I know Microsoft is sort of the "in" thing to despise.  Like Wal-Mart.  But right now I am really PISSED!

I've lost all my emails and folders from one of my Hotmail accounts.

Apparently, when they switched over to Windows Live Beta (and if it's a beta how come we're all forced to use it??), free Hotmail users only had 30 days to log in or their email and folders would be deleted.

This is SLIMY!  They buried this information somewhere - I didn't even find it, my husband did.  I guess they put it in one of those zillions of "look how great our new crap will be" emails that they send all their users all the time.  I always ignored them because there were tons of them and I was never interested in what they had to say.

Normally you have 120 days between logins before they delete your stuff.  So all these people who keep old accounts, like I do, and know they only have to log in every 3 or 4 months...how were they supposed to find out they only had 30 days?  By checking their email?  I think it was a slippery trick to clear out a bunch of space from their less active users.

Anyway, I'm double pissed because there is no way to even tell them how pissed I am.  Their Windows Live help is nothing but a forum board for OTHER windows live users to try and help you.  It's like, "You guys play amongst yourselves; we don't really want to hear any of it."  If I go to the Microsoft website to try to complain or get help, they'll just redirect me to the useless board.  And the "feedback" option on Windows Live gives you only 1000 characters and they can't "personally respond" to your submission.  Which means probably they don't even read half of them.  I sent an angry message anyway, but since the only appropriate category was "general comment," I'm doubly sure that it probably won't even be read.  Anyway, like they care.  Oh my god, we pissed off a user who...wasn't...paying us anything.  Oh, nevermind then.

I am so, so, so mad.  I had 4 years of emails on that account.  Some of the first emails between DH and I were on that account.  Stuff from my parents and other family members.  Stuff from an old boyfriend that - okay, I wasn't going to read it again anyway really, but I went to the trouble to keep it and I'd like it to be KEPT!  I can't get it back, you know?

God, it's gone...I went through this once when my hard drive died (fortunately I was able to rescue my files before it bit the dust for good) and now here I am again.  I mean, at least I hadn't read that stuff in ages.  All the stuff I've lost isn't fresh in my mind for me to get upset about.  It'll be easier to let it go that way.  What was important, I'll remember, and if I don't remember it then it couldn't have been that important.

Obviously I am going to switch webmail providers in the near future.  I just have to go and change all the accounts and such I have attached to these addresses first.  When my head stops hurting.  I just HATE that there's absolutely nothing I can do about it!

Dirty, dirty, dirty business.