Dennis Tucker's Yahoo mail is acting up again. This time, messages are missing. What's more, no one seems to care. What can he do?
Question: I pay Aabaco -- formerly known as Yahoo Mail -- a monthly fee for a small business email account. Here's my problem: They have deleted hundreds of emails from my "sent" folder.
When this happened for the first time a couple of years ago, they were able to restore all my missing messages at that time. However, I have been having the same problem for the past several weeks.
I have called Aabaco many times and spent hours on hold. Despite many promises, my emails have not been restored. On the contrary, additional messages have disappeared. Can you help me get in touch with someone at Aabaco who can help? -- Dennis Tucker, Stockton, Calif.
Answer: This isn't your first problem with Yahoo and Aabaco, nor is it the first time I've written about your email troubles. Back in 2014, Yahoo even closed your account and you contacted me for help reopening it.
You would think that after all that, you might have second thoughts about doing business with Yahoo and Aabaco. But no, you were a loyal customer.
Let me pause for a moment to admire that kind of devotion. You pay $9.95 a month for email and a suite of other small business products, and you have for years. Presumably, it's because Aabaco offers services you need. Noteworthy, too, is the fact that it didn't have to cajole you into this with a gimmicky loyalty program. (If it had, imagine how much more difficult it would be to let Aabaco go.)
A look at Aabaco's terms of service reveals an unprecedented rights-grab. By saying "yes" to its service, you're also expressly granting the company permission to send you unsolicited emails and text messages. Its limit of liability means it'll never have to worry about those missing emails and that you pretty much have no recourse.
It's hard to say how much Yahoo has veered from its "core values" by offering you a buggy email account that defies repair. The company's original mission statement, which alluded to these values, is scrubbed from the website, replaced with platitudes about being "focused on informing, connecting, and entertaining our users." But an image of the Yahoo offices on its "about" page with an enormous banner that says "Be Awesome" says it all.
Simply put, Yahoo is not being awesome.
You might have reached out to one of Yahoo's executives to remind them they aren't living up to their promises. I list the names, numbers and email addresses on my site.
In an earlier story, I recommended that you consider a new email service that would be less likely to lose your messages. Not to repeat myself, but I would really suggest that you find another email service.
Our advocacy team reached out to Yahoo on your behalf. A senior-level representative contacted you and separately, a company representative emailed us to say it will fix the issue. "We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience this has caused him," she added.
Christopher Elliott specializes in solving intractable consumer problems. Contact him with your questions on his advocacy website. You can also follow him on Twitter, Facebook and Google or sign up for his newsletter.