Outlook.com hates me...

[Mick]

Wondering if anyone has a way of getting round an impasse I seem to have got myself into. I recently set a customer up with an Outlook.com email account. You need to go through a verification process with these, a bit like Gmail, where you tell MS your phone number and they send you a code which you then input into the set-up screen on-line.

Had three goes. No code received. Then received a 'usage exceeded - try tomorrow' message. Tried tomorrow (and the next day, and the next...) still no go. Tried with another phone number. No code received, followed in short order by the good ol' 'Usage exceeded' message. No option to receive code by alternative email address, even though I had set one up. Phoned MS support. Press 1, Press 2. Press 3 etc etc. Finally get a message saying way to activate the account is to follow the on-screen instructions at the sign-up page that'd already thrown me out. Followed by silence.

Am starting to feel like someone out of a Franz Kafka novel, as well as running out of phones to use. Does anyone have a work-round to bust out of this insane loop? Or do MS just not like people using Outlook.com?

 

[Sky-Knight]

There is nothing you can do. Microsoft's SMS delivery service doesn't like your cellular providers, therefore you cannot make an account. Switch to Google I suppose.

 

[Archon Prime]

It's their way of getting people onto the premium outlook stuff. lol

 

[Mick]

Weird thing is, I must have done a couple of dozen of these if not more. Never had any problem before now.

 

[britechguy]

I had this problem in the past, but with a bank, not allowing SMS to go to T-Mobile for some bizarre reason. It was resolved with a phone call to support.

I cannot imagine that Microsoft would intentionally not send SMS to any valid service provider in the USA, and it would be worth pursuing this. It's certainly not in their best interests, that's for sure.

 

[Mick]

Well - I'm not actually in the US, but even so, I like to think my providers are valid. For interest, the networks of the phones I used are O2 and Vodafone. As for MS support - if you follow the voice prompts for Outlook.com issues, you just get referred to on-line support (i.e. the web page I originally referred to). No human voice. Hence the vicious circle. I think I'll do what customers do to me: Call them about something else and then say "Oh - while you're here..."

 

[nlinecomputers]

Don't they have an option to call your phone and read the code?

 

[YeOldeStonecat]

Microsoft Authenticator app?

 

[Sky-Knight]

You can't set that up, this process happens during account creation. You cannot make a personal Microsoft account anymore without a linked cell phone number, so if during initial setup the SMS message doesn't make it... you're simply SOL.

 

[Mick]

Don't they have an option to call your phone and read the code?

Nope. SMS or nothing. The pic shows what I'm seeing.

 

[alexsmith2709]

Nope. SMS or nothing. The pic shows what I'm seeing.

Have you tried putting in a landline number? It will then ring and when you answer it will ask you to press 1 to listen to the SMS.

 

[Mick]

Hi Alex - yes, I tried that. Apparently 'It was not possible to send a text message to this number' (standard BT line). I have now given up and gone with GMail, so thanks to all for the various suggestions.

 

[alexsmith2709]

Hi Alex - yes, I tried that. Apparently 'It was not possible to send a text message to this number' (standard BT line). I have now given up and gone with GMail, so thanks to all for the various suggestions.

I've never tried it with outlook/Microsoft, but i have never encoutered that before. I get "texts" to my landline from JustEat every time i order!
Oh well, Microsoft's loss and im sure the customer will be just as happy.