I have been using, and paying for, Fastmail.fm email for many years now. Fastmail email used to be a part of Opera but separated from them. Fastmail subsequently doubled its yearly fee but I was still quite happy with it because I could log in quickly with my dial-up internet connection using the old interface https://www.fastmail.fm/?force_interface=html which just contained the log in panel!! Fastmail has decided that I must now look at all of the nauseous promotional advertizing that non-customers have to look at to join fastmail. Instead of thinking myself as a valued fastmail customer I now consider myself a SMUCK because fastmail refuses to even consider providing its existing customers with an AD-Free, Crap-Free log in!! I have advised fastmail thusly: It is truly very disappointing that Fastmail chooses to ignore my concerns. I can No Longer Ever Again Urge Anyone To Ever Use Fastmail services!! Sorry!!

yep, it's bad when they lower the bar,
just to slip some more ADverts. ..

But, then that's the way it's gonna be,
IF we don't scream about it. ..

... or install adblock.

Fastmail must have got a lot of complaints from its present customers because we were all forced to endure the entire loading of all of their crap before we could log in. That has been changed so at least the log in screen can be used without forcing us to view the crap!! Clearly the fastmail company has very little regard or respect for its paying customers!!! They are only forcing us to look at half of their ads now before the log in screen will finally work!! OY!!

Businesses keep blaming their problems on "the economy", but from what I see, I'd say that their problems are often self-induced. They don't know how to treat their customers; they're more interested in playing a numbers game and trying to attract new customers, rather than the easier task of keeping existing customers; they over-saturate with advertising; etc.

So many companies I've dealt with, which offered good products at decent pices, I have stopped dealing with because they spam me to no end- They don't seem to realize or care that they are alienating thier own customers, and driving us to their competitors. I've gotten to the point where I will only deal with a very few mail-order companies, which I know won't spam me for the rest of my life because I ordered some $8 item from them once.

Junk mail; spam; telemarketers....I'm seriously on the verge of becoming incommunicado. I already gave up TV and radio years ago!

Amen, Sumguy, Amen!! Instead of treating its customers with appreciation, Fastmail seems to be assuming that its customers should go out and shill ( or whore ) for the folks at Fastmail 24/7!!
In the age of the Internet bad service spreads quickly. Keeping a fast crap free log in for your present customers is so elementary; it is almost a no-brainer, except for those companies without any foresight or brains!! While logging into fastmail I now play solitaire till their crap show is over with!!

There are other email providers, both free and for-pay.

I used to be a big fan of a certain (very small) email provider, to whom I'd given permission for an annual automatic card payment. Normally I hate doing that, but this company was reliable, pretty cheap, and always gave plenty of warning before any price increase. One year, after I'd been using them for over ten years and paying for over five, they added 50% to the price without any advance warning.
The following year, I changed my debit card and my main email provider, and didn't give them any advance warning.

I'm locked into Fastmail for 5 years because I went for their promotion to get 5 years at $5.00 a year before the price went up to $10.00 a year!

So if you use another service, the most you could lose is ~$20? It could well be worth it. You can keep the Fastmail account you've paid for, and still use another service in addition.

Was it in the contract that they could insert adds into the website ? If not, then legally I don't think there is any way for them to force you to stay with them. I mean they have breached the contract (assuming it does not mention it, and it does not also say that they can change the contract at any time without notice and that you automatically accept the new contract). A lawyer would probably cost more than $20, and the lawsuit may not get your money back.

Yeah, really! I'd burn a $20-bill before I'd tolerate some crappy email service that spams me; and just count it as a lesson not to fall for such marketing gimmicks in the future- especially in the world of interweb services, where 5 years is an eternity.

Think of how different Ebay or Photobucket was 5 years ago!