Cannot gift an email address - daily limit on account creation?

[docdunning]

An update on this - it struck me that I should try doing the address gifting in an incognito browser window.

And hey, it worked.  It gave me a link that I can send to my sister, and the address is now listed in the section headed "Email addresses you have given to friends and family".

So I'm left thinking that there was some stale session state or cookie lying around that was triggering the error.  Or maybe it's because when I signed in to My BT, I said "Allow all cookies".  Not sure, but at least we're making progress.

[docdunning]

@gg30340 

I could do with a bit more help, please.  My sister went to the page in the link that I sent her.  According to BT's help for this process:

1. First, we'll ask you to either provide your existing BT ID or create a new one. This is so you can log in to My BT to manage your account.
2. You'll need to select the email address that's been set up for you or any other email address you already own and use. This will become your BT ID.
3. We'll ask you to provide some security information, including a password, your security validation question, and your contact details. This is because you'll now be solely responsible for this email address. Once you've entered all the required information, click Continue.
4. You'll get a confirmation message that your new email address is now active. You can log in and start using it straightaway.

Well, we get as far as step 1:

As you can see - there's no option to provide an existing BT ID.

She tried entering her BT ID email address in the two boxes on this page, but then was told "This profile already exists - Please choose 'I already have a BT ID' to continue".

But there's nowhere to choose that.  Aaargh.  Sadly, BT seem intent on putting obstacles in our way throughout the import/gift process.

What do you (or others) suggest as the way to complete the gift acceptance?

[gg30340]

Unfortunately I have no idea why there is not an option to use her existing BTID.

When I previously gifted and assisted in the gifting of a BTMail account it was to people who did not already have a BTID and they used the gifted email address as their "new" BTID.

I assume the email address that you have obscured is her current BTID. Is that correct?

Did she also try her BTID in the "Use another email address"?

I suspect there is an issue because she already has a BTID.

When BT stopped Yahoo being BT's email supplier and BTMail some bright spark came up with the idea of a BTID and MyBT in order to manage both email and broadband accounts using the same "master"  BTMail email address and password to access both BTMail and MyBT.

It was pointed out the flaws in security of doing this but it went ahead anyway. Needless to say there were problems with this and BT changed it so that you could have a different email and password for your BTID and MyBT. This also caused various problems so they did away with a BT "master" email account and "sub" accounts and the option of gifting emails to family and friends was offered so that they could set up their own BTID and MyBT in order to manage their gifted email.   

In short the whole BTMail system appears to have become a complicated mess when you try to do something that is not straight forward. As I have said above I have only ever done "gifting to non BTID holders and they went of without a problem. 

The only options I can suggest is that she sets up a separate BTID using the "gifted" email address or that you contact BT 0330.1234.150 and ask to speak to the BTMail Team as you need assistance in gifting an email and hopefully they will be able to help.

Sorry I can not be of any more assistance but please keep me updated with which ever route you try.

[docdunning]

@gg30340 

Thanks for helping.  Just to answer the couple of questions you had:

I assume the email address that you have obscured is her current BTID. Is that correct?

No, it's the address that I gifted.  I guess the idea is that you might want to create a new BT ID using that address.

Did she also try her BTID in the "Use another email address"?

Yes, and that's when the system told her that "this profile already exists" and that she should choose "I already have a BT ID".  Hmm - if only that option was available.

Btw, the screenshot is of the page that is shown immediately on pasting BT's gift link into the browser.  The link is of this form, where {emailname} is the same as the one I blurred on the screenshot.

https://my.bt.com/appsprofile/registration/affiliatesignup.do?emailName={emailname}

So when the recipient goes to that link, the system can't know who you are, and it can't be making any decisions based on whether or not you already have a BT ID.  It should offer the option to select an existing BT ID, as well as to create a new one.

I think my sister will have to contact the BT email team and try to get their help.