Hotmail vs. Gmail

So I was just emailing my cousin and noticed she has a hotmail account. I used to have a hotmail account, until it was hacked into. Someone hacked into my account and changed my password so that they could use the account, pretending to be me. When I contacted hotmail, they told me there was nothing they could do, even though this was clearly a case of identity fraud. They said that the account had to remain inactive for over 30 days in order for it to be terminated. So as long as the hacker kept signing in, the account would remain open and the hacker could do whatever they wished. I actually knew who the hacker was and hotmail still wouldn't look into the situation. It was very upsetting.

I know it's a big deal to change your email address, but I urge all of you to drop hotmail if you still have it. I don't know how the other services are but I know with gmail you have an option to terminate your account at any time. And if someone tries to alter your account in any way, you get an email about the attempted change at a separate address where you can confirm or deny it. So there is extra security built in. Besides, the features in gmail run circles around hotmail. I'd be happy to send you invites for gmail if you need them. Just my two cents.