Spark no longer provides support for its email

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nunz

1421 posts

Uber Geek
Inactive user

#205314 8-Nov-2016 16:38

Clients email just stopped working. An @spark email address.

Spark has told me the following:

1 - They only provide support to A - Get you onto the internet and B connect to the web mail using a web browser. nothing more.

2 - They will not provide the names of the mail server, or ports or other information

3 - They "do not provide support for third party applications that are not affiliated with spark." ( e.g outlook, eudora, line mail, mac mail etc etc etc)

4 - You need to phone microsoft to get them to remote into your pc and set up your email for you but you may be charged for it.

5 - Spark will remote in and do the set up for you but if you are not able to follow the information provided ( see below) then you wil be charged for them to do it.

6 - The information provided below tells you to "

- ....Follow the Check Xtra POP Settings

Please note there are no Xtra Pop Settings in the email, there are no links to them and they do not provide those Xtra Pop Settings (or iMap)

What a joke - they are having hundreds of issues with hundreds of users but wont give you port, server or other information - as long as your web mail works you are done - their support ends there.

I phoned Microsoft. They are swamped by calls.

What Spark wont tell you is you need to:

Change your mail server to be pop.mail.yahoo.com instead of pop3.xtra.co.nz - I assume the smtp and imap settings will be standard yahoo mail server settings.

Use your full address e.g joe.bloggs@xtra.co.nz instead of just joe.bloggs as your log in name.

I remember when the change from MSN to yahoo happened. The migration is not officially started and already its messing things up.

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

637 posts

Ultimate Geek
Inactive user

#1665911 8-Nov-2016 17:35

I got a email today saying they started to move from yahoo to the new system

so I expect some outage and account locking on email while its happening..

I think the email will stay the same.. dont they just copy the hash value from db to db?

the email ports and address should be the same

what is is by memory pop3.xtra.co.nz (port ssl 995?)

send.xtra.co.nz (port 465?)

can look up if need it

and yes you can bypass using yahoo settings but not sure how it will mess up the transfer

maybe better to switch to gmail until sure its migrated.. for now my xtra email is working

wondering if they go by name in alphabetic order?

chevrolux

4962 posts

Uber Geek
Inactive user

#1665917 8-Nov-2016 17:48

No good reason to use @xtra. I don't care how long people have had it, they are just annoying.

Here is what Spark support should say..

1. Register a domain

2. Set it up with Office365/Google/OneNet/Whatever

3. Forward Xtra address to new address. And set up auto-reply to tell people of new address.

4. Delete xtra mailbox after one month.

kiwigeek1

637 posts

Ultimate Geek
Inactive user

#1665931 8-Nov-2016 18:07

Now its finally moving to a local email server after all the issues .. so maybe keeping it makes sense now

what is not CLEAR is once moved do they auto delete the yahoo or just it become

yourname as it stands@yahoo.com

and can still use it?

mattwnz

20141 posts

Uber Geek

#1665957 8-Nov-2016 18:53

I can kind of understand their position. I would think that more than 50% of support tickets are for email, which is a service people aren't really paying for anyway. But a lot of people do stay with spark, because of the xtra email address, so they don't want to lose it. But I guess they can't have it both ways. By only supporting webmail makes a lot of sense, as they have 100% control over whether people can access that or not. 99% of problems people have with email (no including Yahoo) who are using software like outlook aren't to do with the email provider, but with the users own computer, the settings are wrong, or a network problem.

I don't understand how Microsoft comes into providing support at all. They provide the OS, and in some cases, they sell people outlook, but many people use other email clients as well.

MadEngineer

4271 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#1665969 8-Nov-2016 19:11

Every time a sign writer prints @xtra.co.nz, God kills a kitten.

You're not on Atlantis anymore, Duncan Idaho.

Technofreak

6530 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#1665970 8-Nov-2016 19:12

chevrolux:

No good reason to use @xtra. I don't care how long people have had it, they are just annoying.

I don't follow your reasoning and don't understand why you make such a comment. You make it sound your option is so much more superior, which it isn't.

I have good reason to keep using Xtra.

It works
I don't have to spend forever updating all the on line accounts that use that address. In fact there are probably some where I have used it as the Password retrieval address that I would forget to update, then I'm screwed if I ever need to retrieve a password.
Why change something that works?

Sony Xperia XA2 running Sailfish OS. https://sailfishos.org The true independent open source mobile OS
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richms

28168 posts

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Lifetime subscriber

#1665973 8-Nov-2016 19:16

Technofreak:

I don't follow your reasoning and don't understand why you make such a comment. You make it sound your option is so much more superior, which it isn't.

I have good reason to keep using Xtra.

It works
I don't have to spend forever updating all the on line accounts that use that address. In fact there are probably some where I have used it as the Password retrieval address that I would forget to update, then I'm screwed if I ever need to retrieve a password.
Why change something that works?

It clearly doesnt work or the OP wouldnt be seeking support information inorder to make it work.

IMO this is a great move if true. Use the webmail or GTFO the platform, if webmail doesnt work its a server side issue they can fix, if it does work then not a mail service provider problem.

Richard rich.ms

Equinox IT

Cloud spending continues to surge globally, but most organisations haven’t made the changes necessary to maximise the value and cost-efficiency benefits of their cloud investments. Download the whitepaper From Overspend to Advantage now.

RunningMan

8953 posts

Uber Geek

#1665976 8-Nov-2016 19:20

But surely it's not unreasonable for them to provide basic server setting info such as IMAP & SMTP server addresses? If they're going to the effort of writing info in a support ticket, then providing a link to web page or other resource that has a list of common settings seems pretty reasonable.

richms

28168 posts

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Lifetime subscriber

#1665977 8-Nov-2016 19:22

With the moving of mailboxes and stuff that information may be subject to change or something as the move happens. Its a free addon for an internet connection so I can understand wanting to put as little as possible into the effort in supporting it.

Richard rich.ms

RunningMan

8953 posts

Uber Geek

#1665982 8-Nov-2016 19:27

There's a GZ thread here http://www.geekzone.co.nz/forums.asp?forumid=39&topicid=202005 with details of the changes. I haven't gone through it, but presumably they have published something detailing what settings people need to alter and when.

clinty

1182 posts

Uber Geek

Lifetime subscriber

#1665987 8-Nov-2016 19:34

Details are here
Pop and smtp shouldn't chnage unless they are using old ones

Only IMAP needs adjusting

Clint

mattwnz

20141 posts

Uber Geek

#1665991 8-Nov-2016 19:43

Technofreak:

I have good reason to keep using Xtra.

It works
I don't have to spend forever updating all the on line accounts that use that address. In fact there are probably some where I have used it as the Password retrieval address that I would forget to update, then I'm screwed if I ever need to retrieve a password.
Why change something that works?

1 &3 It doesn't always work though. I know people who regularly can't access it and get a popup login box in outlook whenever outlook tries to check it. I have had this problem myself, especially in peak hours. I infact had a client today with this same problem. I wonder how much time and money that third parties have spent on trying to help clients who use xtra email address. I know in recent years I would have spent 10's of hours at least.

da5id

550 posts

Ultimate Geek
Inactive user

#1666048 8-Nov-2016 21:17

Off topic a little bit (sorry).

With the changeover of email away from Yahoo! to the local servers, does anyone know if the disposable email addresses will still work?

(eg, webmail, accessed from the cog at upper right, Settings -> Security).

ubernoob

576 posts

Ultimate Geek

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#1666821 9-Nov-2016 19:20

have you tried downloading and running their "Broadband Assist" tool?

http://www.spark.co.nz/help/internet-email/getstarted/setup-and-troubleshoot-my-broadband-wireless-and-email/

nunz

1421 posts

Uber Geek
Inactive user

#1667255 10-Nov-2016 11:16

kiwigeek1:

I got a email today saying they started to move from yahoo to the new system

so I expect some outage and account locking on email while its happening..

I think the email will stay the same.. dont they just copy the hash value from db to db?

the email ports and address should be the same

what is is by memory pop3.xtra.co.nz (port ssl 995?)

send.xtra.co.nz (port 465?)

can look up if need it

and yes you can bypass using yahoo settings but not sure how it will mess up the transfer

maybe better to switch to gmail until sure its migrated.. for now my xtra email is working

wondering if they go by name in alphabetic order?

For some users pop3.xtra.co.nz no longer works - end of story. Until SPark completes migration you will have to use

pop.mail.yahoo.com / SSL / Port 995

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