Email ID question

[Julia Mercer]

Hi all,

I have this dilemma, I changed internet providers back in Nov, and just recently set up the email that was given to me (I have a ton of other emails I use, but thought it would come in handy somehow), and went to register on Ebay with it this afternoon, only to be told it was already in use, so I had the username sent to me, only to find out that the person who had the email before me already has an account, and I can't reset the password because I don't know their secret answers, and can't contact Ebay without being a member.

My question is, was I in the right to look the other person up on Facebook (it had their name in the email) and ask that they cancel out the Ebay account under that email, change the email or inform Ebay? I really want to be able to use that email address, but don't know what else to do.

Thanks,

Jules

[ShadesOfGrey]

I think emails are first come first served. So if they had the email first then they get to use it. 

Just so I understand, this person must have a similar name? Or, they randomly picked the same email address before you, but it's now not in use with your provider, but still in use with Ebay, correct?

[TootsNYC]

The problem is that you need a new e-mail address from your Internet provider, right?

Because they gave you the wrong one or something? This is where you fix that, not w/ the person who is already using that address for something.

[Samantha]

I don't think that the ISP gave Jules the wrong email address... I think it is a case of the person that previously had the email address (lets say it is jules@isp.com) never updated it with ebay when they changed to a different ISP. So Jules has this email addy, and is going to create an ebay account... but the other person never updated their addy to jules@newisp.com (I'm guessing they don't use ebay very often) so Jules can't register using her actual email address.

[Hushabye]

It sounds like the email is tied to the ISP, so Jules now has what was formerly assigned to this other person by the ISP.  Said other person had already used the account to set up an Ebay account.  I'm working under the assumption that this other person no longer uses the ISP -- that should be the only way Jules now has the email account; there shouldn't be able to be duplicates in the same system.

If that's the case, then I think Jules was fine.  The other person really needs to change his/her contact information with Ebay anyway so that it's not tagged to that email account as the email account no longer belongs to him/her.  I would say that Ebay has a way to do that without having to delete the user account.

[Shoo]

The ISP recycles email addresses?  That seems like a very bad practice.

[TootsNYC]

But then she should simply ask her new ISP for a different address.

I don't think she was completely wrong to ask them to deactivate a dormant eBay account, but it seems it would simply be more effective to ask the ISP for a different address.

[helixa]

The ISP recycles email addresses?  That seems like a very bad practice.

I was just thinking the same thing, but then started to think how long can they go nowadays without recycling them. For years it was never an issue, but it will become one more and more I guess.

[MandiC76]

That just doesn't make sense that they would recycle an email address . . . I know when I set up my eBay account, someone else already had the same user ID, not necessarily the same email address. Is it possible that its the eBay user ID you're trying to set up that's the problem, not the email address?

[Traveler]

This is really more analogous to someone moving out of an apartment, but not changing their mailing address. I don't think the OP did anything wrong - apparently the person hasn't updated their info on either Facebook or Ebay, or the OP would not have been able to hunt them down.

I don't think the ISP did anything wrong by reassigning an out of use email address. When we pay an ISP for an email address, it's like renting a post office box.  They are in business to rent as many emails as possible. When we stop paying the rent, they stop being ours. The ISP is well within its rights to rent it out to a new customer.

And it's important for us and our privacy to keep track of where we register our information, and to update that information. (And to limit that information.)

[Cutenoob]

This is one of the many reasons why I do not use ISP email addresses.

Because - if I change providers - I have to update everyone I know.
And, if I create the NewEmail@NewISP , and that "name" has been used somewhere (forum, registration, etc) it can not be used until 3rd party deletes or changes it.

Always, always, use a web based email address.  Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail...many.  Stick with that and you'll be safe.  I've had my hotmail address for over 12 years, and my Gmail address quite a few too.

Even better, you can create another address such as NewEmail1234@webbased and have that bounce into your NewEmail@webbased, if the NewEmail@webbased is used on forum/ebay/registration.



Etiquettewise, I would not go towards the old owner of the email or the 3rd party and ask to change it. You'd have to prove to 3rd party that "you" own it now, and that "old" does not.  Twould be much easier to use web based email.

Cutenoob

[Hanna]

Interesting Issue and will likely happen more frequently as the internet matures.
There is an option to call them from this link:
http://contact.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ContactUsNextGen&guest=1

I would not feel comfortable with someone having an ebay account with my email address.
And if I had an old email account assigned I would be grateful that someone notified me, so no, I do not think it was rude of you to contact the former address owner so that they could update their ebay account.

[allgone]

I just signed up for a new yahoo email.  I have one I've had for years but I needed one that would look better on my resume.  Now Im getting emails about real estate deals and from ebay and pictures sent from the original owners daughter.  I've let each person know that I have this email now and I'm hoping that they pass it on to the original person.  I'd want to know if it was me.