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I can only conclude PlusNet are giving up on email completely!

drj
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I can only conclude PlusNet are giving up on email completely!

Webmail has been slow for weeks! We'd been advised it was going to take two months to sort out - which would have ended about now. I've just checked and found this:

21/02/2014 @ 13:49
This is an update to last months service status regarding slowdowns and loading delays when accessing our webmail platform.
This issue is being caused by the storage platform used by our webmail. Our network engineers are working to replace this, we expect to have the new platform in place by the end of March this year.
In the meantime we're very sorry for any inconvenience caused by this issue and would recommend that our customers access their email via a mail client such as Windows Live Mail where possible.


I'm complaining because not only do I find webmail very convenient - and it's the only option when I'm at work - but also trying to access via other platforms often doesn't work either! I've posted recently about problems I've had with Outlook Express refusing to download anything on Friday morning, and this evening I've been having problems getting my phone to sync using WP8.
Is PlusNet really forcing me to go elsewhere and use GMail or Yahoo or Outlook all of which have shortcomings compared to PlusNet?
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drj
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Re: I can only conclude PlusNet are giving up on email completely!

Previous notification clearly said February:

2014-01-21 10:17:20
Customers may be experiencing slowdowns and loading delays when accessing our webmail platform.
This issue is being caused by the storage platform used by our webmail. Our network engineers are working to replace this, we expect to have the new platform in place by the end of February this year.
In the mean time we're very sorry for any inconvenience caused by this issue and would recommend that our customers access their email via a mail client such as Windows Live Mail where possible.
alan22
Newbie
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Registered: ‎21-01-2014

Re: I can only conclude PlusNet are giving up on email completely!

Plusnet Webmail is a DISGRACE. I'm sick to death of the awful delays, feeble excuses and receding dates - the end of February was unacceptable and now it's the end of MARCH!
I suggest that Plusnet refunds at least half of their charges to everyone until this mess is sorted out, perhaps then they'll put a bit of effort into solving the problem.
Why keep advertising when you can't cope now? And please stop saying "We'll do you proud" because you WONT, and it's just annoying.
Thank goodness I also use Yahoo mail - I don't know what shortcomings it's meant to have, but it's certainly 100 times better than Plusnet webmail.
I'm changing as much of my mail as I can back to Yahoo so I can leave completely. I would never have believed there could be such terrible webmail service as Plusnet's.
It's REALLY annoying.
bobpullen
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Re: I can only conclude PlusNet are giving up on email completely!

Whilst I understand your frustration, it's worth recognising that new customers are not offered email accounts by default when signing up.

Bob Pullen
Plusnet Product Team
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Townman
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Re: I can only conclude PlusNet are giving up on email completely!

Bob,
Whilst your statement might be true, it is no excuse for the services already provided not working to expectations.  Personally I do not see the point of a connection only service.  Is this PN's strategic direction?  One notes that the cgi service has been out-sourced, might we see the other value-add services go the same way?
That said, I find PN's email services excellent, working well across a number of platforms concurrently.
If there are specific issues with web-mail (which I use occasionally without issue) am I correct in believing that there are other email web clients out there which users could use as an alternative to access their PN email accounts?  Would this circumvent the temporary issues?  I seem to recall a few years back when someone hacked the PN webmail services and they were taken off-air, PN directed users to some other web mail interface service.  Is that a viable approach at present?
Cheers,
Kevin

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bobpullen
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Re: I can only conclude PlusNet are giving up on email completely!

IMAP access via any standalone client should be much less problematic. There are third party webmail interfaces available like Mail2Web but I can't vouch for how well they perform.

Bob Pullen
Plusnet Product Team
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drj
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Re: I can only conclude PlusNet are giving up on email completely!

Quote from: Bob
Whilst I understand your frustration, it's worth recognising that new customers are not offered email accounts by default when signing up.

That's news. I can't find any direct reference to that at the PlusNet website. However even if it's not enabled by default it is still available to all PlusNet broadband subscribers is it not?
bobpullen
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Re: I can only conclude PlusNet are giving up on email completely!

Yes. The default during signup is to use a third party email address. If you choose not to, you are offered a Plusnet address. If you don't choose a Plusnet address during account creation then you can add one later by visiting https://email.plus.net

Bob Pullen
Plusnet Product Team
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kmilburn
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Re: I can only conclude PlusNet are giving up on email completely!

Quote from: Bob
IMAP access via any standalone client should be much less problematic. There are third party webmail interfaces available like Mail2Web but I can't vouch for how well they perform.

And we'll say it again (not that it helps),  IMAP access is INSECURE, and not recommended to be used on external networks!
Some of us aren't keen of giving third party websites accecss to our email either,  even if the link was secure!
w23
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Re: I can only conclude PlusNet are giving up on email completely!

Just for information, is webmail any more secure than IMAP?
Call me 'w23'
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kmilburn
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Re: I can only conclude PlusNet are giving up on email completely!

The webmail server uses secure HTTP,  so all communication (after the initial handshake) is encrypted. You can even access the forums with https.
With IMAP, POP and SMTP your username, password and all emails accessed are transmitted as plain text and without encryption (e.g. TLS) are potentially available for anyone one the same network to capture/view .
w23
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Re: I can only conclude PlusNet are giving up on email completely!

Thank you for clarifying.
Call me 'w23'
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drj
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Re: I can only conclude PlusNet are giving up on email completely!

I just thought I'd point out that at 8.20am this morning webmail was working at lightning speed. It's certainly fine sometimes!
Eebuygum
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Re: I can only conclude PlusNet are giving up on email completely!

Quote from: drj
I just thought I'd point out that at 8.20am this morning webmail was working at lightning speed. It's certainly fine sometimes!

In my experience it  usually works OK first thing in a morning, slows down considerably by mid-day and is practically un-useable by the evening. I'm sorry, but I have to agree with one of the previous posters, the current webmail service is nothing less than disgraceful. This has been an ongoing problem now for some considerable time, one which I feel that Plus Net has virtually ignored. If I wished to use an Email client to pick up my Email, I would do so. However, as I do a fair bit of travelling, webmail is my chosen way of picking up my Email, and as such, the system should work properly
It really is 'well past' the time that the issue with webmail was sorted, no platitudes, no 'understanding my frustrations',  just some immediate, effective action please.
Mike