I am having the most asinine conversation with AWS support. They keep sending me the same email template without listening or thinking about what I am saying which means I can’t create an AWS account.
The story begins late last year (2023). I am porting my very old games to run on most web browsers (see related post). I thought it would be a good idea to add a global leaderboard to pX one of the games. I knew AWS had a leaderboard service which I thought might be a good fit (well maybe not a good fit, but AWS is a known quantity to me). First step: create an AWS account, simple right?
To create an AWS account you need to provide a phone number, also a phone number can only be associated with one account. So what happens when you have created an account on an email address you don’t control or don’t remember? That is my situation. I must have created an account at some point in the past. When I got to the point where I entered my phone number AWS said no.
I did some poking around and all the documentation says you should login with your email, or use the “forget password” process using your email and raise a ticket. But what if you don’t remember or control your email account anymore?
I was able to find a link where I could open a ticket without logging in, I explained my situation and eventually got this response. I wish I had saved my initial query, but for some reason when I created a ticket AWS did not acknowledge receipt or echo back my initial query. The request just goes into the ether, and in 2-7 days you get a response.
Greetings,
I understand that you are contacting us because you have tried to create a new AWS Account, however, you get an error indicating that the phone number is linked to an existing AWS Account.
For security and privacy reasons, AWS Customer Service can’t share or change the email address or password information on accounts.
Kindly note, I cannot confirm which of the emails provided is related to an AWS Account because of our security policies.
For your sign-in credentials, use the email address that’s associated with the AWS account that you’d like to discuss. Then contact us from the Support Center through the following link. Even if your account is suspended or has been closed for 90 days or less, you can still open a case.
https://support.console.aws.amazon.com/support/
If your sign-in information no longer exists, then your account was permanently closed after being suspended or closed for more than 90 days. You can create a new AWS account:
https://aws.amazon.com/premiumsupport/knowledge-center/create-and-activate-aws-account/
Note that if your account was closed or terminated, you can’t use the same email address to create a new AWS account.
For information on signing in to your account, see the following documentation:
https://docs.aws.amazon.com/IAM/latest/UserGuide/console.html
If you are unable to sign in to your account, see the following troubleshooting documentation:
https://docs.aws.amazon.com/signin/latest/userguide/troubleshooting-sign-in-issues.html#credentials-not-working
https://aws.amazon.com/premiumsupport/knowledge-center/sign-in-account/
Kindly note, I will keep this request open in case you have any further questions. If you consider the case being resolved, feel free to manually close the case on your end.
Hope you have an amazing rest of your day!!
Best regards,
XXX
Amazon Web Services
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Need more help with AWS service, go to: https://aws.amazon.com/premiumsupport/knowledge-center
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I have now seen this email SEVEN times.
First time I responded with
Thanks for getting back to me.
The root problem is that I don’t know what email account was used to create my AWS account. Without this I seem dead in the water.
I know you can’t give out email details over this channel, but can you send an email to the AWS email account (XXX-XXX-XXXX) and I will pick it up and know which account to use.
Thanks
And I got the same template as above, so I I responded with
I have tried every email I can think off and get
There was an error
An AWS account with that sign-in information does not exist. Try again or create a new account.
Can you please let me know what email address was used to register the account against XXX XXX XXXX
If you can not do that can you that at least send an email to the account registered to XXX XXX XXXX and I can take it from there
Guess what same template, so I tried
I don’t feel like you are listening to me. Can you please escalate to a manager.
All the links you shared assume I have access to my email account. I don’t know what the email account is, that is the root problem
The closest piece of advice on the links you shared is https:credentials-not-working
but even that concludes I should contact AWS support.
I appreciate you can’t share the email account via email, but if you send an email to the email associated with XXX XXX XXXX I will have the required information to proceed.
Thanks
No joy same template, so I responded with
You are still not listening to me. Can you please escalate to someone who can help.
All your advice assumes I know (or somebody) knows my email account. This information is lost, and it is not a corporate account.
You then suggest I create a new account, but I can’t because my phone number is already linked to an existing account.
If I could create a new account against XXX XXX XXXX I would have done so.
I get that you can’t share those details over email, but if you send an email to the email address linked to XXX XXX XXXX, that would not be a security issue and I will they know what email was used,.
And again
It looks like the email registered with the account XXX XXX XXXX is registered to is no longer active, (I assume email are bouncing)
How do I disconnect my phone number XXX XXX XXXX from this dead account?
Ok maybe not that professional
WHY AREN’T YOU LISTENING, YOU KEEP SENDING ME THE SAME USELESS TEMPLATE
1. I DO NOT HAVE ACCESS TO MY EMAIL ACCOUNT. I CAN’T USE IT TO COMMUNICATE, LOGIN, USE FORGOT MY PASSWORD FLOW
2. MY ACCOUNT HAS NOT BEEN CLOSED DOWN AS YOU SAY, OTHERWISE I WOULD BE ABLE TO CREATE A NEW ACCOUNT WITH THAT PHONE #
If it was closed that would solve my issues, can you close it?
WHAT ARE MY NEXT STEPS BEYOND POSTING THIS ENTIRE INANE THREAD ON THE INTERNET.
So there you are, looks like Amazon does not want me to create an AWS account. In the meantime Google also has a leaderboard API. Problem with Google’s is that it requires a user to login to Google to use (maybe AWS does as well, who knows I can’t play with their system without an account). This makes sense from a security perspective but not from the user experience I wanted. End result I wrote a simple leaderboard service and it is up and running on Google cloud. My trial account is good until April so let’s see what happens.