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EarthLink Is Losing a Lot of Email

LandGator writes "Robert X. Cringely, doyen compu-columnist for PBS, reports on a hidden e-mail problem at Earthlink: They're losing up to 9 messages out of 10, found as a result of a friend's testing." From the article: "He sent messages from other accounts to his Earthlink address, to his aliased Blackberry address, and to his Gmail account. For every 10 messages sent, 1-2 arrived in his Earthlink mailbox, 1-2 (not necessarily the SAME 1-2) on his Blackberry, and all 10 arrived with Gmail. Swimming upstream through Earthlink customer support, my buddy finally found a technical contact who freely acknowledged the problem. Since June, he was told, Earthlink's mail system has been so overloaded that some users have been missing up to 90 percent of their incoming e-mail. It isn't bounced back to senders; it just disappears. And Earthlink hasn't mentioned the problem to these affected customers unless they complain."

17 of 291 comments (clear)

  1. They DID notify customers by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    However, it was via email.

  2. "Nothing for you to see here..." by Atlantis-Rising · · Score: 4, Funny

    Is earthlink hosting slashdot?!

    --
    "It is possible to commit no errors and still lose. That is not a weakness. That is life." -Peak Performance
  3. Lucky for Earthlink Customers! by Timtimes · · Score: 5, Funny

    Less spam. Enjoy.

    --
    This ain't no upwardly mobile freeway This is the road to hell
  4. She loves me not by Joebert · · Score: 5, Funny

    My luck, the one email this chick got from me, was the one with me telling her off for not answering the other 9.

    --
    Wanna fight ? Bend over, stick your head up your ass, and fight for air.
  5. Is this 1998? by Otter · · Score: 4, Funny
    1) I didn't know EarthLink was still around.

    2) I didn't know Cringely was still around.

    If it hadn't been for the reference to GMail, I'd be wondering if this story had been sitting in the queue since 1998. Now, off to buy some LNUX shares, and one of those Tommy Hilfiger straps to hang my keys around my neck!

    1. Re:Is this 1998? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny
      ... have asked you 100s of times ...

       
      Uh, you haven't been e-mailing those requests by any chance? If so, he may only have received "as few as" ten of those requests...
  6. Earthlink has ties to Scientology by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny
    Reason enough not to get your service from Earthlink.

    Latest dropped message:
    MAIL FROM:xenu@earthlink.com
    RCPT TO:tomcruise@earthlink.com
    DATA
    From: "Evil Lord Xenu" <xenu@earthlink.com>
    To: "Tom Cruise" <tomcruise@earthlink.com>
    Subject: Brainwashing

    You stink!
    .
  7. When asked about the email problems... by clickety6 · · Score: 3, Funny

    ... an Earthlink representative said that he had received no notice of any email problems. Next question please.

    --
    ----------------------------------- My Other Sig Is Hilarious -----------------------------------
  8. The problem, of course, is... by captnjameskirk · · Score: 2, Funny

    ...their tubes are clogged!

  9. They must have hired the BOFH by TheWoozle · · Score: 3, Funny

    and he just piped the e-mail to /dev/null. All that e-mail was taking up too much disk space, anyways.

    --
    Insisting on "correct" English is like saying that there is only one, definitive recipe for chili.
  10. Problems because researchers are swamping by LiquidCoooled · · Score: 1, Funny

    Its a self fulfilling profacy.
    The email isn't working so you test it by sending 10 at a time?

    Niiiiiiiiiiiiiiice, thats like noticing google is fucked and opening 10 browser windows at once.

    So of fucking course they are having problems because all these "researchers" are hammering their systems 24/7.

    --
    liqbase :: faster than paper
    1. Re:Problems because researchers are swamping by RedOregon · · Score: 1, Funny

      Good lord. If a mail server gets overloaded by 10 emails...

      NOW it might be getting hit by people, since the article is out, but I hope to gawd his 10 email tests wouldn't cause problems!!!

      The clue store is open...

      --
      Skivvy Niner? Email me!
      HEY! Look left just ONE MORE TIME!
  11. Great! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Statisticly, 9 out of 10 emails I get I don't want anyway. I'm signing up for Earthlink right now.

  12. Re:Says a lot.. by Mr.+Underbridge · · Score: 3, Funny

    I turn green up to 9 out of 10 times I take a shower

    Can I watch?

  13. Here's the root of the problem by vmxeo · · Score: 4, Funny

    Have you seen the commercials? They've off-shored half their jobs to magic-fairytale land. They've probably got some under trained ogre for an email admin who stands around the water cooler all day chatting with the fairies. Sure, it's a lot cheaper when you can pay your staff in pixie dust, but you end up getting bitten by poor customer service (I had to call them the other day, and the customer service rep had such a thick elven accent I could barely understand him). Outsourcing just doesn't work...

  14. Re:Lost e-mail? WHAT THE HECK? by parkrrrr · · Score: 5, Funny

    "Loose" is clearly spelled with two Os. "Lose," on the other hand, is spelled with one.

  15. Re:Lost e-mail? WHAT THE HECK? by parkrrrr · · Score: 3, Funny

    One might note that, but one would be wrong. The "no apostrophes for plurals" rule doesn't go on vacation just because it's a single letter.

    There are style guides that disagree on this point, granted, but the ones that disagree with me are self-evidently wrong.