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Re: [LUG] Email trouble

 

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Neil Stone wrote:
> Kevin Bailey wrote:
> >> aaron Moore wrote:
> >>
> >>> Hi all
> >>> I have been using a web email (linuxmail.org) service for a
> while with no probs.  But I now want to down load my mail using
> evolution, mozilla or some such.  I have payed my subscription and
> tried to make all the settings but I am unable   to send mail from
> said applications.... the server does not recognise by password. I
> can recieive mail though. I have sent several plaintive mails to
> Linuxmail but to no avail.  Can anyone offer any suggestions.  I am
> using Suse 10.0
> >>> Thanx for any suggestions no matter how small
> >>> Aaron
> >>>
> >>> 
> >>>
> >> You probably need to use the SMTP server provided by your ISP:
> >>
> >> post.demon.co.uk or smtp.btconnect.com etc.
> >>
> >> kev
> >>
>
> You paid money for a service.. the ISP should help you out as much as
> they can... if not, demand a refund.
>
> --
> Neil Stone
>
> Systems Administrator
> FlashTek UK
Assuming they support Linux.[1]  You cannot demand a refund for the
ISP failing to supply a service they didn't say they would.  In my old
job we lost a lot of time (and in some cases customer goodwill) by
technicians arbitrarily supporting items they were not supposed to,
*and* had not been officially trained on.  There are two problems with
that:

1.  Assuming support is on a Premium Rate phone line, ICSTIS[2]
guidelines state that staff may only support what they have been
trained on.  In actual fact that ruling itself was an extension of the
official line that staff may only support what they have *supplied*.
In our case that would have limited us to supporting our dialup
software supplied on CD - which for an ISP is laughable - so the
extension was agreed.

That rule meant in essence that if anyone supported something we had
not been trained on, and ICSTIS had found out, we could have been shut
down until assurances were given it would not happen again.

2.  Notwithstanding 1. above, even if the support is not Premium Rate
there are practical issues.  Staff were not encouraged to give out
their extension numbers for several reasons:

a: the incoming phone system was incapable of allowing the customer to
type in an extension anyway.
b: on a Premium Line it is a breach of the ICSTIS code to put a
customer on hold (which would have to be done to transfer the call)
c: in a shift based callcentre the person may not even be in for a
couple of days.

That always left the poor sod who received the follow-up call with a
very irate customer that he/she was physically unable to help.

We *did* offer 'Courtesy Support' on rare occasions to non-Premium
Rate customers, however the customer had to be told up-front it was
courtesy support, and that we could not, as a company, offer further
advice if the suggestion did not work:

examples:

a) Customer rings up using Evolution and wants the mail settings - No
problem at all - supported as the information is standard in all mail
clients.  I actually gave techs a verbal thick ear if I monitored
calls and they refused to assist in simple calls like that.
b) Customer rings up using Evolution and wants to know how to
configure it with the mail settings - Unsupported as the information
is specific to that mail client which the technician had not been
trained on.  *IF* the tech knew Evolution inside out and *advised the
customer it was personal advice*, then a blind eye was turned if it
was a non-Premium call.

At the end of the day it helps neither customer nor support staff if
some well meaning person tries to support something off their own back
and it goes all wahoonie-shaped.

[1] If they DO support Linux feel free to ignore the rest of this :)
[2] http://www.icstis.org.uk/ - Premium Rates Services Regulator

Kind regards,

Julian
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