Fastmail Support (or lack of)

steve.nz · 12 Aug 2002, 09:07 AM

I enjoy using Fastmail but the support offered now is simply not good enough. If you have time to negotiate the maze of FAQ's, you might come to the conclusion after half an hour or so, that there is currently no answer to the problem you are experiencing.

When this problem is that mail that has been sent but not received after 20 hours or so, you just might start to wonder what exactly the definition of fast is.

Sorry guys, but you need to figure out a way that people can tell you quickly that your service isn't working properly.

Oh and while I'm in complaints mode, how about finding out a way I can delete old addresses from my address book.

oysterquartz · 12 Aug 2002, 09:21 AM

Re: addresses ... what do you mean. DELETE SELECTED should work no?

Re: support ... that's what these forums are for I suppose. Although, these days, without some form of live contact support via IM, etc., most people aren't happy ...

Part of the problems of running a small, growing, business I suppose.

**psalzer** · 12 Aug 2002, 09:24 AM

Technical support is limited to subscribed members, but you can get a lot of help here on this forum and you can report bugs and get some types of help through the ticket system even if you have a guest account.

Delete selected does work for getting rid of old addresses. I just tried it.

steve.nz · 12 Aug 2002, 09:25 AM

Yes I tried delete - the screen disappears for a few seonds but the address stays stubbornly there.

**psalzer** · 12 Aug 2002, 09:27 AM

You have to hit select, first. Just highlighting the selected address doesn't really select it. You have to hit the select button. Then the address details appear, then you hit Delete Selected. That should do it. I cleared out two, just to try it.

steve.nz · 12 Aug 2002, 09:40 AM

Thanks for that. Now that I can follow and yes it worked.

Funny I spend a lot of my time writing FAQ's for our web site, so this has been an education in understanding my own customers occasional frustration at following what I think is obvious to any half wit!!!

**psalzer** · 12 Aug 2002, 09:46 AM

It's got to be really hard to do that. Fastmail has so much going on that no matter how they try to simplify, it's very hard to cover everything in a simple way. I don't even look at a lot of the really advanced stuff. No room in the head to learn to do fancy Sieve tricks.

On the other issue, asking here if anyone is having problems with mail not being received is probably the first thing to do. If that's not the case, people will help you drill down and figure out the cause.

steve.nz · 12 Aug 2002, 10:01 AM

It is happening only with a new alias I set up yesterday. The message shows as sent but the mail has not been received. Everything works fine with previously exisiting personalities and aliases.

Never had this problem before and I've used it often enough. Don't think I'm over quota or anything like that.

I'll check it out again when I get home from work this evening - and I have got more time to look at the FAQ's!!

steve.nz · 12 Aug 2002, 03:22 PM

Well it took a little over twenty-four hours - but my e mail finally turned up. I suspect if I read my FAQ's it will tell me that it takes 24 hours now to create an alias.

The "support" worked after all.

o0o · 12 Aug 2002, 03:36 PM

By examining (or posting) the SMTP header of your message, it is possible to determine the source of the 24-hour delay. Chances are it was not a FastMail problem. If you sent this message from your FM account, it should not matter what alias it was sent "from". In fact, it could be sent "from" even a fictitious address.

kendp · 12 Aug 2002, 10:41 PM

I share your feeling that FastMail's help pages leave a lot to be desired. However, this forum goes a long way to make up for it. At least one of the FastMail founders reads all the new threads at least once a day, so a fairly fast response is assured. Even faster because there are a lot of very knowledgeable users who patrol the forum and are quick to offer assistance.

12 Aug 2002, 09:07 AM	#1
steve.nz Junior Member Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Wellington New Zealand Posts: 24	Fastmail Support (or lack of) I enjoy using Fastmail but the support offered now is simply not good enough. If you have time to negotiate the maze of FAQ's, you might come to the conclusion after half an hour or so, that there is currently no answer to the problem you are experiencing. When this problem is that mail that has been sent but not received after 20 hours or so, you just might start to wonder what exactly the definition of fast is. Sorry guys, but you need to figure out a way that people can tell you quickly that your service isn't working properly. Oh and while I'm in complaints mode, how about finding out a way I can delete old addresses from my address book.

12 Aug 2002, 09:21 AM	#2
oysterquartz The "e" in e-mail Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Athens Posts: 2,402	Re: addresses ... what do you mean. DELETE SELECTED should work no? Re: support ... that's what these forums are for I suppose. Although, these days, without some form of live contact support via IM, etc., most people aren't happy ... Part of the problems of running a small, growing, business I suppose.

12 Aug 2002, 09:24 AM	#3
psalzer Moderator Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Long Island, NY Posts: 2,654	Technical support is limited to subscribed members, but you can get a lot of help here on this forum and you can report bugs and get some types of help through the ticket system even if you have a guest account. Delete selected does work for getting rid of old addresses. I just tried it.

12 Aug 2002, 09:25 AM	#4
steve.nz Junior Member Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Wellington New Zealand Posts: 24	Yes I tried delete - the screen disappears for a few seonds but the address stays stubbornly there.

12 Aug 2002, 09:27 AM	#5
psalzer Moderator Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Long Island, NY Posts: 2,654	You have to hit select, first. Just highlighting the selected address doesn't really select it. You have to hit the select button. Then the address details appear, then you hit Delete Selected. That should do it. I cleared out two, just to try it.

12 Aug 2002, 09:40 AM	#6
steve.nz Junior Member Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Wellington New Zealand Posts: 24	Thanks for that. Now that I can follow and yes it worked. Funny I spend a lot of my time writing FAQ's for our web site, so this has been an education in understanding my own customers occasional frustration at following what I think is obvious to any half wit!!!

12 Aug 2002, 09:46 AM	#7
psalzer Moderator Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Long Island, NY Posts: 2,654	It's got to be really hard to do that. Fastmail has so much going on that no matter how they try to simplify, it's very hard to cover everything in a simple way. I don't even look at a lot of the really advanced stuff. No room in the head to learn to do fancy Sieve tricks. On the other issue, asking here if anyone is having problems with mail not being received is probably the first thing to do. If that's not the case, people will help you drill down and figure out the cause.

12 Aug 2002, 10:01 AM	#8
steve.nz Junior Member Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Wellington New Zealand Posts: 24	It is happening only with a new alias I set up yesterday. The message shows as sent but the mail has not been received. Everything works fine with previously exisiting personalities and aliases. Never had this problem before and I've used it often enough. Don't think I'm over quota or anything like that. I'll check it out again when I get home from work this evening - and I have got more time to look at the FAQ's!!

12 Aug 2002, 03:22 PM	#9
steve.nz Junior Member Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Wellington New Zealand Posts: 24	Well it took a little over twenty-four hours - but my e mail finally turned up. I suspect if I read my FAQ's it will tell me that it takes 24 hours now to create an alias. The "support" worked after all.

12 Aug 2002, 03:36 PM	#10
o0o Cornerstone of the Community Join Date: May 2002 Location: California Posts: 617	By examining (or posting) the SMTP header of your message, it is possible to determine the source of the 24-hour delay. Chances are it was not a FastMail problem. If you sent this message from your FM account, it should not matter what alias it was sent "from". In fact, it could be sent "from" even a fictitious address.

12 Aug 2002, 10:41 PM	#11
kendp Essential Contributor Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Dominican Republic Posts: 202	I share your feeling that FastMail's help pages leave a lot to be desired. However, this forum goes a long way to make up for it. At least one of the FastMail founders reads all the new threads at least once a day, so a fairly fast response is assured. Even faster because there are a lot of very knowledgeable users who patrol the forum and are quick to offer assistance.