posted on March 20, 2003 11:29:43 AM new
I've noticed over the past few months that there are a lot more threads complaining about problems caused by a perception that there's been no contact. (tonimar and blueyes29 both have threads on the topic right now.)
Could this be related to the escalating "war on spam?" I've seen a lot more ads offering spam-blocking services, and ISPs and web-mail servives building spam filters into their product. I've also seen articles saying that ISPs are being a lot more aggressive about blocking domains that send out a lot of spam, even if those domains also host legitimate email accounts.
Our local newspaper recently ran a story quoting people complaining about the Roadrunner service, which is apparently rejecting emails from a wide variety of domains including at one point Yahoo - and neither notifying their customers nor letting them opt-out. I've also read lots of messages on various computer-related boards about other domains being widely blocked. Hotmail ended up on several ISPs' block lists for awhile.
Even if a user's ISP doesn't aggressively block, individual use of spam filters might be catching more email that people intend. I know it took me a while to understand how the filters worked, and I worked at it ... how many people just load the software and expect it to magically comprehend which emails they want to see and which they don't?
Could this be an explanation for the spike in problems caused by customers or sellers claiming no contact? It seems reasonable to me - there seem to be so many more cases where each side seems justifiably outraged that the other never responded to their emails.
I don't know what we could do about it, either, except to be aware of it. The advice to try "emailing someone through eBay" is fairly common, and it's probably still the best remedy, but it won't always do the trick (particularly if you don't realize there's been an attempt to communicate in the first place.)
Just thought I'd toss it out and see what people thought. I've been considering adding a note to my auction page advising people of this and asking them to contact me thru eBay if they don't get a response.
posted on March 20, 2003 11:51:19 AM new
My ISP has quite an aggressive spam block, so I set up a hotmail account also, and when I send out my EOA notices, I tell people that if their message gets bounced, or they get no reply, to use my hotmail account. I am surprised at how many do that, quite a few send to both, which is fine. I sure would like to block the pornography from the hotmail account however. Any suggestions?
posted on March 20, 2003 12:08:54 PM new
It's hard to say. I had seen a recommendation to filter out all HTML mail, but as it turns out that blocks Yahoo and other web-based services that attach ads to their emails.
As far as I can figure it, evil spammers worm their way around just about any kind of filter you can devise, and porn spammers are the worst (along with ads to increase the size of body parts I either don't have or don't want more of.) And I usually catch two or three legitimate emails a week in my Yahoo "bulk email" folder, which limits the benefit of sorting out the bulk emails in the first place. So far, no eBay correspondence has ended up there but I know it's just a matter of time.
posted on March 20, 2003 02:26:48 PM new
Lately I have had this problem too .I have had to finish all my emails with "if you do not respond within 24 hours I will be sending this message again". With one buyer, I couldn't even get a hold of her via Ebay's "ask a question" service. I finally got to her with my daughter's Hotmail acct.. My first response was TURN DOWN YOU SPAM FILTER! After that, everything was fine.Does anyone have clues to keywords that trigger the spam filters so I won't use them?
posted on March 20, 2003 02:41:20 PM new
I have had similar difficulties.
I would like to know if words in the email title trigger a spam filter. Possibly "won"? I know I can set my email program to do that.
Yeah, email via my ISP has beeen banned by certain ISP's and it's very difficult to conduct buiness with buyers who use them. Email from my Yahoo account didin't get through. I finally reached them through Ebay.
Couple that with people who forget to update their email with Ebay and YIKES!
posted on March 21, 2003 11:13:45 AM new
We have a spam blocker here at work and my boss could not get an email through. She finally decided the word "abreast" as in "I will keep you abreast of the situation", was causing the email to be blocked.
