Metronet inbox disappeared

[#1]

I have to say that this has not been handled well by Greenby.

Sending you an email after the migration is pointless as enormous stress is created when your entire email history disappears for no apparent reason.  It also means that time sensitive emails do not get answered in time.

Thanks to Tony and others for their assistance with this though.  Your help is really appreciated.

BTW, I'm also finding that Greenby are struggling to accept a perfectly valid payment method.  This doesn't bode well for future management of my email...

[#2]

@latchy9 

I suggest that there is always going to be devil in the detail; I expect that Greenby do not have the contact details available to send a welcome email until after the migration.

The user experience raised in this thread (thanks to you and @ChrisA1 ) layer a real world user experience which is over and above the core of the migration process.  I do wonder if you had logged into the mailbox using webmail that all would be as might be reasonably expected of the migration process, in that all of your email was there and accessible by the 'in house' IMAP email client.

How an individual user's chosen IMAP email client handles its re-synch with the server is outside of the scope of the actual migration; that said sharing the experience and determining potential causes of it will be beneficial to those who follow you.  SU research and discussion has brought about this - https://community.plus.net/t5/Email/Greenby-transfer-IMAP-users/m-p/2019074#M52385 - prompt post from the business.

Like yourself, it was not the first possibility I had considered, but having thought about it, I realise that I have seen the same on multiple occasions ... even where nothing has changed at all, particularly with iOS email.  It can cause panic; though if the email is found to be there when accessing the mailbox via webmail, it is simply a matter of waiting for client and (the new) server to get back in step ... as you have observed.

Thank you for sharing your experience and the consequential contribution to community knowledge.  For you it is over to Greenby and thanks for all the fish! 🐠 🐡 🐟

Moderator's note:
Typos corrected as requested by OP

[#3]

> BTW, I'm also finding that Greenby are struggling to accept a perfectly valid payment method.  

A couple of people have mentioned this, so I've raised it to Greenby for you. 

[#4]

As someone with 40 (yes 40!) years of experience in IT infrastructure, the golden rule of migrations is that you do them outside of core hours!

I can't believe that it's beyond Greenby to schedule this work for the early hours when most (I accept not all) users will not be accessing their email.

Greenby are already months behind schedule so the extra time that this might add is hardly going to be material.

I know you guys aren't Greenby but it really gets my goat when I'm the recipient of poor service because others cannot plan properly.

[#5]

I think what Townman says is correct ... the truth of it is that I rarely used Plusnet webmail.

Re Plusnettony's latest post, despite saying that my offers of payment were unacceptable at the time, my Greenby dashboard now shows my upgrade charge of £15 as having been paid.  Hey-ho!

Finally, I do have one ongoing issue which I hope that Greenby will be able to resolve: although my Inbox has "reappeared" fully in tact, I am still not able to access any of my folders of saved e mails ... which is a significant worry.

[#6]

@ChrisA1 

The “missing” folders points to another devil in the detail I’ve been discussing with the business.  Can you please check the IMAP folder subscriptions.

Other folders on a server need to be subscribed to: the subscribed to status is a server side setting.  I have asked if the folder status is migrated along with the structure and content.  I’d be a fool to presume that it does.  The consensus amongst the SUs is uncertainty!

I would be delighted to learn that the folders you cannot see, are in fact there (as they were before) but are not currently subscribed to.

Subscribing to folders on in email. Client makes them subscribed to by all clients, including webmail.  If you do not know how to subscribe - just ask, indicating which client you use.

[#7]

@Townman 

Thanks so much for coming back to me on this.

I'm afraid that your note is way over my head and I have no idea about folder subscriptions or how to check them ... sorry!

If you don't mind giving a bit of guidance about how I can follow up on this that would be great ... I am getting some traction with Greenby Support over my problems and have a "ticket" open with them at the moment regarding this issue but if I can sort it out with a bit of help from you that would be a bonus!

With my Metronet e mail, I set up all my folders via Thunderbird and the folders (and contents) were then visible when using my iPad / iPhone and in webmail, as well as Thunderbird.  I now can't see any folders anywhere.

Sorry to be so useless but I am hoping that my whinges might provide scope for improving other people's migration experience!

[#8]

No need to be sorry - your further explanation gives more credibility to my suspicions.

The easiest way for me to guide you (from my phone access to here) is via webmail … if you can access your account from there - https://webmsil.plus.net

Login (remember to select the right brand) to the account.  From the mailbox display click the cog bottom left and select manage folders.  Ensure that all folders listed are ticked.  There might then be a save option / need.

Return to your preferred email client and click send / receive and see if the folders reappear.

As I write this, I am mindful of a different issue which could give rise to this experience.  I have seen folders not appearing / inbox not populating due to the “root folder” configuration setting in the client.  That is to be found in the IMAP server settings: it should be empty / blank or inbox - sometimes this is needed to see other folders, sometimes it is not.

i have seen this variability across multiple mailboxes on various servers and never clearly identified the ‘driver’ for this setting.  I have somewhat concluded that it’s connected to the email service and how a mailbox was accessed first.

please check the subscriptions first.

[#9]

@Townman 

Hi
Thanks so much for your message.
To be fair to Greenby Support, they have acted on my Ticket and re-instated my folders so can't say whether your fixes would have worked.
For info, I have two residual issues with Greenby which I will be continuing to pursue with them ...
1. While the contents of my folders are visible on webmail and in Thunderbird, the folders all show as empty on my iPhone / iPad.
2. Having initially said that neither of the two payments offered were acceptable, they have now taken two payments ... so I am trying to get one back!
Hopefully, all will be well in the end but it has been a stressful and time consuming process.  All help from the Community much appreciated.

[#10]

---

@ChrisA1 wrote:

1. While the contents of my folders are visible on webmail and in Thunderbird, the folders all show as empty on my iPhone / iPad.

---

If you can see the folders on iPad / iPhone, then drag down on the folder screen and they should populate.

If you cannot see the folders, then check the IMAP root folder settings ...

• Settings
• Apps
• Mail
• Mail Accounts***
• Choose account
• Account settings
• Advanced
• IMAP Path Prefix /

If that is blank, try setting it to inbox

Save, then go back to mail and drag down on the screen showing the empty folder - it should populate.

*** At the bottom of the Mail Accounts screen, there is also the Fetch New Data control - look in there and report back the setting on the email account you have issues with.

[#11]

@Townman 

@plusnettony 

In the interests of balance and in case it helps with migration issues experienced by others, one final post from me (a non-Techy) on this ...

Despite initial complaints and stresses caused by the migration process, I have to say that the Greenby Support team have been excellent in dealing with all my issues and queries through their "Ticket" system so that I am now fully back on an even keel and have some confidence that I will be able to get any future issues addressed via the Support arrangements (fingers crossed).

[#12]

@ChrisA1 

Any idea who did what to resolve your issue?

Was specific action taken, or has it been the 'passage of time' which has resulted in all of your mail synching to you email client?

[#13]

@Townman 

In terms of "who", a guy named <Redacted> on the Support Team has been sorting me out but I don't know what he has been doing to resolve matters.  When told that matters had been addressed, a full power off / reboot was needed before the fixes (whatever they were) took effect ... that suggests to me that it was not just a "passage of time" situation (but what do I know!). 

Moderator's note:
CSA name(s) removed (to an area staff can see) as per Forum rules.