I am in the process of moving some website stuff around, and it is possible that at some point Stuff4Sprouts.com will go off-line for a bit.
I am hoping not, and I guess it is unlikely for anyone to find this post if it does, in fact, go down.
But, I did want to say something about it somewhere!
I am all about customer service. I like being treated well. I try to treat customers the way I would want to be treated.
I like that the people at the Dunkin' Donuts know that I want a large iced coffee with skim and Splenda.
I like it when I get discounts at Old Navy and Target for using my credit card.
But faux-friendly marketing creeps me out. Like when the checkers at the grocery store read my receipt and call me by name (Generally pronouncing it incorrectly. BTW, I am NOT Mrs. Basic - I am actually quite complex).
This ad was in the middle of my Real Simple Magazine. It calls me by name (first name, very familiar) and points out a store near my house that carries this coffee machine (which does look cool - and yet - not the point!)
I guess the idea was that it got my attention. But it is, "Who are you and why do you know where I would shop?" kind of attention. Paranoid attention. Not good attention.
Now I would be a little frightened to go to Macy's. Like they are waiting for me and would immediately point me in the direction of the upscale coffee machines. "Ah, I see you got our note...right this way..."
Ick. Creepy.
I know enough about technology to see that this was easy for them to pull off. My name in the subscription file - a quick zip code look-up. Fairly un-scary technology. And yet - just because you can, doesn't mean you should.
I don't even shop at Macy's. Like - ever.
Now, if Target wants to send me a personalized note in a magazine, that would be cool. We are tight.
I finally managed to create a Facebook page for Stuff for Sprouts.
So please, come sign up as a fan.
Tell your friends!
How does the printer know exactly how desperate you are to print things, so that it is able to run out of ink at exactly the moment that will make you scream into the heavens....NOOOOOO!!!! NOT NOW!!!!!!
HOORAY!! The lady at Comcast had NO IDEA what she was talking about!!
I HAVE OUTGOING MAIL!!
WOO HOO!!!!
I have renewed faith in the goodness of the world.
And the cluelessness of Helpless Desk workers.
So, due to the great danger that I am going to sit here and spam people all day long (because I have that kind of time and motivation)...I have to apparently use the Comcast mail server for outgoing mail.
Which won't work with Entourage. Only with Outlook. But you can't get Outlook for a MAC. So I can't use it at all.
Which completely and utterly sucks.
This is lengthy and painful...but sort of funny in a weird, customer-service-sucks sort of way. And no, my e-mail still isn't fixed.user Kristen_ has entered room
Kristen>Using hosted mail server - outgoing mail won't work?
analyst Madonna.21799 has entered room
Madonna.21799>Hello Kristen_, Thank you for contacting Comcast Live Chat
Madonna.21799>
Support.My name is Madonna.21799. Please give me one moment
to review your information.I understand that you are having an issue with your
Kristen_>
Outgoing mail.Did Comcast recently start blocking outgoing mail on SMTP
Madonna.21799>
port 25?I apologize for the inconvenience.
Madonna.21799>I would be glad to help you with that issue.
Madonna.21799>Kristen, please change port 25 to port 587.
Kristen_>I did that, it still isn't working.
Madonna.21799>Can you try to send a test mail again to get the
Kristen_>
exact error message?Sure - it says it is timing out -
Madonna.21799>
I will get you the exact message in a second.Thank you.
Kristen_>Error: -3259
Kristen_>It was the same when I had the port as 25.
Madonna.21799>Thank you for that information.
Madonna.21799>Can you try to log in to your email account using
Kristen_>
Webmail?Yes, it works fine that way.
Kristen_>Incoming and outgoing.
Madonna.21799>Can you send an email account using your Webmail?
Kristen_>I don't understand the question.
Madonna.21799>I apologize for the confusion.
Madonna.21799>I will provide you the information on how to verify your
Kristen_>
Outlook Express settings.Yes, I can send mail from this account if I use webmail.
Madonna.21799>That is good.
Madonna.21799>If that is case, there is no problem with your email
Madonna.21799>
account.To fix the issue, we only need to change the port
Madonna.21799>
number to 587.To verify your settings in Outlook Express, please
Kristen_>
follow the instructions in this link:
http://www.comcast.net/help/faq/index.jsp?faq=EmailOutlook_Express17739I did change the port number to 587.
Kristen_>
That didn't change anything.I am using Entourage - is it the same?
Madonna.21799>Please hold for one moment.
Madonna.21799>Thank you for patiently waiting.
Madonna.21799>Please refer to this link
Kristen_>
http://www.comcast.com/customers/faq/FaqDetails.ashx?ID=2370This is showing the ports as 25 and 110?
Madonna.21799>That is the link to verify Entourage X (Mac) settings.
Kristen_>I am not using the smtp.comcast.net server -
Madonna.21799>
I am using a hosted server (mail.stuff4sprouts.com)Are you using this for a business account?
Kristen_>Yes.
Kristen_>And it was working for several months with the
Madonna.21799>
current settings...and then stopped working last week.Thank you for that information.
Kristen_>Did Comcast recently change the ports?
Madonna.21799>I suggest to contact Comcast business department, Kristen.
Madonna.21799>The phone number to talk to a representative in Comcast
Madonna.21799>
Business is 1-800-316-1619.I apologize for the inconvenience.
Kristen_>It isn't a Comcast business account...it is my home cable
Kristen_>
internet service.Only the mail account (through another provider) has
Kristen_>
anything to do with business...It shouldn't matter for this question.
Madonna.21799>I understand your concern. However, the outgoing server you
Kristen_>
are using is for business account.But I don't have a business account with Comcast!
Kristen_>It shouldn't matter what it is for - how it works through
Madonna.21799>
Comcast should be the same.Can you receive email messages?
Kristen_>Yes.
Kristen_>Just not send via Entourage.
Kristen_>Since last Thursday.
Madonna.21799>Since you are able to receive email messages using
Kristen_>
Comcast incoming mail server then there is no problem
with your incoming server.Right. I am not worried about my incoming server.
Madonna.21799>
Only outgoing.The issue is with your Outgoing server since you are using
Kristen_>
a different port mail.stuff4sprouts.com.I am using the same server for both.
Kristen_>And I changed the outgoing port to 587 as directed.
Kristen_>Would the company hosting the incoming mail server have
Madonna.21799>
to do anything to work with the new port #?Can you try to send a test email again?
Kristen_>I just did. Several times. It doesn't work.
Kristen_>In my previous question I meant the company hosting the
Madonna.21799>
receiving mail server - do they have to do anything to
make the 587 thing work?It depends on the mail server provider, Kristen.
Kristen_>In general - if you change the port - does something
Kristen_>
have to happen on their end to make things line up?The host is 3Dcart...if that matters.
Madonna.21799>Can you put a check mark on the box that says
Kristen_>
"smtp server requires authentication"It is already checked. Using the same authentication
Madonna.21799>
as incoming mail.Are you using Comcast mail server?
Kristen_>No. The hosted one at mail.stuff4sprouts.com -
Kristen_>
hosted by 3DCart.Which was working until last Thursday.
Kristen_>When something somewhere apparently changed.
Kristen_>Like the port #.
Madonna.21799>It will not work if you will use mail.stuff4sprouts.com
Kristen_>Why did it work for 5 months and now won't?
Kristen_>I need my outgoing mail to have the same address as incoming
Madonna.21799>
...if I can receive mail on that server, why can't I send it?The port 587 is for Comcast mail server.
Kristen_>Did you recently start blocking port 25?
Kristen_>Does the other company need to change their port to 587 for it to
Madonna.21799>
work it I am using Comcast as my ISP?This error indicates that your port 25 has been blocked.
Kristen_>
Comcast has determined that your computer has been infected
with a virus and has been used to send out spam, liekly without
your knowledge. By closing this port, we've taken steps to
protect your computer from being used to send spam. OK. So I need to get them to set it up to send on another port?
Kristen_>When was I sending spam (I wasn't - but when do they think I was?)
Madonna.21799>
I don't have a virus...Yes, Kristen.
Kristen_>So if the host changes the outgoing mail port to 587 then
Madonna.21799>
everything should work?Yes, Kristen.
Kristen_>Thanks. I will talk to them.
My outgoing e-mail isn't working. In-coming seems OK, although a little light - so maybe I am not getting everything?
Where is tech support? Oh yeah, I am tech support. Tech support around here SUCKS.
I should complain to management. Oh yeah...
