At least four New Glarus-area TDS Telecom customers have contacted New Glarus 360 with complaints about the company’s transition away from its longtime email service and toward Everymail, a third-party provider that allows customers to keep their existing TDS email addresses for a fee.

The complaints have centered on the transition process, dissatisfaction with the Everymail product and frustration with customer service while trying to complete the change. One reader described the new service as “a scam,” while another called it “a horrible replacement” for the email system they had used for more than a decade.

Everymail is the provider TDS has officially selected for the transition. TDS says customers who want to keep their existing TDS email address can move it to Everymail, which is powered by Open-Xchange. TDS is ending its own customer email service and says customers who choose Everymail will pay $3 per month or $30 per year to retain their TDS address.

When New Glarus 360 first reported on the change, TDS Director of External Affairs and Communications Kit Beyer said customers who elect to move their TDS email account would have the transition handled for them. “If customers choose to move their TDS email account, they need to sign up and Everymail will handle every aspect of the transition,” Beyer said.