Oh what a surprise - PlusNet email/portal is down yet again :-(

Since yesterday lunchtime, I've not received any new email on my Force 9
(PlusNet) account - looks like there's a problem with their incoming email
feed. They acknowledge that this is a problem.

But when I tried to access my POP mailbox just now, the POP server itself is
failing to respond. I can't even look at their service status because
websites such as portal.f9.net.uk and www.plus.net are also failing to
respond.

What is PlusNet's problem? Why are they having such difficulty over the last
few weeks in keeping their various servers going?

Martin Underwood wrote:
> Since yesterday lunchtime, I've not received any new email on my Force 9
> (PlusNet) account - looks like there's a problem with their incoming email
> feed. They acknowledge that this is a problem.
>
> But when I tried to access my POP mailbox just now, the POP server itself is
> failing to respond. I can't even look at their service status because
> websites such as portal.f9.net.uk and www.plus.net are also failing to
> respond.
>
> What is PlusNet's problem? Why are they having such difficulty over the last
> few weeks in keeping their various servers going?

Two thing I did recently to resolve the Plusnet email fiasco;

1. Get POP3 email from a decent company
2. Get another ISP

:-)

Clive

Clive wrote in message
(E-Mail Removed) om:

> Martin Underwood wrote:
>> Since yesterday lunchtime, I've not received any new email on my
>> Force 9 (PlusNet) account - looks like there's a problem with their
>> incoming email feed. They acknowledge that this is a problem.
>>
>> But when I tried to access my POP mailbox just now, the POP server
>> itself is failing to respond. I can't even look at their service
>> status because websites such as portal.f9.net.uk and www.plus.net
>> are also failing to respond.
>>
>> What is PlusNet's problem? Why are they having such difficulty over
>> the last few weeks in keeping their various servers going?
>
> Two thing I did recently to resolve the Plusnet email fiasco;
>
> 1. Get POP3 email from a decent company
> 2. Get another ISP
>
> :-)

I'm tempted. If it wasn't for the hassle of uploading websites on another
provider's webspace, and notifying everyone of a new email address, I'd be
tempted. As a computer consultant who is sometimes called upon to recommend
an ISP to customers, I've always recommended Force9 up to now. But I'd be
embarrassed to do so now, after the various services outages over the past
month - even though it's tempting to recommend customers so as to get the
monthly discount ;-)

I see that the portal has just returend, as has POP access. There are still
some incoming emails that haven't been delivered into my mailbox, but POP
access and portal access is a start.

In message <44f45171$0$2670$(E-Mail Removed)>, Martin
Underwood <a@b.?.invalid> writes
>Clive wrote in message
>(E-Mail Removed). com:

>> Two thing I did recently to resolve the Plusnet email fiasco;
>>
>> 1. Get POP3 email from a decent company
>> 2. Get another ISP

>I'm tempted. If it wasn't for the hassle of uploading websites on another
>provider's webspace, and notifying everyone of a new email address, I'd be
>tempted.

LOL. Is that more or less hassle than not receiving your email?

>As a computer consultant

I'm surprised you haven't already realised that cementing yourself to a
particular ISP is not a good idea.
--
Martin Jay
Phone/SMS: +44 7740 191877
Fax: +44 870 915 2124

"Martin Underwood" <a@b> wrote in message
news:44f45171$0$2670$(E-Mail Removed)...
> Clive wrote in message
> (E-Mail Removed) om:


> As a computer consultant who is sometimes called upon to recommend an ISP
> to customers

You're a Computer Consultant and yet you seem to have tied yourself into a
sole provider due to its limited POP3 email and webspace.
Surely as a consultant you should know better?
I hope you do not have the same lack of foresight with any of your clients.

Pete M Williams wrote in message
-rudnbXz4O-(E-Mail Removed):

> "Martin Underwood" <a@b> wrote in message
> news:44f45171$0$2670$(E-Mail Removed)...
>> Clive wrote in message
>> (E-Mail Removed) om:
>
>
>> As a computer consultant who is sometimes called upon to recommend
>> an ISP to customers
>
> You're a Computer Consultant and yet you seem to have tied yourself
> into a sole provider due to its limited POP3 email and webspace.
> Surely as a consultant you should know better?
> I hope you do not have the same lack of foresight with any of your
> clients.

No. In the past when I've been asked to make a recommendation, I've
recommended Force 9 because, from my own experience, they've provided a good
service. Also, from my experience of other ISPs that customers have already
had, I've decided which ISPs I would not recommend.

Sadly, F9 is gradually moving from the "recommend wholeheartedly" to the
"don't recommend" category.

This shows that I'm prepared to be flexible and adjust my recommendation as
the ISPs' service changes.


What ISPs would other people recommend, using the following criteria:

- low cost (eg £15/month)
- broadband speed up to 8 Mbps
- high availability of connection and email/web servers
- good support (eg tracking of problem, technical knowledge, short downtime)
if anything does go wrong
- ideally, multiple/unlimited email addresses, of the form
<anything>@isp.net

Most of my customers will not require large monthly download (1-2 GB/month
is probably sufficient) or large web space (10 MB is probably sufficient).

Force 9 meets all those criteria - with the exception of reliability of
connection and servers... which is rather a critical one!

<DIV>&quot;Martin Underwood&quot; &lt;a@b&gt; wrote in message
news:44f477da$0$3608$(E-Mail Removed)...</DIV>> Pete M
Williams wrote in message
> -rudnbXz4O-(E-Mail Removed):
>
>> "Martin Underwood" <a@b> wrote in message
>> news:44f45171$0$2670$(E-Mail Removed)...
>>> Clive wrote in message
>>> (E-Mail Removed) om:
>>
>>
>>> As a computer consultant who is sometimes called upon to recommend
>>> an ISP to customers
>>
>> You're a Computer Consultant and yet you seem to have tied yourself
>> into a sole provider due to its limited POP3 email and webspace.
>> Surely as a consultant you should know better?
>> I hope you do not have the same lack of foresight with any of your
>> clients.
>
> No. In the past when I've been asked to make a recommendation, I've
> recommended Force 9 because, from my own experience, they've provided a
> good service. Also, from my experience of other ISPs that customers have
> already had, I've decided which ISPs I would not recommend.
>
> Sadly, F9 is gradually moving from the "recommend wholeheartedly" to the
> "don't recommend" category.
>
> This shows that I'm prepared to be flexible and adjust my recommendation
> as the ISPs' service changes.
>
>
> What ISPs would other people recommend, using the following criteria:
>
> - low cost (eg £15/month)
> - broadband speed up to 8 Mbps
> - high availability of connection and email/web servers
> - good support (eg tracking of problem, technical knowledge, short
> downtime) if anything does go wrong
> - ideally, multiple/unlimited email addresses, of the form
> <anything>@isp.net
>
> Most of my customers will not require large monthly download (1-2 GB/month
> is probably sufficient) or large web space (10 MB is probably sufficient).
>
> Force 9 meets all those criteria - with the exception of reliability of
> connection and servers... which is rather a critical one!
>

I have POP3 email with 1&1 - never had a day where I couldn't get email.

I have my webspace and domains with 123-reg - only have 1 days downtime in
two years.

By doing this I am free to switch ISP from cable to ADSL with out the hassle
of email settings, or webspace, etc. I use an ISP purely for connection.

Clive

Clive wrote in
9__Ig.79841$(E-Mail Removed):

> <DIV>&quot;Martin Underwood&quot; &lt;a@b&gt; wrote in message
> news:44f477da$0$3608$(E-Mail Removed)...</DIV>>
> Pete M Williams wrote in message
>> -rudnbXz4O-(E-Mail Removed):
>
> I have POP3 email with 1&1 - never had a day where I couldn't get
> email.
> I have my webspace and domains with 123-reg - only have 1 days
> downtime in two years.
>
> By doing this I am free to switch ISP from cable to ADSL with out the
> hassle of email settings, or webspace, etc. I use an ISP purely for
> connection.

Ah, so you have your email, webspace and connection with three different
companies? How much per month do you pay in total for those three?

"Clive" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:9__Ig.79841$(E-Mail Removed). uk...
>
>
> I have POP3 email with 1&1 - never had a day where I couldn't get email.
>

I have used 1&1 for a few years too. www.1and1.co.uk
I have 14 "I think" domains registered through them for different purposes
from business to personel.
I also use them to host the sites too.

Like you I have never had any mail down time and their hosting is just the
same

<DIV>&quot;Martin Underwood&quot; &lt;a@b&gt; wrote in message
news:44f486f6$0$2689$(E-Mail Removed)...</DIV>> Clive
wrote in
> 9__Ig.79841$(E-Mail Removed):
>
>> <DIV>&quot;Martin Underwood&quot; &lt;a@b&gt; wrote in message
>> news:44f477da$0$3608$(E-Mail Removed)...</DIV>>
>> Pete M Williams wrote in message
>>> -rudnbXz4O-(E-Mail Removed):
>>
>> I have POP3 email with 1&1 - never had a day where I couldn't get
>> email.
>> I have my webspace and domains with 123-reg - only have 1 days
>> downtime in two years.
>>
>> By doing this I am free to switch ISP from cable to ADSL with out the
>> hassle of email settings, or webspace, etc. I use an ISP purely for
>> connection.
>
> Ah, so you have your email, webspace and connection with three different
> companies? How much per month do you pay in total for those three?

5 POP3 email boxes & smtp sending for £10 per ANNUM from 1&1

Webspace £4.50 per MONTH for 500mb with 5gb bandwidth this also has 35 pop3
boxes
from 123-reg

I bought the 1&1 email boxes before I got the web space, so next year I'll
save the £10 :-), or probably move my webspace to 1&1.

The prices are well worth it - a lot more reliable and as I mentioned -
makes swapping ISP's a breeze.

Shop around, but remember no point in replacing your ISP's email unless you
get a reliable supplier. Never had any problems with 1&1 or 123-reg.


Clive