Virgin Media dont support Outlook

[Peter_]

Originally Posted by BenMcr

But Virgin might be forced to do basic support for programs like Thunderbird and Opera - especially with the browser ballot screen that is likely to be in W7

Opera is a browser not a mail client and I think Firefox would be supported well before that gets supported.

[moaningmags]

If Virgin start to support Microsoft Outlook people will complain that Thunderbird or Incredimail isn't supported.
Do we then support them all, pick and choose or stick with what's installed with your OS?

[Stuart]

Originally Posted by Sir John Luke

Be interesting to see what VM do about e-mail support when they start supporting Windows 7, then.

Just to clarify, I think it is perfectly understandable and acceptable that VM only support the most common OS and e-mail client. I just think it is a bit disingenuous to claim this is purely because they 'don't support third-part software'.

I suspect they'll just point people to the "use Windows Live" option in 7, which downloads Windows Mail.

Originally Posted by Onclejean

With regard to John T's last post, I understand his position but personally conclude that Virgin are wrong about the way they respond to customers who want to use Outlook as the email client. Outlook is the email client for about half the INTERNET users according to a July 2009 survey (this includes versions back to Outlook for Dos). On the other hand Virgin is the preferred ISP of only a minority of users according to a similar 2009 survey around the same date. Virgin could at least inform its customers that if they first setup email using Outlook Express then they can easily copy the settings into Outlook. It is childish to respond that "Outlook is third party software and not supported". This seems a different class of problem to John T's example of router configuration, I guess the majority of users do not need to know anything about that, though the growth wireless networks is pushing the knowledge forward.

My conclusion is that for a long time cable ISP's were principally concerned with the supply of TV media and did not bother much about internet customers, though competition from the mobile sector may be changing this.

In the end a matter of choice in your ISP, I suppose. if you are not a TV client.

Have you a link to this survey? Last I checked, Virgin were one of the largest (if not 2nd Largest) ISPs in the country. You don't get in that position by being the preferred ISP of a minority.

---------- Post added at 15:59 ---------- Previous post was at 15:58 ----------

Originally Posted by Moldova

Opera is a browser not a mail client and I think Firefox would be supported well before that gets supported.

Opera has a very capable Mail client built in.

[Peter_]

Originally Posted by moaningmags

If Virgin start to support Microsoft Outlook people will complain that Thunderbird or Incredimail isn't supported.
Do we then support them all, pick and choose or stick with what's installed with your OS?

If we had to support every mail client used by customers then we would be spending to much time on every email call just googling for the setup instructions, which we all know is not going to happen.

---------- Post added at 16:02 ---------- Previous post was at 16:00 ----------

Originally Posted by Stuart C

Opera has a very capable Mail client built in.

I am aware of that but as a browser Firefox is more likely to be supported before Opera.

[BenMcr]

We are taking about e-mail here

I said Thunderbird and Opera as they the only non-Microsoft programs that I can think of that will be likely be part of the browser ballot and include e-mail options (though I am aware Thunderbird is seperate to Firefox)

Neither Safari or Chrome have one included

Virgin will have a difficult justifying not covering basic support for all those in the ballot screen

[dev]

Originally Posted by Moldova

Opera is a browser not a mail client and I think Firefox would be supported well before that gets supported.

Opera is more of an internet suite than a browser

As for the topic, VM shouldn't really support any application imo. The customer picks the e-mail client so it's up to the customer to know how to use it, it is of course up to VM to provide things like POP3 / SMTP settings to the customer but not up to VM to tell the customer where to put them.

[Peter_]

Originally Posted by BenMcr

Virgin will have a difficult justifying not covering basic support for all those in the ballot screen

---------- Post added at 16:50 ---------- Previous post was at 16:49 ----------

I think that has been answered below

Originally Posted by dev

As for the topic, VM shouldn't really support any application imo. The customer picks the e-mail client so it's up to the customer to know how to use it, it is of course up to VM to provide things like POP3 / SMTP settings to the customer but not up to VM to tell the customer where to put them.

For Virgin to support all POP3 clients the would have to be training and backup and the cost would outweigh the benefits of such support, I think Dev says it all we provide the details required as at present and you set up your own email client.

[moaningmags]

For virgin to provide training for all available e-mail clients and security software we're asked to configure on a daily basis we'd be looking at losing the freephone number for tech and making it chargeable again and no customer wants a return to that never mind us in technical support.

[Peter_]

Originally Posted by moaningmags

For virgin to provide training for all available e-mail clients and security software we're asked to configure on a daily basis we'd be looking at losing the freephone number for tech and making it chargeable again and no customer wants a return to that never mind us in technical support.

Exactly who out there wants to go back to 25ppm as of 14 months ago just so we can help you set up your email, which as it is not be a fault the would be no refunding of the call charges, so do you want to pay £5 for me and Mags and the rest of our colleagues to help you set up your product?.

I thought not!!

[Jon T]

@ Onclejean

My "position" is that of an IT Technician with just under 10 years experience in everything from domestic computing to working at a multi-site large local authority and it's partner housing association.

Half of the internet uses outlook, source please. A big part of business use may be centred around Microsoft Outlook/Exchange, but there's a good percentage of businesses that are also based on other email/group ware applications such an Lotus Notes/Domino.

However, we aren't talking about businesses........in a residential environment most people use Outlook, err I think not, Outlook Express maybe, but not full Outlook.

Regarding my router "argument/angle", sorry, same thing. Your argument was that Outlook was such an important program to support, that virgin should support it. Well, in this day and age of every home having a multitude of devices that are capable of accessing the internet, don't you think Virgin should support all popular router types, they are of immense importance, you could argue that they are immeasurably more important that an email client, as without them you haven't got a connection to the device to receive or send email.

Also, i have to ask myself, has this thread run it's course, the forum is not owned/run/hosted by Virgin Media, they aren't going to alter their support offerings for one(maybe a couple) of people posting on an independent forum. We seem to just be going round in circles.

[Brighteyes]

I look and type questions in Google and I came upon this thread. It wasn't answered and I spent 2 hours looking for help. Found it. To get successful outlook express 6 mail with Netgear modems follow the instructions on the step by step guide on the below virgin web page. Don't forget to delete all previous online accounts in servers before you start or it will go to previous servers and it won't work. It's still not explained in their instructions and I have just got a Netgear adsl2 D0834G v5 router in March 2010 !!!

http://help.virginmedia.com/system/s...TICLE_ID=37917
.

[ThunderPants73]

I used Outlook on my XP machine and had no issues with my ntl email account, then along came Windows 7 and bye bye.

People do realise that Outlook and Outlook Express are different, don't they?

[Kellargh]

I'm seriously facepalming hard on this thread. Double facepalming actually.

[Brighteyes]

It's all right for you geeks who work in the media and know a bit about computers, but us numpties find these things difficult when we have been used to a landline modem. It's also expensive when virgin help is on a prime charging number. Even then I have got and you might get a numpty working for Virgin. It wasn't in the Netgear instruction book or cd either on changing settings for email.

[Kellargh]

Originally Posted by Brighteyes

It's also expensive when virgin help is on a prime charging number.

Sorry...what?

I don't know how to use my fridge, maybe I should call the electrician?