[ SHOWGSD-L ] AOL STRIKES AGAIN
- From: Margery Golant <mgolant@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: showgsd-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Wed, 01 Feb 2006 17:47:41 -0500
Dear List Members:
I awoke this morning to find a whole new crop of bounces of List posts from
AOL subscribers. My own mailbox was overflowing because there were so
many. Most of these addresses I recognize, having helped many of them to
restart their mail during the last round of AOL issues. There are hundreds
of these again today. I spent the past couple of hours sending indvidual
emails with the actual bounces attached to specific List members on whom
our server is reporting bounces, so they would have the actual details to
discuss with AOL.
All internet providers can have problems, but generally these happen due to
some sort of equipment glitch or virus, the provider fixes the problem, and
it is over. Whatever is happening at AOL is different - it has been going
on for weeks, and obviously is still going on.
AOL's management is not at all interested in hearing from outside parties
who are unable to communicate with AOL subscribers. We have tried, they
are completely unreceptive. They make boilerplate responses, as though we
were commercial spammers, sending us to web sites and phone numbers of
theirs, where they then do nothing to resolve the problem. There is
nothing unusual happening with our server, and currently the only email
addresses which are having problems are AOL and Compuserve, which belongs
to AOL.
So, the only solution is for YOU to contact them and to DEMAND that they
resolve this issue. Be prepared for them to make excuses, be prepared for
them to tell you that the problem is with our server, not with them, be
prepared for them to tell you that there is nothing they can do, that the
List Management needs to resolve the problem, or that the List Management
needs to contact them. All of that is completely wrong. While
occasionally we see bounces from other Internet providers, the current
problem is ONLY AOL, and there is nothing our server is doing that is
causing this problem. It may be that AOL has installed some new filters on
incoming mail to attempt to deal with spam that is causing the problem, it
may be that they are having functional issues of their own, or who knows
what else. But, it is a fact that the problem is AT AOL, and no where else.
If you are still getting mail from the List, you are not getting it all,
because some is definitely bouncing. Inevitably, as the bouncing
continues, our server will set you to Vacation and the whole spiral will
start again. I have been sending out instructions on how to restart your
mail after this happens, but unless AOL responds and fixes whatever is
causing this, it is unending. Many people are telling me they are
considering switching to a different email provider. I don't blame them -
this is nuts. And, I would make sure to let AOL know that, if they don't
resolve this problem, you will be going elsewhere. What is the point of
having email if you can't get the email you want ?
I am sending this same email to all addresses on which I got bounces this
morning. You are paying AOL for service, and not getting what you are
paying for. I would suggest that you call them, and refuse to take "NO"
for an answer, refuse to accept excuses. Insist on speaking to the
Customer Service Manager (they must have one...). Tell them you have been
a member of this private email group for a long time, that you want to
receive all mail that it sends, and that AOL is bouncing it. Tell them
that the IP of the SMTP is: turing.freelists.org 206.53.239.180 (they
will know what that means). Tell them they need to "white list" the List's
address, and that they need to do whatever else is necessary to resolve
this problem.
One AOL subscriber told me that although there is a bounce with her name on
it, she got all the List posts (she checked the archives). Even so, it
must be that AOL did both: reported the bounce back to our server and let
the email through to her. Our server has no way of knowing - if it gets a
bounce, it would not know what else happened to that email at AOL's end.
Please the admins. know what happens.
Margy Golant
Showgsd-l Administrator
P.S. Once the bouncing stops, any time you need to, if this happens, you
can restart your mail by unsetting vacation. The way to do this is to:
send email to: showgsd-l-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx (please use this EXACT
address - it is different than the normal address for the List).
with the following message: unset vacation
That should get it started again, so long as AOL is behaving itself.
The List archives are located at www.freelists.org/archives/showgsd-l
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