Has anyone else had difficultly setting up a Kik account ?

Has anyone else had difficulty setting up a kik account? I've had one before but never actually used it, and tried to set up a new one some years later (ie. this year) but I get told I had an old one, then when I try to access the old I get some message about being blocked/banned, yet I never even used the old account as the phone I had at the time wouldn't run the app properly! Kik support people did reply telling me they can't or won't tell me why the old account is blocked/banned so I'm basically ringfenced out of the service unless I create a new email account which then defeats the purpose of it. Totally confused as to why! Maybe it's because I'm in Australia and Kik being Canadian is anti-Aussie?