From Newsgroup: uk.telecom.broadband

My wife is trying to open a gmail account but keeps getting refused.
She should have an account firstname.surname@gmail.com but Gmail is
unable to find such, so she tried to open a new account. Filled in the necessary and when it came to email address she was offered two
(unsuitable) addresses and the option of choosing her own. She entered firstname.surname@gmail.com and was immediately told that this username
is already in use.
How can one end of gmail be unable to find an address and at the same
time refuse to create the identical address as it was already in use?

Help?
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From Newsgroup: uk.telecom.broadband

Woody wrote:

My wife is trying to open a gmail account but keeps getting refused.
She should have an account firstname.surname@gmail.com but Gmail is
unable to find such, so she tried to open a new account. Filled in the necessary and when it came to email address she was offered two
(unsuitable) addresses and the option of choosing her own. She entered firstname.surname@gmail.com and was immediately told that this username
is already in use.
How can one end of gmail be unable to find an address and at the same
time refuse to create the identical address as it was already in use?

Moral: don't use gmail.

But seriously, if you try to send a message to her <firstname.surname@gmail.com> address does it bounce? If so, we would
be more convinced that the address does not exist.
--
Graham J
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From Newsgroup: uk.telecom.broadband

Graham J <nobody@nowhere.co.uk> writes:

Woody wrote:

My wife is trying to open a gmail account but keeps getting refused.
She should have an account firstname.surname@gmail.com but Gmail is
unable to find such, so she tried to open a new account. Filled in
the necessary and when it came to email address she was offered two
(unsuitable) addresses and the option of choosing her own. She
entered firstname.surname@gmail.com and was immediately told that
this username is already in use.
How can one end of gmail be unable to find an address and at the
same time refuse to create the identical address as it was already
in use?

Moral: don't use gmail.

But seriously, if you try to send a message to her <firstname.surname@gmail.com> address does it bounce? If so, we would
be more convinced that the address does not exist.

Gmail ignores full stops in email addresses. Maybe that has something to
do with it. Maybe try firstnamesurname in whatever dialog it is.

--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: uk.telecom.broadband

On 08/09/2026 15:31, Woody wrote:

My wife is trying to open a gmail account but keeps getting refused.
She should have an account firstname.surname@gmail.com but Gmail is
unable to find such, so she tried to open a new account. Filled in the necessary and when it came to email address she was offered two
(unsuitable) addresses and the option of choosing her own. She entered firstname.surname@gmail.com and was immediately told that this username
is already in use.
How can one end of gmail be unable to find an address and at the same
time refuse to create the identical address as it was already in use?

Help?

"Recently" or perhaps "within living memory" gmail altered the rules
about which e-mail addresses it considers "the same". So if her original address was "firstnamesurname" without the "." you can't create "firstname.surname" but it won't let you log in with the name with the ".".

If was used and is now deleted that will also be blocked

Dave
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From Newsgroup: uk.telecom.broadband

On Tue 08/09/2026 15:38, Graham J wrote:

Woody wrote:

My wife is trying to open a gmail account but keeps getting refused.
She should have an account firstname.surname@gmail.com but Gmail is
unable to find such, so she tried to open a new account. Filled in the
necessary and when it came to email address she was offered two
(unsuitable) addresses and the option of choosing her own. She entered
firstname.surname@gmail.com and was immediately told that this
username is already in use.
How can one end of gmail be unable to find an address and at the same
time refuse to create the identical address as it was already in use?

Moral: don't use gmail.

But seriously, if you try to send a message to her <firstname.surname@gmail.com> address does it bounce?-a If so, we would
be more convinced that the address does not exist.

Just tested as you suggested and it came back immediately as an unknown address. We have always used firstname.surname format so that is not the issue, and as we have a somewhat unusual surname the blocking I would
have thought was unlikely. Ah, but of course gmail is worldwide so...
Hmmmmm...
--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: uk.telecom.broadband

Woody wrote:

Just tested as you suggested and it came back immediately as an unknown address. We have always used firstname.surname format so that is not the issue, and as we have a somewhat unusual surname the blocking I would
have thought was unlikely. Ah, but of course gmail is worldwide so... Hmmmmm...

have you tried first.last@googlemail.cpm instead?
--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: uk.telecom.broadband

On Tue 08/09/2026 19:45, Andy Burns wrote:

Woody wrote:

Just tested as you suggested and it came back immediately as an
unknown address. We have always used firstname.surname format so that
is not the issue, and as we have a somewhat unusual surname the
blocking I would have thought was unlikely. Ah, but of course gmail is
worldwide so...
Hmmmmm...

have you tried first.last@googlemail.cpm instead?

Er, how do I do that? Everything I try only offers an @gmail.com address.
--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: uk.telecom.broadband

On 08/09/2026 20:11, Woody wrote:

On Tue 08/09/2026 19:45, Andy Burns wrote:

Woody wrote:

Just tested as you suggested and it came back immediately as an
unknown address. We have always used firstname.surname format so that
is not the issue, and as we have a somewhat unusual surname the
blocking I would have thought was unlikely. Ah, but of course gmail
is worldwide so...
Hmmmmm...

have you tried first.last@googlemail.cpm instead?

Er, how do I do that? Everything I try only offers an @gmail.com address.

you can't, the domains are interchangeable. Are you sure she didn't have
it and delete it? If so you can't get it back unless it was very
recently....

https://support.google.com/accounts/thread/258113909/recover-deleted-gmail-account

Dave
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From Newsgroup: uk.telecom.broadband

Woody wrote:

Andy Burns wrote:

have you tried first.last@googlemail.cpm instead?

Er, how do I do that? Everything I try only offers an @gmail.com address.

Maybe they no longer allow creating new googlemail.com addresses?
They used to offer it in the uk back when another company had a
trademark claim on "gmail" ...

<https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10096107>
--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: uk.telecom.broadband

Woody wrote:
[snip]

Just tested as you suggested and it came back immediately as an unknown address. We have always used firstname.surname format so that is not the issue, and as we have a somewhat unusual surname the blocking I would
have thought was unlikely. Ah, but of course gmail is worldwide so... Hmmmmm...

Do you have documentary evidence of the firstname.surname format?
Possibly the address book of somebody who sent messages to that address
in the past?

This would at least give us independent confirmation that the address
DID exist.
--
Graham J
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From Newsgroup: uk.telecom.broadband

Woody <harrogate3@ntlworld.com> writes:

On Tue 08/09/2026 15:38, Graham J wrote:

Woody wrote:

My wife is trying to open a gmail account but keeps getting refused.
She should have an account firstname.surname@gmail.com but Gmail is
unable to find such, so she tried to open a new account. Filled in
the necessary and when it came to email address she was offered two
(unsuitable) addresses and the option of choosing her own. She
entered firstname.surname@gmail.com and was immediately told that
this username is already in use. How can one end of gmail be unable
to find an address and at the same time refuse to create the
identical address as it was already in use? >> Moral: don't use
gmail. >> But seriously, if you try to send a message to her >>
<firstname.surname@gmail.com> address does it bounce?-a If so, we >>
would be more convinced that the address does not exist.

Just tested as you suggested and it came back immediately as an
unknown address. We have always used firstname.surname format so that
is not the issue, and as we have a somewhat unusual surname the
blocking I would have thought was unlikely. Ah, but of course gmail is worldwide so... Hmmmmm...

Where are you doing this? in an app? in an email client? on accounts.google.com?

Maybe she put a number on the end then forgot, often people do for
example firstname.lastname3@gmail.com
--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: uk.telecom.broadband

On 08/09/2026 21:19, Graham J wrote:

Woody wrote:
[snip]

Just tested as you suggested and it came back immediately as an
unknown address. We have always used firstname.surname format so that
is not the issue, and as we have a somewhat unusual surname the
blocking I would have thought was unlikely. Ah, but of course gmail is
worldwide so...
Hmmmmm...

Do you have documentary evidence of the firstname.surname format?
Possibly the address book of somebody who sent messages to that address
in the past?

This would at least give us independent confirmation that the address
DID exist.

If it did exist and was deleted google won't let you re-create it.

Dave
--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: uk.telecom.broadband

"Recently" or perhaps "within living memory" gmail altered the rules
about which e-mail addresses it considers "the same". So if her original address was "firstnamesurname" without the "." you can't create "firstname.surname" but it won't let you log in with the name with the ".".

Dave

I have also "within living memory" received emails addressed to a "dot
free" gmail address (in all other respects identical to mine) - but the problem simply disappeared.

I didnt waste any time trying to forward the email or contact it (=myself?)
--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: uk.telecom.broadband

On 08/09/2026 19:36, Woody wrote:

Just tested as you suggested and it came back immediately as an unknown address. We have always used firstname.surname format so that is not the issue, and as we have a somewhat unusual surname the blocking I would
have thought was unlikely. Ah, but of course gmail is worldwide so... Hmmmmm...

I am often checking names on war memorials on the CWGC site and
regularly surprised the number of people with what I thought was very
unusual name.

Cancelled addresses - I sure that if you had an EMail address fredbloggs@gmail.com and cancelled it, you would not want someone else
setting a new account with the same address in a year or so, getting
mail that was intended for you?


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From Newsgroup: uk.telecom.broadband

Abandoned Trolley wrote:

I have also "within living memory" received emails addressed to a "dot
free" gmail address (in all other respects identical to mine) - but the problem simply disappeared.

I didnt waste any time trying to forward the email or contact it (=myself?)

I've had people email their similarly-named brother at my gmail address,
they weren't even grateful that I pointed out they (their brother) had
made some sort of mistake ...

--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: uk.telecom.broadband

On 08/09/2026 22:20, David Wade wrote:

On 08/09/2026 21:19, Graham J wrote:

Woody wrote:
[snip]

Just tested as you suggested and it came back immediately as an
unknown address. We have always used firstname.surname format so that
is not the issue, and as we have a somewhat unusual surname the
blocking I would have thought was unlikely. Ah, but of course gmail
is worldwide so...
Hmmmmm...

Do you have documentary evidence of the firstname.surname format?
Possibly the address book of somebody who sent messages to that
address in the past?

This would at least give us independent confirmation that the address
DID exist.

If it did exist and was deleted google won't let you re-create it.

You're (probably) right. I deleted my late father's gmail address 8
years ago.
I've just tried to re create it, won't let me, says the username is
already in use. He had quite a rare first name, so perhaps no one else
in the world has attempted to use it ?
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