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I've received lots of calls in the last few months from people concerned about the upcoming changes to their John Lewis Broadband and what it means for their waitrose.com and john-lewis.com e-mail addresses so I thought it might be a good idea to give an update on what I know so far here:
What's happening? Plusnet have been partnering with John Lewis for over 10 years to provide broadband services but have announced that this relationship will be ending and as a result John Lewis will be closing their broadband service (They haven't given an actual date as yet)
What about my e-mail? As a result of this @john-lewis.com, @greenbee.net and @waitrose.com email address(es) will also be discontinued and will stop working at some point (again they haven't given a timeframe for this) John Lewis recommends customers transfer to one of the popular free options from Gmail or Outlook.com. "This way you can import everything you want to keep into a new email account." and they say that they will write to customers to offer guidance. It's worth noting that I always recommend moving away from email addresses hosted by Internet Service Providers (ISP). So, regardless of your ISP, you can continue to use the same email address. Gmail and Outlook are the free providers that I also recommend.
What will happen to my broadband? It is suspected that Plusnet (Part of BT Group) will be encouraging John Lewis customers to move directly to them. Plusnet currently have a 2* rating on Trust pilot, but Money saving Expert gives them a rating of 7/10 for their customer service. (I do always point out to my customers that people tend to take the time to post negative reviews about companies but are less likely to post positive comments when they are happy with a company they use) At present, it’s unclear whether existing customers will also be given the option to switch to a different (non-BT) ISP without penalty.
What are the alternatives? Here's the link to Martin Lewis's Money Saving Expert website: www.moneysavingexpert.com where you can get completely unbiased and accurate information about broadband providers (and lots more) - As I have mentioned in my previous posts about mobile phone providers it's also good to do a bit of research and know which suppliers your neighbours are with (and if they are happy with them!)
Where can I find out more? Here's the link to John Lewis/Plus Nets site explaining what will be happening and the timescale https://www.plus.net/john-lewis/faqs/...
What can I do about my e-mail? John Lewis recommend transferring to one of the popular free options from Gmail or Outlook.com. "This way you can import everything you want to keep into a new email account". They give instructions for transferring your contacts and e-mails if you do. (You do need to make sure that any e-mails you wish to transfer are in your inbox)
John Lewis say that "We'll be writing to all customers to explain these changes in due course - and to offer guidance on how to set up and transfer emails to a new account."
What should I do? You need to start thinking about switching your broadband provider soon and also as the e-mails I listed above will stop working it's a good idea to start looking for an alternative now.When your e-mail changes you will need to update details for any websites or service providers that you use it as a login or contact e-mail for as well as letting all your existing contacts know and this can take a while.If you have any concerns, or need any advice or help connecting any of your devices to a new broadband router when the time comes or if you do decide to set up a Gmail account (or any other) and need any help doing so (including configuring your existing devices - laptops, iPads, tablets, phones etc. at any time please don't hesitate to get in touch with me, it's what I do: