Subject: Incoming Email Blocked
The bottom line of this discussion is that customers must not only tell AT&T about each e-mail that they do not receive but they must produce copies of the bounce messages that were sent back to the sender. Just how is a customer supposed to know that they did not get a message? How are they supposed to know who it was from? And finally, how are they supposed to get a copy of it? Where is the Amazing Carnac now that we really need him?
| Customer | I have four websites at Vacation Rentals by Owner (VRBO) at which customers send automated responses via email. I am not receiving these emails. Is AT&T somehow blocking these? My revenue from this business is dependent on receiving these emails. |
| Tech Support | The only way we would know whether that is the case or not is if your sender has received bounce notices. If they have, try to obtain a copy to paste here for us to review. |
| Customer | Just out of curiosity, how is one to
get copies of bounce notices from people when you are trying to sell
them something and you don't GET their e-mails? How are they supposed to
communicate with you if not by e-mail? Should this guy put his phone number or his snail address down, as an alternative to his e-mail? The logic of your suggestion completely escapes me. I am on the $5.95 plan, solely to keep my e-mail addresses. With the overly-aggressive filtering AT&T is doing, you are completely undermining the purpose of my paying my money each month. The purpose of filtering is to keep your customers happy by eliminating spam. The type of filtering AT&T is doing is accomplishing just the opposite: making your customers UNhappy because they're not getting legitimate e-mails and you then compound the problem by not providing reasonable solutions when e-mails are blocked. Essentially, you are saying, "Identify and send us which e-mails you are NOT getting. Can't do that -- well, tough luck!" Not much of a business model, if you ask me. |
| Tech Support | Most of the time people in that situation has the copy relayed to them through an intermediary party. |
| Customer | What intermediary are you talking
about? I believe that I have had e-mails bounced that I expected to
receive from my car insurance company (GEICO), my health insurance
company (Alliance), Fidelity Investments, Legg Mason Funds, Netflix,
Borders, and Amazon. In each case, I tried and was unsuccessful in
getting copies of the bounce messages, because IT is separate from
anybody who answers the phone from customers and the customer service
rep has no way of accessing bounce messages, especially for automated
e-mails such as Netflix's "we got your DVD" e-mails. In most cases, the
call center isn't even in the same country or state as the e-mail
department. Sure, if a e-mail from a family member or a friend is
bounced, I'll probably found out about it, but it's the ones from those
parties with whom we only communicate via e-mail that are the problem. I find it hard to believe that there isn't a way for AT&T to allow its customers to access bounce messages for e-mails sent to them. That would solve the problem and be customer-friendly. |
| Tech Support | I understand the dilemma. I don't
have any suggestions for you regarding large companies and the scenario
that you're describing. We'd gladly help if we could but regrettably, newsgroups can't be of further assistance without the bounce notice. |
| Customer | I would appreciate it if you could communicate my frustration with the situation up the chain of command. Thank you. |
| Tech Support | That will be done as newsgroups standard operating procedure - you can count on that. |
| Customer | With all due respect to you since
you are certainly following through with your protocol of procedures as
I have mentioned in the past. Please tell the Executive Management of
Worldnet that this "newsgroups standard operating procedure" you mention
is NON-FUNCTIONAL with the majority of its subscribers. Can the
Executive Management of Worldnet AT&T not realize that the majority of
Worldnet subscribers are not newsgroup savvy? How many Worldnet
subscribers are not aware they can contact you via the newsgroups? Why
cannot the Executives give us a straight answer with our problems? How
come they will NOT reply to our complaints and concerns DIRECTLY? Why? I
have said it before in this forum. They truly care less about their
customers. If they did, they would have an email system dvanced enough
to NOT block legitimate emails. I feel that this message is legitimate for this newsgroup. Why? Because it's email related and the proper "operating procedure" to communicate to Worldnet's executives. I look forward to the day when you will only have to answer to a "how do I set up my Outlook Express" type question instead of the repeated requests to "UNBLOCK my email". GET THE EMAIL BLOCKING FIXED....GET IT CORRECTED NOW! |
| Tech Support | Hi, It is absolutely appropriate for this group and will most certainly be shared with our management distribution. Thanks. |