AOL mail accounts, do they expire?

**BigGreen** · 09-17-2004, 11:09 PM

Or, if they do not, is there a way to tell if they're active. To make a long story short, I convinced a drunken friend (mostly for my own amusement, but, hey, i hope it works out for him) to email his 'one that got away' crush. After doing so with an email she used way back when, he brought up the point that the email account may still be receiving mail, but she may have stopped using it AGES ago. Is there any way to find out? Or does aol email expire if not used. It hasn't been returned to him as non-existent yet, and it's been hours, so it definitely exists, but is it being accessed.

Though I convicned him to do this mostly to see him squirm, I now feel somewhat bad and don't want him to have composed an email (albeit while intoxicated) and not get a response because the account is no longer being used.

ttuPrincess · 09-17-2004, 11:13 PM

did you send it from another aol account cause then you could check to see if it had been read yet... i dont think you can from any other type of email

but in answer to your question.. the email addy will becut off is that person stops paying for AOL..

**KeyMastur** · 09-17-2004, 11:15 PM

AOL accounts remain active for up to six months after termination. a new member cannot register that name.

**BigGreen** · 09-17-2004, 11:19 PM

Oh, sheet...i didn't know aol mail accounts required that you pay. So i'm assuming if it went through, the worst case scenario is she stopped checking 5 months and 29 days ago. This pleases me and my friend. You guys are sooo smart.

**KeyMastur** · 09-17-2004, 11:20 PM

Originally Posted by BigGreen

Oh, sheet...i didn't know aol mail accounts required that you pay. So i'm assuming if it went through, the worst case scenario is she stopped checking 5 months and 29 days ago. This pleases me and my friend. You guys are sooo smart.

PM me with the AOL account and I can check it for you. (i'll send a tester email, if it goes through she's still active, if not, she's shut down)

**BigGreen** · 09-17-2004, 11:24 PM

Originally Posted by KeyMastur

PM me with the AOL account and I can check it for you. (i'll send a tester email, if it goes through she's still active, if not, she's shut down)

awesome....many thanks.

**BASK8KACE** · 09-17-2004, 11:39 PM

Originally Posted by BigGreen

awesome....many thanks.

BigGreen,

If the email went through, and your friend didn't receive a MailerDamon return email stating that it didn't go through then the following things are possible:

1. She received your friend's email in her in box.
2. AOL's spam blocker captured it and dumped it into a spam email box whose contents many people delete without looking at the spam email addresses. The spam blocker is pretty good. But it will capture some email from people who have not emailed you before or if the email has a word in the body of the letter or in the title that has been blocked by the owner of the email account

Most people don't stop checking thier AOL account since they have to pay for it. But, AOL allows for 7 different screen names, thus 7 different email addresses. She can delete and restore any of those seven email addresses at any time. But, if the address has been deleted, the account will return a MailerDamon auto response stating that your friend's email was undeliverable.

I hope that helps a bit.

**BigGreen** · 09-17-2004, 11:43 PM

Originally Posted by BASK8KACE

I hope that helps a bit.

Sure does. And, this email wasn't sent weeks or even days ago, it was sent like just a few hours ago, if that, and it's two a.m. We just thought after the fact, 'boy would it be anticlimactic if you worked up that courage, and you'll never even know if she gets it'. Now, it would appear that since he didn't get a failed delivery response, it went through and went through to an active account. This has all the makings of being my entertainment for the next month.

**BASK8KACE** · 09-17-2004, 11:44 PM

LOL keep us posted.

**BigGreen** · 09-18-2004, 08:54 AM

Originally Posted by BASK8KACE

LOL keep us posted.

Oh, i certainly will...i'm getting way 'into' this whole thing now, since it's something out of a john cusack movie or something - not a thing you normally see in 'real life': some guy getting in touch with 'the one that got away' after three or four years. Of course, this could end badly, with him getting slapped with a restraining order or something, but, either way, I'm amused.

**kloter1** · 09-19-2004, 04:57 PM

i worked for aol for 2 years, email doesnt ever expire. u can have multiple screenames under an account. theyre just probably using another sn. unless your email was returned with a non existent addressee error then ur ok.