Roadkill on the Information Superhighway

I received an e-mail from a new (to me) e-mail provider. It listed my new e-mail address, a URL for the login page, and a verification code. At the bottom, it said, "click here if you did not request this e-mail or do not recognize this message".

I clicked there, and it brought up a "helpful" page that explained that, maybe, I misspelled my e-mail address and asked if that was helpful. I clicked on the "no" and proceeded to tell them that it didn't say at all what to do if your computer-literate friend signed you up.

Oh, didn't I mention that to you already? Well, the web service didn't ask, so why should I tell?

Instead, I clicked on the link for the login page, which asked me to type in my username and my password. Hmm, neither of those was included in the welcome e-mail. I clicked on the "I forgot my password" link to see if that would help.

Of course, it didn't. I then explained that I have no idea what my username and password are, let alone why they provided a confirmation code that isn't requested.

Then (and only then) did it give me a link for "I forgot my username". That page gives convoluted instructions that will, eventually, result in learning whatever usernames (note the plural) are registered to my "alternate" e-mail address. Or, at the bottom of the instructions, I should ask the friend who signed me up what my username and password are.

D'oh!

I have sent said friend an e-mail asking for the information that is required. He had told me several days ago, but as I was driving at the time, I couldn't write them down.

Overall, it appears that this e-mail service assumed two things: that I signed up (rather than a friend doing it for me) and that I can guess, assume, or infer nuances of their unfamiliar instructions (rather than merely reading and following them).

Computer people should remember that a few of us that use the internet are older than twenty, and many of us do not interact as well with machines as we do with people (and, for me, that's saying something!).