that stops people moving ISPs is being tied to their free email address.

I've already heard people complaining today about the charge who would not normally take much of an interest in telco matters.

morrisk

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#3204058 7-Mar-2024 11:35

I have been with xtra from the beginning and so my xtra email is everywhere - any advice on how you go about stopping using them in a way that allows people to know you have changed your email address and what your new email will be?

richms

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#3204070 7-Mar-2024 12:18

This will be a boost for the signwriting businesses with all the tradie vans that have xtra on them which will have to get updated.

Richard rich.ms

quickymart

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#3204073 7-Mar-2024 12:22

I had one a few years ago but didn't login for about 6 months (I think) so it got terminated, I really hope they don't start charging me for an address I haven't used (and can't access).

SirHumphreyAppleby

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#3204074 7-Mar-2024 12:23

mattwnz: I got the email and surprised that you have to opt out if you don't want to be charged.

Xtra e-mails were free?

I don't recall if I ever used Xtra or not, but I do recall being informed at one point that there would be a charge and I needed to opt-in to keep the address. I didn't, and they went ahead and billed for it anyway.

I run my own mail server these days, but still pull e-mail from an Orcon account I used after the Xtra account, so this must have been a long time ago... does anyone else remember?

Bung

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#3204075 7-Mar-2024 12:25

The trades will just stick $5 on every invoice they send out. They've had plenty of practice at that.

huckster

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#3204076 7-Mar-2024 12:26

SirHumphreyAppleby:

mattwnz: I got the email and surprised that you have to opt out if you don't want to be charged.

Xtra e-mails were free?

I don't recall if I ever used Xtra or not, but I do recall being informed at one point that there would be a charge and I needed to opt-in to keep the address. I didn't, and they went ahead and billed for it anyway.

I run my own mail server these days, but still pull e-mail from an Orcon account I used after the Xtra account, so this must have been a long time ago... does anyone else remember?

You only got charged if you didn't have broadband with Spark. Now everyone will be charged.

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