Email being bounced saying mailbox is full but it is actually empty

[#1]

Today I have an issue with people telling me that emails they have sent to me are being returned saying the mail box is full. However I have been on line and it is empty.

I use my old Globalnet email address " [Removed]@globalnet.co.uk" on the plusnet system.

Is there an unannounced problem on the service?

Moderators Note: Personal information removed

[#2]

Is the trash folder empty?

Are there other folders which contain "archived" emails?

Mailbox size does not apply to just the inbox, nor to just the mailbox, but to the contents of all folders (including trash) across all email addresses on the account.

[#3]

Hi There,

I have a globalnet email address and in the past have had the same problem. You need to delete the content in all the folders. I found it was the spam folder I had missed and that was full..

It's also worth remembering that the total globalnet mail box capacity is much less than the plusnet one. 

I did not get a warning but found the info somewhere in the forums.

Hope this helps.

[#4]

Hi @PeteBarker001,

I'm sorry to hear about this. I'd recommend giving the suggestions of @Townman and @robski1 a go, but of you experience any further problems then please don't hesitate to get back in touch and we'll be happy to discuss the matter further.

[#5]

Yes I have resolved the problem. I use Eudora to handle my mail and have it configured so that nothing remains on the mail server however I had also deleted junk mail from time to time on my phone which doesn't clear the mail server in the same way as Eudora hence the buildup.

I was surprised to read the comment by robski1 that the Globalmail email box has much less capacity than the plusnet one. I don't use a plusnet address and as I presume we all pay the same amount for the plusnet service I don't see as to why the globalmail box is smaller. Surely all of the boxes should be the same size otherwise the service being provided is unequal.

It would be beneficial if the Webmail configuration options included an option to flush the deleted and junk mail folders periodically to negate the buildup. 

[#6]

Different (IMAP) email clients will and do do deletes differently.

• Most will MOVE items to the deleted (trash) folder which then needs to be emptied - much like throwing things in to your waste bin under the desk
• Some will simply mark items as deleted in the inbox - they then need to be purged and the mailbox compacted - how that is done depends on the email application, usually that is done on a clean exit from the application - which tends not to happen with phone email clients (which phone?)
• Webmail has a host of settings which control how deletes are performed - see my "standard guide" to this below

As for how much storage space, well that is a characteristic of the (legacy) email package you are using - it is what it is from the time you started using it.

Culling mailbox contents

If you need to clean out your mailbox, may be because it is over quota, then as well as tidying up the inbox, you need to also look at the SENT ITEMS folder and then afterwards clear out the TRASH folder. However some times webmail performance can make this process very tedious, particularly if the delete action (actually a move to the trash folder) fails.

If you primarily want to delete emails, you can mitigate delete performance issues by doing an "immediate" delete (rather than a move to trash for deletion later) by holding down the SHIFT key when pressing the DEL key. This works in both webmail and most PC based email clients. WARNING SHIFT+DEL is not recoverable so be certain absolutely, that you do not need the email before pressing the buttons!

Alternatively, in webmail (Round Cube) Settings -> Server Settings there are some options worth exploring controlling how deletes are performed...

1. Flag the message for deletion instead of delete
2. If moving messages to "Deleted Items" fails, permanently delete them
3. Compact Inbox on logout

Setting these options and using them together will avoid the over heads of moving items to the trash folder when you wish to delete them. They will simply be greyed out and remain in the inbox list. After logging out of webmail, they will then be removed from the mailbox.

Whilst this might be highly proficient, it needs to be used with care, for when they are gone, they are gone. Note also that Plusnet house-keeping (on Plusnet accounts) clears out the trash folder weekly.

[#7]

@PeteBarker001 wrote:

I was surprised to read the comment by robski1 that the Globalmail email box has much less capacity than the plusnet one. I don't use a plusnet address and as I presume we all pay the same amount for the plusnet service I don't see as to why the globalmail box is smaller. Surely all of the boxes should be the same size otherwise the service being provided is unequal.

Our email services that provide Globalnet of a Madasfish brand are more legacy compared to the Plusnet mailboxes. They're as far as I'm aware based on similar but different email systems internally. 

For Madasfish mailboxes we'd allow 250MB of storage, and for Plusnet ones it's 1GB. 

In both cases though you don't pay for the service, we'd provide email at no cost. We used to charge for the service but we stopped charging from September 2018.

@PeteBarker001 wrote:

It would be beneficial if the Webmail configuration options included an option to flush the deleted and junk mail folders periodically to negate the buildup. 

That is already possible. Log into webmail, go to Settings > Preferences > Server Settings > Make sure the "Clear Trash on logout" box is ticked under the maintenance heading as pictured below:

@Townman wrote:

As for how much storage space, well that is a characteristic of the (legacy) email package you are using - it is what it is from the time you started using it.

Not quite. Madasafish mailboxes started off with 100MB but in 2016 we upgraded them to 250MB

This was as part of the migration from https://webmail.madasafish.com/ to https://webmail.plus.net/

[#8]

I already have the server preference boxes ticked but it doesn't stop the accumulation of junk and deleted mail. Additionally I use the pop3 server not imap. I don't know if this makes a difference.

As I don't use my plusnet address can't the mailboxes be combined so that the globalmail address has 1GB capacity?

Another aspect is that I have had my account since 1997 and this is the first time I have had a problem with the mail box being full. All of the mail which I have now cleared was recent so has something changed? I'm still using Eudora and I've been using the same phone for the past two years without a problem.

[#9]

Thanks for getting back to me @PeteBarker001 

@PeteBarker001 wrote:

I already have the server preference boxes ticked but it doesn't stop the accumulation of junk and deleted mail. Additionally I use the pop3 server not imap. I don't know if this makes a difference.

Ah I see. If your mail client doesn't automatically clear the mail from the server, all I can suggest is to clear it every so often.

As I don't use my plusnet address can't the mailboxes be combined so that the globalmail address has 1GB capacity?

I'm afraid not as we'd provide the same capacity to everybody, and increasing this for all isn't feasible. 

Another aspect is that I have had my account since 1997 

Thanks for your loyalty!

and this is the first time I have had a problem with the mail box being full. All of the mail which I have now cleared was recent so has something changed? I'm still using Eudora and I've been using the same phone for the past two years without a problem.

There haven't been any changes as far as I'm aware, try deleting the mailbox from Eudora and re-set it up. You'll need to backup any emails you'd want to keep first otherwise you may likely lose them.

[#10]

Eudora does clear my mail box. I think it is my phone that no longer clears it for whatever reason, so periodically I will have to clear it manually.

Whilst I don't use my plusnet email address I do have one and when I checked it today I saw that it has been suspended by plusnet administration in February 2021 due to not having been accessed since 2017. I don't know if this could effect my globalmail address but it is only within the last 3 to 4 months that the buildup of emails has occurred so it is coincidental with the problem.

[#11]

Coincidence maybe, but certainly not linked.

[#12]

Ah OK. That wouldn't be linked as Plusnet and Madasafish accounts are 100% separate.