Host Europe asks to pay: Mail migration from May
The web host Host Europe has announced a migration of mailboxes. Customers can expect additional costs and the use of Microsoft services.
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Anyone who uses the IMAP/POP3 accounts at Host Europe, which were included in many hosting tariffs in the past, must be prepared for significant additional costs. The web host informed its customers in a circular email at the weekend that the migration to Microsoft 365 will begin in May. Those who do not take action will have to accept paying just under one euro per email account per month in future.
In view of the three-digit number of inclusive mail accounts that have been advertised in the past with low-priced web hosting packages, this could be expensive for some. The decisive factor is how many of the inclusive accounts have actually been set up. Readers of c't and heise online expressed their anger in letters to the editors. "I can't expect my family to give up or migrate email addresses. The decision I am faced with here is not one," complained one reader, feeling cornered. Others expressed reservations about their emails going to a Microsoft service.
Host Europe speaks of improvement
Host Europe, however, advertises the migration as an improvement. In future, data will be synchronized on all devices and users will be supported by experts, according to the email. In addition, two-factor authentication will be possible and users will be able to upgrade to a full Microsoft 365 package, which also includes shared calendars, contacts and the application package.
The migration is set to begin at the beginning of May and will take several months. According to the Cologne-based company, customers will be informed of the next steps and further details at least seven days before the planned migration date. The Microsoft 356 accounts will initially not be charged until the end of the current monthly or annual contract term. After that, they will be free of charge for a further 30 days before being billed.
The Essentials plan with 10 GB storage for emails will cost 99 cents per email account per month. Other options include the E-Mail Plus tariff with 50 GB for 1.99 euros per account per month and Online Business Essentials with 50 GB and the online apps for 4.99 euros per account per month.
Numerous customers affected
Numerous products sold by Host Europe are affected, including the Domain Basic, Webhosting-Onlineshop, Virtual Server Managed, Classic WebServer and Classic WebHosting packages (web hosting packages and webpacks). Customers can see in detail what this means for them in the customer information system under Customer account and Email migration. This shows which e-mail accounts are affected by the migration.
If you want to avoid the additional costs, you have a few options. It is generally advisable to first check whether all accounts are still being actively used. Sometimes you can also find partial corpses here. If you want to delete the accounts but continue to use the email addresses, you can use forwarding. However, this of course raises the question of where the addresses should be forwarded to, which can also result in additional costs.
(mki)