I've got a Googlemail account. And it's my main email account, not simply because it's the one I give out the most, but also because it imports several other addresses to avoid checking lots of different mailboxes.

What's starting to worry me a little are the tales on the web of problems when trying to contact Google about problems with the email.

But if you don't pay for something, what level of support can you really expect? Granted Google displays ads on the site but in the three years I've used the account I don't think I've clicked on more than two.

My advice would be to prepare for the worst. I have a computer downloading all of my emails so I wouldn't lose any in the event of being locked out (well no more than 10 minutes worth). I wouldn't be able to access any emails in the meantime but it's a start, and I have other email addresses that could be used in the meantime.

My worries also pose the question, is having the ability to use the Google search engine to look for emails more important than other levels of service, and at what cost?

While I'm pondering that, I ought to try and make the time to learn some useful keyboard shortcuts thanks to the Official Gmail Blog.