[PeterB]

I started with pobox in 2003 using Outlook 2010 on my laptop. This was a POP3 account. I used the service with no problems until last year when I acquired a smartphone. I used an app called K9 Mail to connect my phone to pobox. Soon after, pobox told me to change from POP3 to IMAP. I did this and my phone and laptop were synced with pobox. Great!

Late last year Fastmail acquired pobox. Then early this year I started having intermittent problems with Outlook failing to connect to pobox. Each time Outlook gave an error message "No response from pobox SMTP server".

Pobox support told me to check my IMAP settings. I did this and found nothing wrong. I got my IT support guy in to look. He said the problem was slow response time from pobox's SMTP server.

Pobox initially denied any problem at their end. I was not convinced and warned them to lift their game or I would close the account. The problem continued intermittently, so I recently told pobox I would not be renewing my account when it expired. Their response was fast. They admitted a problem with their SMTP server that morning and would I check and report back to them my this, that, and the other IMAP settings. I said no and asked them to close the account, refund my last subscription, and give me $100 for the time I'd wasted [what I'd paid my IT support man].

My IT support guru is adamant the problem is caused by slow response of the pobox SMTP server. I'm waiting for a response from pobox.

Is anybody else using IMAP getting similar problems connecting to pobox?