NTL want me to try Googlemail????

[smicer07]

If it isn't a scam, it's a terribly badly written email.

[hoggyspuds]

I got the same e-mail today. Bottom line, scam or not?

[eth01]

Hi,

We are currently reviewing the format of the web based email service we provide
to our customers. Google, Yahoo and Hotmail are some of the interface types
we're looking at and we'd love to get some feedback about them. This is where
you come in. If you are interested we would love to provide you with access to
Googlemail and to get your feedback.

So what will we do:

We will provide you with access to a new Googlemail account

We will set this up so that your current ntlWorld email arrives in your new
account (your access to email through our service will be frozen for the
duration of the trial and unfrozen when it finishes)

We will explain how to set it up so that you can send email as if from your
ntlWorld address

We will provide you with a freephone helpline in case you get stuck

We will credit your bill by £30 for your trouble once we have received your
survey feedback

What would we like in return:

We would like you to use the Googlemail account we give you continuously for 4
weeks instead of your normal email

We would like you to take part in an online survey to give us your open and
honest opinions about the system

We may call you to request your participation in a face-to-face discussion
(these will be limited to a handful of participants)

If you are interested and can spare the time, or have family who could give it
a go for us, please let us know by going to the following web page and
completing our Email Trial Registration form - it will take you less than 1
minute to complete!

http://www.esmaker.com/nx/Public/Sur...1-de10fdae37e2

Once we have enough people registered we will email you regarding the next
steps, which will be within the next 14 days. The registration form will be
deactivated on Monday 28th August or once we have received enough volunteers.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Thanks,

the team at ntlWorld

---------- Post added at 09:10 ---------- Previous post was at 09:10 ----------

Originally Posted by hitmanme

Hi,

We are currently reviewing the format of the web based email service we provide
to our customers. Google, Yahoo and Hotmail are some of the interface types
we're looking at and we'd love to get some feedback about them. This is where
you come in. If you are interested we would love to provide you with access to
Googlemail and to get your feedback.

So what will we do:

We will provide you with access to a new Googlemail account

We will set this up so that your current ntlWorld email arrives in your new
account (your access to email through our service will be frozen for the
duration of the trial and unfrozen when it finishes)

We will explain how to set it up so that you can send email as if from your
ntlWorld address

We will provide you with a freephone helpline in case you get stuck

We will credit your bill by £30 for your trouble once we have received your
survey feedback

What would we like in return:

We would like you to use the Googlemail account we give you continuously for 4
weeks instead of your normal email

We would like you to take part in an online survey to give us your open and
honest opinions about the system

We may call you to request your participation in a face-to-face discussion
(these will be limited to a handful of participants)

If you are interested and can spare the time, or have family who could give it
a go for us, please let us know by going to the following web page and
completing our Email Trial Registration form - it will take you less than 1
minute to complete!

http://www.esmaker.com/nx/Public/Sur...1-de10fdae37e2

Once we have enough people registered we will email you regarding the next
steps, which will be within the next 14 days. The registration form will be
deactivated on Monday 28th August or once we have received enough volunteers.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Thanks,

the team at ntlWorld

added extra its been extremely written badly ??

[jimstrong]

NTL confirmed mine as a scam today. I first received a phone call, then a follow-up email a bit like yours.

But where do they make their money? On the help line (premium rate number?)

Jim

[Toto]

Originally Posted by jimstrong

NTL confirmed mine as a scam today. I first received a phone call, then a follow-up email a bit like yours.

But where do they make their money? On the help line (premium rate number?)

Jim

Who in ntl has confirmed this is a scam?

[jimstrong]

First spoke to Customer Services who put me through to Technical Support - I don't have a specific name, though.

Do you know which unit in ntl has set the trial up, because those two areas don't know about it.

Jim

[Toto]

Originally Posted by jimstrong

First spoke to Customer Services who put me through to Technical Support - I don't have a specific name, though.

Do you know which unit in ntl has set the trial up, because those two areas don't know about it.

Jim

Nope, no idea. But other departments not knowing about a trial is not unusual I suppose.

Oh, and BTW, welcome to the forum

[jimstrong]

> Oh, and BTW, welcome to the forum
Thanks a lot!

The more I look at this, and despite what ntl told me, I'm thinking that this is a valid trial (as you said), but that it has been put together in a way that makes a customer quite suspicious:-

- the email gives no indication that it is genuinely from ntl (the "return path" is the only sign - "do_not_reply@ntlworld.com" - and that can easily be faked. The originating email address is 20060906095117.65BB42030AF@blubber.cableinet.net. The number is not suspicious, but the blubber bit is!!

- it is not signed off by anybody, not even "The ntl team" - it just ends "Thank you"

- the link sends you to a domain that is still being processed (according to a "WHOIS" query.

- the original telephone request asks you for a non-ntl email address - why?

...and once your concerns are aroused you start to read all sorts of things into every (possibly innocent) paragraph!!

I'll look into it further and post the outcome here. Might take a day or two as I'm away from base tomorrow.

Jim

[Toto]

Originally Posted by jimstrong

> Oh, and BTW, welcome to the forum
Thanks a lot!

The more I look at this, and despite what ntl told me, I'm thinking that this is a valid trial (as you said), but that it has been put together in a way that makes a customer quite suspicious:-

- the email gives no indication that it is genuinely from ntl (the "return path" is the only sign - "do_not_reply@ntlworld.com" - and that can easily be faked. The originating email address is 20060906095117.65BB42030AF@blubber.cableinet.net. The number is not suspicious, but the blubber bit is!!

- it is not signed off by anybody, not even "The ntl team" - it just ends "Thank you"

- the link sends you to a domain that is still being processed (according to a "WHOIS" query.

- the original telephone request asks you for a non-ntl email address - why?

...and once your concerns are aroused you start to read all sorts of things into every (possibly innocent) paragraph!!

I'll look into it further and post the outcome here. Might take a day or two as I'm away from base tomorrow.

Jim

Nice

The "blubber" bit could be the server, but I think your comments are fair. I agree that customers should be suspicious about emails inviting them to go here, or click a link there.

I know though that ntl use the esmaker.com service to run polls and surverys.

The other point to mention is that google are inviting domain owners to trail their webmail service in connection with hostmaster domains, so this trial may be in conjunction with that, as pointed out in a previous post in this thread.

[jimstrong]

Finally got to the bottom of it - it is genuine. I posted a note to ntl using their web-based form and in the autoresponder reply was the following text:-

Latest News and Ongoing Issues
****************************************
22 Aug 2006

If you receive an email that has the basic header like this:

From: do_not_reply@ntlworld.com
Date: 2006/08/22 Tue AM 11:06:43 GMT
To: Ntlworld email Customers
Subject: Join our email trial - your chance to shape our future

Please be advised that it is genuine, and is an invitation to trial a new web based email service.
__________________________________________________

Now to decide if I can be bothered to do it after all that hassle!

Jim

[Toto]

Originally Posted by jimstrong

Finally got to the bottom of it - it is genuine. I posted a note to ntl using their web-based form and in the autoresponder reply was the following text:-

Latest News and Ongoing Issues
****************************************
22 Aug 2006

If you receive an email that has the basic header like this:

From: do_not_reply@ntlworld.com
Date: 2006/08/22 Tue AM 11:06:43 GMT
To: Ntlworld email Customers
Subject: Join our email trial - your chance to shape our future

Please be advised that it is genuine, and is an invitation to trial a new web based email service.
__________________________________________________

Now to decide if I can be bothered to do it after all that hassle!

Jim

Cool, why didn't I think of that?

[glentoran]

yup emailed ntl and it is genuine, that was a while ago anyone heard anything more?

[jimstrong]

Yes - I received an email and set up a Gmail account. I ran it for a while and then had someone come round and interview me on what I thought about it.

I think it maybe over now - they said they weren't looking for any more triallists.

Jim