Problem with Yahoo Mail: Being redirected to BT.com login page & can't go any further

[gray1404]

I know a lot of people on the forum a very technology minded so I wondered if anyone might be able to help me with this problem.

For the past 48 hours I have been unable to log into my Yahoo Mail account and access any are of my email, including my inbox.

I start out at the http://mail.yahoo.com page and enter my Yahoo email address and my password, which are both being accepted. I really must stress this, there is no issue with my password - it is being accepted.

Upon clicking "Sign In" I am taken to this page (see screen shot) https://www.bt.com/static/includes/account/email/account-information.html
You will see it is a BT Yahoo Mail page. Regardless of what option I click on there (be it "back to inbox", "change your password" or "manage sub accounts") I am taken to this page https://signin1.bt.com/login/emailloginform (see second screen shot).

When I enter my Yahoo email address and password into that page I get the following error: "We don't recognise your details. Please check you've entered your full email address and password correctly and try again."

I have spoken to BT Technical Support both through their online chat and they also called me back on the phone. They have confirmed that this issue is with Yahoo and I should contact their technical support. They also confirmed that I have no active email or accounts with them. (Although they did notice that I had an old online home phone account with them from many years ago which he was able to delete).

They also talked me though clearing out my cookies and cache history to see if this fixed the problem, but it didn't. I have tried logging on using 3 different browsers, my friends laptop, my phone using the internet, downloaded the Yahoo Mail App onto my friends Android and downloaded the Yahoo App onto my other friends iphone and ipad and in all these different situations I am getting the EXACT same result.

Yahoo Customer Care do not offer live chat so I sent them an email. They were able to email me back this morning on the "secondary" I have listed on my account (on hotmail). They said:
"We're sorry to hear you're having trouble with being redirected to a BT page when logging in. Thanks for letting us know. We've passed the details on to our Product Team so they can get it fixed as quickly as possible.
If you have other questions or details to share, simply reply to this email. We're always happy to help."

Up to now, 12+ hours later they have not fixed anything and I still cannot access my inbox. I have also tried accessing it via pop3 but this is not working either (although for Yahoo you have to pay extra to enable this).

Does anyone know of any known issues on Yahoo or has anyone had this problem before. I am wondering just what, if anything, Yahoo Technical Support can do. I am starting to get seriously worried about being locked out of my email account permanently.

Thanks guys!

 

[najaB]

I know a lot of people on the forum a very technology minded so I wondered if anyone might be able to help me with this problem.

For the past 48 hours I have been unable to log into my Yahoo Mail account and access any are of my email, including my inbox.

How did you sign up for your Yahoo! email address originally?

 

[gray1404]

How did you sign up for your Yahoo! email address originally?

It was about 15 years ago though the yahoo.com website.

 

[najaB]

It was about 15 years ago though the yahoo.com website.

Then it sounds like your account was accidentally tagged as being a BTYahoo! address.

Your best bet is to keep on trying Yahoo!'s support, did you set up an alternate recovery email address for your account? If so, use that one to contact them as it will make it easier to prove that you're the genuine owner of the address in question.

 

[gray1404]

Then it sounds like your account was accidentally tagged as being a BTYahoo! address.

Your best bet is to keep on trying Yahoo!'s support, did you set up an alternate recovery email address for your account? If so, use that one to contact them as it will make it easier to prove that you're the genuine owner of the address in question.

Yes, I used that alternative recovery email address to contact them and they got back to me on it - I guess it proved to them that it is me.

They have replied (as above). I have not sure how good Yahoo are at sorting problems out and if I have to keep on at them or if they will just merely sort it. But yes, it does sound like my account has been accidentally tagged as being a BTYahoo address.

Is there a danger of loss of data or emails if that is what they have done?

 

[GusB]

Was it a BT Yahoo account? As far as I'm aware, Yahoo no longer provides email for BT Internet customers. If it was just a standard Yahoo email account, I'm not sure why you'd be redirected. What does your email address end with? is it @yahoo.com/.co.uk, or @btinternet.com?

I never use the email supplied by my internet provider because there's no guarantee that you'll be able to keep the address when you change supplier. I've just logged into my account, though - try going to bt.com and clicking on the email link on the right-hand side of the page.

 

[gray1404]

Was it a BT Yahoo account? As far as I'm aware, Yahoo no longer provides email for BT Internet customers. If it was just a standard Yahoo email account, I'm not sure why you'd be redirected. What does your email address end with? is it @yahoo.com/.co.uk, or @btinternet.com?

I never use the email supplied by my internet provider because there's no guarantee that you'll be able to keep the address when you change supplier. I've just logged into my account, though - try going to bt.com and clicking on the email link on the right-hand side of the page.

It ends in @yahoo.com and it is just a standard Yahoo email account.

I have not been a BT Internet customer and no it is NOT a BT Yahoo account. Can't understand why this is happening.

 

[GusB]

It ends in @yahoo.com and it is just a standard Yahoo email account.

I have not been a BT Internet customer and no it is NOT a BT Yahoo account. Can't understand why this is happening.

That's weird, especially as you're not a BT Internet customer.

 

[Abpj17]

I'm not sure this is reassuring, but it's not just you

http://downdetector.co.uk/problems/yahoo-mail

 

[najaB]

I forgot that I've got a Yahoo! account - I can get signed in no bother.

 

[gray1404]

Sort of reassuring it's not just me. Yahoo are not responding fast with a resolution sadly.

 

[gray1404]

Update: As of this morning I am back into my Yahoo email account. It did take them a while to resolve this then I thought it would. When I followed it up with them them responded to say they were still working on fixing it.

Given the inconvenience this caused, is there any way I am able to back up all my Yahoo emails and/or address book to avoid this sort of problem in the future if I am ever unable to log into my account again?

Thanks

 

[takno]

Given the inconvenience this caused, is there any way I am able to back up all my Yahoo emails and/or address book to avoid this sort of problem in the future if I am ever unable to log into my account again?

https://help.yahoo.com/kb/SLN22580.html - 3rd question down for contacts

For emails the solution suggested here is probably easiest http://www.tomsguide.com/answers/id-2276458/export-yahoo-mail-outlook-pst-file.html . The only thing to be cautious of is that a lot of servers used to delete your emails once you'd downloaded them using POP3. Not sure if yahoo do that or not

 

[pemma]

Given the inconvenience this caused, is there any way I am able to back up all my Yahoo emails and/or address book to avoid this sort of problem in the future if I am ever unable to log into my account again?

If you have an Android tablet or phone if you sign in to your Yahoo mail account using the default email app it will then download the emails (minus the images) to your phone/tablet and you'll be able to access emails you already have even in Yahoo mail is down or won't let you log in. However, Yahoo don't like you using third party apps to access Yahoo Mail accounts so you need to make sure your account is set up to be able to use third party apps and ignore any security warnings Yahoo have about using them - they are generally more secure than Yahoo's own!

 

[Blindtraveler]

Better still ditch dodgy Yahoo all together

 

[najaB]

he only thing to be cautious of is that a lot of servers used to delete your emails once you'd downloaded them using POP3. Not sure if yahoo do that or not

It's not the server, it's a client setting.

 

[takno]

It's not the server, it's a client setting.

Quite right. Sorry, switched to IMAP years ago, and I don't think I've used an email client at all for five years...

 

[najaB]

Quite right. Sorry, switched to IMAP years ago, and I don't think I've used an email client at all for five years...

You Web 2.0 whippersnappers. Back in my day...

 

[gray1404]

I believe that you have access to Yahoo Mail thorough Outlook you need to pay for their premium service. You cannot do this if you are using their free email.

 

[najaB]

I believe that you have access to Yahoo Mail thorough Outlook you need to pay for their premium service. You cannot do this if you are using their free email.

I'm not 100% sure this is true. I've managed to configure my Yahoo! email address in Outlook 2016, though I've no intention of waiting for all 2000+ messages to download from my inbox!

 

[gray1404]

I think I shall try setting it up on outlook. I have the latest version on my system though so it may not work. Am I right in saying outlook will only download from yahoo new messages or will it download all messages that are currently in my yahoo inbox? (of which there are thousands)

 

[najaB]

I think I shall try setting it up on outlook. I have the latest version on my system though so it may not work.

I was using Outlook 2016 so I think it should work for you.

Am I right in saying outlook will only download from yahoo new messages or will it download all messages that are currently in my yahoo inbox? (of which there are thousands)

By default it will download all messages in the inbox. You can play with the settings in Outlook so that it only downloads newer messages.

If you get a message in your inbox saying that a 'less secure app' tried to access your account, the setting is in your main Yahoo! account options.

 

[Abpj17]

And kinda to repeat the theme

Why is anyone, including you, still using Yahoo? Set up a new gmail account (or equivalent *good* provider of your choice). And set up a rule in yahoo to forward all your mail over. And gradually transition to your new email address.

 

[najaB]

Why is anyone, including you, still using Yahoo?

Because email is email. If all you need is an inbox then no provider is 'better' than any other.

 

[pemma]

then no provider is 'better' than any other.

There are differences between providers. Personally I find Gmail's user interface poorly designed, while Yahoo's is well designed and gives the options of using shortcuts e.g. pressing 'n' when viewing the inbox brings up a new email window. Also providers can block mass mailings from a specific sender if they believe someone is sending a lot of spam. It might be you actually want the mass mailing that your email provider has blocked e.g. if it continues discount codes - Yahoo are the one most likely to issue a block, followed by Hotmail/Windows Live.

 

[najaB]

There are differences between providers.

Oh, without a doubt there are differences. I just don't think that any provider is universally 'better' than the others.

 

[takno]

There are differences between providers. Personally I find Gmail's user interface poorly designed, while Yahoo's is well designed and gives the options of using shortcuts e.g. pressing 'n' when viewing the inbox brings up a new email window. Also providers can block mass mailings from a specific sender if they believe someone is sending a lot of spam. It might be you actually want the mass mailing that your email provider has blocked e.g. if it continues discount codes - Yahoo are the one most likely to issue a block, followed by Hotmail/Windows Live.

I don't see the problem with using Yahoo either. There used to be a world of difference, but one of the few things that Yahoo have done right in the last 10 years was to create a decent new webmail setup.

For me personally Gmail is the best blocker - there's very little arbitrary blocking of stuff you signed up for (as long as it's the type of service that respects unsubscribe), and essentially all of the completely random spam gets blocked. I don't see any particular issues with the Gmail interface, although I do have priority inbox switched off, and use the compact view instead of the painful tablet-friendly one they seem to default to.

Gmail does have keyboard shortcuts though. You just have to turn them on in general settings. They aren't the same shortcuts as Yahoo - "c" is for compose new mail for example, while "n" goes to the next message in the conversation.

 

[pemma]

I don't see the problem with using Yahoo either. There used to be a world of difference, but one of the few things that Yahoo have done right in the last 10 years was to create a decent new webmail setup.

For me personally Gmail is the best blocker - there's very little arbitrary blocking of stuff you signed up for (as long as it's the type of service that respects unsubscribe), and essentially all of the completely random spam gets blocked. I don't see any particular issues with the Gmail interface, although I do have priority inbox switched off, and use the compact view instead of the painful tablet-friendly one they seem to default to.

Gmail does have keyboard shortcuts though. You just have to turn them on in general settings. They aren't the same shortcuts as Yahoo - "c" is for compose new mail for example, while "n" goes to the next message in the conversation.

With 'well designed' it partly depends if they put things where you expect to find them or use the commonly used shortcuts, noting that some people might have to use a different system for work and personal emails.

I remember when I was doing work in Flash I frequently pressed F5 when I wanted to refresh, when F5 in Flash is insert a new keyframe.

 

[gray1404]

I have tried to set up my Yahoo Mail on Outlook but am being faced with error messages and thus unable to access my email though there.

What settings should I be using when I set it up? I am using:

Account type: IMAP

Incoming mail server: imap.mail.yahoo.com

Outgoing mail server (SMTP): smtp.mail.yahoo.com

I have tried changing imap to pop3 but still with no success.

 

[GusB]

POP and IMAP are totally different systems, so substituting one for the other ain't gonna work.

Have you tried the official help?

POP
https://help.yahoo.com/kb/SLN4724.html

IMAP
https://help.yahoo.com/kb/SLN4075.html