Deal with problem of Verizon DSL e-mail (contract, charging, cable)

[PacoMartin]

Background information
Verizon ends standalone DSL service, requires landline bundle
By David Goldman @CNNMoneyTech May 17, 2012
Verizon ends standalone DSL, requires landline bundle - May. 17, 2012

Verizon requires DSL to be bundled with a wired landline. The Problem is that a wired landline Freedom Essentials plan is $64 + $30 taxes and fees, plus the additional $30 for DSL service. The obvious solution is simply to junk the entire service, but while the phone number can be ported, the @verizon.net email cannot be ported. After using it for two decades for business, it is difficult to find all the old clients to notify of a new e-mail address.

Is there some way to port the email address to Verizon cellular account? My theory is that I can manually move the most prolific clients to a google e-mail, but keep the old @verizon.net active at least to forward e-mails from old clients. That way I won't lose e-mails from clients I have forgotten to notify without using too much LTE data.

[reed303]

By any chance does Verizon offer a "web-mail only" account, keeping the old address active ?

When I went thru a similar situation like Paco's, I was able to cancel the DSL access, but continue to use my Earthlink e-mail address because they offer a webmail only (aka BYOA - Bring Your Own Access) account.

Costs about $4/month on an annual pre-pay basis. Been working fine for 6 years now. Using Xfinity access and Thunderbird e-reader.

PS: It might be something they don't advertise, but is available if you ask about it.

[PacoMartin]

Originally Posted by reed303

By any chance does Verizon offer a "web-mail only" account, keeping the old address active ?

I think they used to for $20 a month, but they discontinued it.

Verizon does not have FIOS in this neighborhood, and they have flatly stated that they have no intentions of expanding their FIOS footprint. They do offer home based LTE service, but it is
10GB $60
20GB $90
30GB $120

She bought the home 24 years ago and I doubt that broadband internet from cable companies existed. She may have purchased this service from Bell Atlantic (the precursor to Verizon that existed more than 16 years ago). Basically, they have simply kept raising the price on her.

So basically my friend must keep her $117 home phone service and 1.5 Mbps DSL line in order to keep her e-mail active.

To make matters worse, she was overpaying for a cell phone by $60 a month (also to Verizon) since she didn't realize that prices kept coming down for a decade, but you had to call or they would keep charging you the old contract rate.