Rant of the Day v2.

[ExSp33db1rd]

might even have to use the mobile phones for a week or two...

Shock ! Horror !

[Rwy in Sight]

jimtherev, don't you have a contract with BT obliging you to use them as provider for some time? How much more expensive it was? In two cases here the cost is about 40 % more for a slightly worse deal - less time to international calls?

Absolutely right. Contract is about to end, but we've been stalling about renewal while sussing out the opposition. It'll be a bit messy during the move, as we probably won't be over there in time for the new contract with whomever to kick in. But we'll muddle along... might even have to use the mobile phones for a week or two...

Until about a year ago (the telecommunication authority stopped it without reason) we had the win-back procedure. When a contract come up for renewal the customer could apply for a new contract with another provider. The old one was entitled to make up to two calls and suggest a better deal either in relation to the previous contract or in comparison to the new company - maybe more calls or some special deals. Hence there was some scope for negotiation.

[Pontius Navigator]

Win-back almost seems at these whom of the person you speak with. I harranged head office about putting me on a lower speed tariff. I got a lower price for 18 months and a £50 bill credit. As I said I also got a higher speed. They got to keep a customer.

[Rwy in Sight]

When win-back was allowed you could play it in a volley short of procedure: you accepted the offer of your previous provider, the new one gave you an improved offer and once accepted the old provider would offer something better. When I was negotiating my mobile contract, I was able to talk with my previous provider (which I didn't want to change) once. I got a decent value however I was not able to have a counter-offer from the new company prompting, in turn, a better offer from the previous one. Some people did those phone calls a number of times with excellent results.

[Pontius Navigator]

RiS, ever heard of our Sky contract. They will not accept an email or written cancellation. They insist on voice and then do their level best to keep you as a customer even, IIRC, saying you can't return on t he same terms inside 12 months, byeeeeee!

[Capetonian]

A few years ago my email provider, whom I won't name but Bloody Tossers is a clue, started blocking all emails coming from .co.za domain names or ZA IP addresses. They strenuously denied this and the call centre went through the rigmarole of :

"I must be asking you to check that your computer is switched on ...... there must be a fault in your settings ......etc."

Even when I submitted proof showing the reject messages that senders had got :
"receiver's domain btinternet.com has rejected your email to ......... due to policy." they denied it.
I told them that as a result of this I had suffered considerable inconvenience, not just loss of personal correspondence but also loss of a work contract, failure to receive e-tickets, bank statements, etc.

They offered me £5.

Eventually they admitted to, and solved, the problem.

[ian16th]

A few years ago my email provider, whom I won't name but Bloody Tossers is a clue, started blocking all emails coming from .co.za domain names or ZA IP addresses. They strenuously denied this and the call centre went through the rigmarole of :

"I must be asking you to check that your computer is switched on ...... there must be a fault in your settings ......etc."

Even when I submitted proof showing the reject messages that senders had got :
"receiver's domain btinternet.com has rejected your email to ......... due to policy." they denied it.
I told them that as a result of this I had suffered considerable inconvenience, not just loss of personal correspondence but also loss of a work contract, failure to receive e-tickets, bank statements, etc.

They offered me £5.

Eventually they admitted to, and solved, the problem.

Was the reason for this ever made public?

It was damned problematic.

[Capetonian]

Yes, they told me it was due to 'spammers and fraud'. Ironically they never stopped fraudulent scam emails from Nigeria or other West African shitholes.
You'd think that domain names such standardbank.co.za, flysaa.co.za, etc would be acceptable but they weren't, whereas emails from hilaryclinton423@hotmail.in and kofi_623_annan_united_nations@yahoo.th were passed through.
Tossers.

[llondel]

Many years ago I invested in my own domain name, so my email address is mine, and can be moved around as needed. I run my own mail server, so I have full control over what's allowed and what isn't.

[boing]

As I've mentioned before I use Protomail. There is a free version but we use a paid version for company business. We also use the VPN by the same company called ProtonVPN.

The e-mail messages between two Proton users, or a Proton user who provides the other party with a key, are encrypted. Stored e-mails are encrypted. Your contacts list is encrypted so customer addresses are secure and the contact list can't be used in spam attacks. You can have several pseudo e-mail addresses with folders for each so that e-mails are sorted to the correct box on receipt but they are all accessed from one log-in.

We can move our virtual address to almost anywhere in the World we want it to be. A few advertising based sites pick up on the VPN and block access but the answer to that is just screw-em because I can always find what I need elsewhere. Some ads. I don't block so it is funny to receive ads. for services near the VPN address when you are 2000 miles away.

I would really recommend taking a look at Protonmail. It takes a little more effort to set up as opposed to Google or Yahoo accounts but after this it works smoothly.

.

[Capetonian]

The problem I have is that my main .btinternet address is the one I use as the login for umpteen sites, banking, and so on. I know I can change them but the thought of another round of passwords and logins and call centres ad certified copies of my first dog's dick and so on puts me off doing this.

I started slowly moving across to gmail a few years ago but the user interface is *****, however it is reliable, but it is horribly intrusive.

A friend uses Protonmail. He thinks that Microsoft is a bug, the earth is flat, and that he could revolutionise the airline industry by charging the same fare for every seat on every 'plane on the same route. And yet he was able to set up a Protonmail account so it can't be that difficult.

[Boac]

I started slowly moving across to gmail a few years ago but the user interface is *sh*t*, however it is reliable, but it is horribly intrusive.

- what do you need to use the Google Mail interface for?

[Smeagol]

Slight thread drift. My internet provider, the (in)famous BT, has actually got something right!
After 3 complaints, registered end-to-end as they did not fix the problem the first two times, a visit from one of their broadband technicians has increased my download speed from around 1.6 to 6.5Mbps! Result.

[OFSO]

I use Classic Outlook Express, a small software house's retake on the original OE, connects perfectly to Gmail and you'd think you were back in good old XP days. Which in my case, I am.

[ian16th]

I use Mozilla Thunderbird as my e-mail client, it happily cooperates with my ZA Telkom address and my G-mail and Yahoo ones.

[jimtherev]

Another vote for Thunderbird. Nicely tweakable - tho' not totally intuitive - and stable.
Except when Mozilla decide it's time for another upgrade, when all the settings have to be reset again.

[Wodrick]

+1 for Tbird

[ian16th]

Just made a 100% recovery of Thunderbird files after a Win/10 upgrade fiasco!

After the Windows upgrade, I had a totally DEAD system.

Bought a new HDD installed Win/10 and started all over.

Installed Thunderbird and copied my Profile from the old HDD and it all works

[ian16th]

An Un-Rant!

SA’s critical internet cables are now fixed!

[G-CPTN]

I usually wake during the night needing to pee.
This is the earliest I've had to pee.