Locked out of email, and email support, but not my account

I tried to sign into my hotmail address tonight, and I was asked a verification code (just like it does every time I change my password) only this time it said the verification code was wrong. I looked at my phone again and a moment later it sent a second code, but there was nowhere to actually enter it. My only option was to request a new code, so I did,  but it said I had to wait until tomorrow to try again. (tomorrow as in after midnight, or in 24 hours, it didn't say). The thing is, since the verification system was bugged to begin with, I wanted to find out what I could do if it happened again tomorrow.

I was able to contact account support, and over the course of an hour long chat she confirmed that there were no problems with my account. I can login, I can access my settings, I can even BUY email services... I just can't use the email.

After that I was told I needed to contact outlook support, that there was no way she could transfer me to their department. Unfortunately, that wasn't possible. When I followed the link she provided and clicked "contact support" I was met with the following message:

Contact your Office 365 admin, who can talk to a support agent for you. Only admins can contact Microsoft support. "

So I asked if she could tell me who the administrator of my account? I mean, I created this account literally decades ago, and it wasn't through a third party organization. She said that I am the admin of my account, and I asked why it says that, and she says she doesn't know.

So then I tried these community pages, but initially I couldn't do anything other than post in feedback or reply in outlook, but eventually for whatever reason the option to ask a question appeared magically.

Overall, I find the situation to be horrible. No one can tell me why it's bugged or why I am locked out even though my account is otherwise good or why I get locked out like this every time I change my password. Nor can anyone tell my why I do not have sufficient permissions to contact support on my own behalf.

I suspect that part of the problem is that Microsoft isn't handling the 2-factor authentication on their own. The phone number they use is the same one that Coinbase uses, only they don't lock me from trying again if a duplicate code is sent.

It shouldn't surprise me though. This is a Microsoft product. Of course it has bugs. Still, to be banned from accessing email for 24 hours because of a bug on their end is unacceptable to me, especially since no one can assure me that it won't happen again.

I'd like to know what I can do to regain access to my account email (the account I am using to write this), and how I can disable 2FA on my account. If that isn't possible there is no way I will allow my company to ever use Microsoft products for communication. Being locked out of communicating for even a single day can be disastrous for any company.

P.S. - It's funny that I can subscribe to be notified via email, but am not allowed to actually see those emails. Well, I sort of can. I can see my email for like 3 seconds before it redirects to "verify your account" meaning there might be a way to bypass that is analogous to the Windows 95 login screen that you could just cancel out of.

EDIT: I waited 24 hours, but am still locked out. This time I didn't get a single access code. Why?

It said my request was invalid. I tried again, and it said it again. I tried a third time and it said, again,

So now I am locked out for ANOTHER 24 hours because of yet another bug! What idiot designed this system!? It either sends multiple access codes or no access codes, and then makes you wait day after day because of it's own bugs!? And I also still cannot contact Outlook support because apparently I need to talk to the administrator of the account... which is me. Ugh.

There has to be some solution to get back into my email! Or to at least gain permission to contact support! and yes, this happens EVERY time I want to send email now.

EDIT 2: I'm locked out for 72 hours now, and no one is willing to help me. I do not feel that this has anything to do with account security, because if it was, the account level agent who had me verify my information wouldn't have told me there are no problems with my account, or you'd at least have locked me out of accessing personal information and buying stuff. The ONLY thing I am locked out of is communication and this happens EVERY time I need to access this email.

I don't just need access to my email restored, I need to know how to disable this insecure security check.

EDIT 3: It's been 4 days, and now I am locked out for at least 5 days. I still am not being sent any new access codes. Now it asks for a capcha, then it asks me to enter in ANY phone number, and the phone number I entered before is no longer working.

As you can see from this screenshot, I received two verification codes back to back on the 9th from the same phone number that Coinbase uses. According to my records. You can clearly see that no new verification codes have been sent since then, but NO ONE appears to have permission to make the system send me a new verification code or even talk to me about fixing anything.

Note: Although each access code is something you should not share publicly, they all expire after a short while so I don't need to censor any information in this.

According to my records, this phone number was last used by Microsoft to successfully verify my account on December 28th 2018. Back then the message was a little different, but at least it worked back then. I've never had any problems with coinbase using this system for verification of that account, and they don't lock me out for days on end without letting me try again or even letting me talk to someone.

EDIT 4: 

It took 9 days, but eventually I was able to get back in by using a different phone number and a non-windows computer. Unfortunately, all emails older than 2016 are gone and there is no sent activity so I am unable to obtain the information I needed to begin with.

Email support was no help - their only suggestion was to change my password again, which I did not need to do and it makes no sense to have to do. To date, no one can explain to me how this type of verification verifies anything, but people allude to some "reputation" system which seems to mean that because my account has no emails anymore it's treated as if it is a newer account than it actually is which justifies the use of bugged verification systems.

I'm OK with email verification, since that relies on information I have provided, but this? This is a slap in the face. Locking me out for over a week because they want me to use a cell phone number that was never used with my account? That's beyond stupid! What if I didn't have a cell phone? Not everyone does! What if I didn't have 3 numbers to try in sequence before finally using one that Microsoft liked? 

Maybe I would have more account activity if Microsoft didn't fracture it's services by requiring people to have a new Microsoft account every time Microsoft buys a service, but as it stands, I have too many Microsoft accounts to manage and I have zero trust in Microsoft's ability to manage my data and treat it like it matters so of course I won't use outlook more than I absolutely have to, which means I'll be dealing with this again and again and again.

Hi Elliander,

 

Thank you for posting your concern in the Microsoft Community Forum. I hope you are having a good day despite having challenges when accessing your email account.

 

Please understand that Microsoft takes your security very seriously, but to protect customer privacy, we can’t do anything to an account beyond helping customers verify their ownership by following all the suggestions provided in the articles below:

 

How to find your Microsoft account

When you can't sign into your Microsoft account

Microsoft account security info & verification codes

Reset or recover your Microsoft account

 

If the above suggestions didn’t work for you, we strongly recommend contacting our Outlook.com Support via the links below:

 

Email Support

Chat Support

 

Note: The waiting time would change depending on their volume.

 

If you need more advice from us, merely reply to this thread. Or, create a new thread using this link if you have a different concern.

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Please understand that Microsoft takes your security very seriously

How, exactly, do you reason that, when this is my security settings:

and yet Microsoft wants me to verify my account... with a cell phone. When no cell phone is associated with the account. Using a service that is shared with other companies... Giving third parties access to my personal information.

You can't verify my identity using a system that lets any cell phone be used, and you can't ensure the integrity of my account when you use a system that I know is used by other companies because the access codes come from the same phone number that other companies use. 

You also can't claim to value my account security by allowing me to access and change personal information on the account. I can see purchase history, stored credit card information, my address book (filled out with current and past addresses, before Microsoft apparently required a phone number for that since it's still missing) If my account is ever compromised I don't want anyone to be able to use stored payment information, but that's apparently what you allow.

we can’t do anything to an account beyond helping customers verify their ownership

So why is Microsoft dependent on a THIRD-PARTY verification system, that anyone with any cell phone can use? and why isn't there a procedure to regain access when that verification system BREAKS. There's no way to enter duplicate codes, and nothing in the knowledge base about what happens when NO access codes are sent.

Thankfully, that email link worked, because it was an email FORM. Although I still cannot chat with Outlook support because...


Even though I am the administrator of my own account. Still, I've spent HOURS dealing with this, when all I want is to be able to receive a single email. I don't even want to send one, and there is NO WAY that I will EVER make outlook my primary email system EVER AGAIN. Why would anyone use a system that treats security like this!?

Microsoft, through it's actions, has proven to me that it does not care about securing accounts and cares even less about the user experience.

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We appreciate your feedback, Elliander. However, please understand that, as much as we would like to manually unblock your account and prevent it from vulnerable to malicious attacks, we can only do as much as providing you all the necessary information in having your account accessible again and to prevent it from being compromised in the future.

 

Microsoft continues to strive in protecting its customers’ privacy. This is why we have processes in place to have this type of matter properly handled.

 

We strongly recommend that you follow the instructions and links that were previously provided by Genevieve Cri on this thread to get this issue addressed. Should you have any other concerns, don’t hesitate to let us know.

 

Regards.

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We appreciate your feedback

It wasn't feedback. I explicitly asked to be informed HOW this has anything to do with security. HOW does using a phone number not associated with an account verify that account? How does sharing my information with third parties protect me? Why doesn't anyone take any responsibility for a broken verification system?

Similarly, I want someone to explain to me why there is a separate verification system for email only when I otherwise have access to the account. Either my account has been compromised, or it hasn't.

we can only do as much as providing you all the necessary information in having your account accessible again and to prevent it from being compromised in the future.

OK, where is that information? Because no one has provided it. As far as I can tell, my account hasn't been compromised, and Microsoft isn't treating the account as if it has been.

How would this procedure prevent the account from being compromised? Let's assume for a moment my account was compromised. OK, what then? You want me to verify that I am me? By typing in any cell phone not associated with an account? How does that work? And why isn't there a process for regaining access when such an obviously flawed system doesn't work and the user is able to prove it?

OK, I forgot my password and I used a verified email to reset it successfully. That's not the same thing as saying my account was compromised. You can't trust non-verified information over verified information. Security doesn't work that way. and if I was an attacker, why give me the permission to add new information to the account?

We strongly recommend that you follow the instructions and links that were previously provided by Genevieve Cri on this thread to get this issue addressed. Should you have any other concerns, don’t hesitate to let us know.

Regards.

I used the email form, but received no response in 48 hours. I am still unable to use the chat form because, again, your system tells me that I have to contact my admin when I am the admin of my own account. The only chat system I was able to use was account level support and that agent wasn't able to do anything more than verify my account and access to it.

My last support request number: SR1494734965

so HOW DO I REGAIN ACCESS!?

I am STILL locked out of my email, and your system no longer sends any verification codes. I attached a screenshot of my message log in the question to prove that NO verification message was sent since the 9th. I tried again today, and first it asked for a capcha (which was new) and then when I entered my phone number it said, again, that the usage limit was exceeded. This system clearly is not going to work. Nothing automated will fix this. I need a real person with real capabilities to actually resolve this problem.

Look, this isn't complicated. Why isn't there a process for fixing this? I'm going to start taking video of this messed up process soon. I'll start posting video links within a few days to a week if I don't get in by then.

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Last updated June 12, 2023 Views 1,171 Applies to: