AOL shamed by loss of thousands of emails

AOL has assigned technical staff to help UK customers whose email archives were wiped of thousands of messages.

The move comes after several AOL customers complained to consumer watchdog Which that their saved emails had disappeared.

One customer, Jacqueline Fleming, told Which that almost 2,000 emails were wiped from her account over Christmas. "There were business emails, sentimental ones and even details of my holiday booking," she said. A few weeks later, her January emails disappeared.

AOL told Fleming that it was not liable for her missing emails. According to Which, the ISP gave different explanations each time Fleming contacted them, such as a problem with her computer or too many emails in her inbox.

AOL initially said it was not aware of technical problems with its email system, but it has now assigned technical staff to investigate customers' complaints.

There are currently no regulations requiring ISPs to back up email records.