Apple ID Loop From **** - cannot verify email account

Question

Please help as I am about to throw my phone through the window.
I had this problem back with MobileMe, which I was never able to set up correctly and now it's biting me in the butt for iCloud.  Here is the issue:
Apple ID from ages ago before e-mail address required as an Apple ID - so it's xxx.  Email associated with xxx user id is my personal email address.
A while ago, created another user ID per Apple that is my e-mail address:  [email protected]  But, that is also the email address associated with the xxx old id.
Back when I tried to set up MM and now iCloud, the iPhone constantly tells me it can't verify my email accout for the [email protected] user id.  Back when I was setting up MM, I just gave up.
I called Apple care and he basically said I need to disassociate my email address from the old xxx user id.  I went into iTunes app store and made that change to the old ID account.  Mind you, appleid.apple.com is DOWN.
iTunes showing everything hunky dory:  xxx user id is associated with a different email account and the [email protected] user id is associated with [email protected] email address.
going back into iPhone to set up iCloud.  I have deleted and reentered the [email protected] apple id I want to use and it's still saying it can't verify the email address!  What gives?  This is making me crazy and the Apple Care rep says they have no power to make changes over the phone - it's all self-service.
I am caught in the loop from ****!
Thanks

Answer 1

The best way is to contact iTunes store support. Make sure you give them the old email address so they can look up the account for you. They'll tell you how to regain access to it:
http://www.apple.com/support/itunes/contact/