We're launching our brand new Virgin Media Mail!

[Stuart]

Originally Posted by ratspeaker

I can tell from the large amount of unsolicited spam mails for viagra exactly how email is used today.

And a lot of those emails come from virus infected PCs. Some of those viruses were distrbuted as executable attachments on emails.

I can also tell that the Internet is now a shopping arcade and the PC a consumer device akin to a DVD player.

Yes, it is. It would not have had much of a future otherwise.

I doesn't change the fact that I am the customer and as a customer I am not getting what I pay Virgin Media for, especially since their services are overpriced compared to the competition.

In terms of your email, I don't think that the contract you agreed to says anywhere that they will not use 3rd parties to handle the email. Nor do I believe that they have ever specifically said you can send executables through the email.

So I will take my business to any company that will give me what I require. Since my so called 10meg connection only gives me 3 or 4 meg on a good day with wind in the right direction, I may as well move to adsl. To a company that respects the customer and gives them what they pay for. Goodnight Gents = I'm off before this becomes a flame war ;#}

If you have speed issues, then that is (IMO) a valid reason to leave VM.

Although, depending on how many virus infected PCs VM have on your local network, then this measure could help improve the speed.

[Peter_]

Originally Posted by ratspeaker

Of course it doesn't matter that yet again Virgin Media are reducing what they give the customer, unilaterally, and selling this reduction in service as a feature. I don't pay Google for my mail service I pay Virgin Media and I expect the mail service they sold me when I signed up, not what they now think I should now have. As for the poor mites who get infected by stupidly running attachments, they should put the P.C. back in the box and take it back to the store and tell the sales person that they are too stupid to own a computer and could they please have their money back. Its a PC, not an Internet entertainment box, it should require a degree of technical expertise to use! Personally, for me this is the last straw, I am migrating all my services elsewhere, that should hit virgin in the pocket. They can no longer supply what I require at a price I am prepared to pay.

If you as a super duper technical person are not using something along the the lines of your own domain email address or one from the likes of www.gmx.com then I wonder how much of an expert you really are as you think you must swap ISP over a free email service that you are not required to use.

[Captain W]

Originally Posted by Broadbandings

You evidently haven't seen the issues with the ex-Blue Yonder email platform recently, nor the problems historically with the ex-ntl one. This will provide a more stable, reliable and better service to the vast majority of users. That it may inconvenience a tiny minority who may wish to send these files is a non-issue........

You obviously haven't used GMail, or Google's Corporate version for Sky - both have had issues over the last couple of years, from lockouts to sights and servers going down - I'm speaking from experience and not hearsay

Hopefully, you or Virgin's customer's aren't plagued by the problems we have experienced - in fact just last week, we had issues with a very slow access and timeing out stating their was an 'Internet Connection Problem' - this lasted about 4 or 5 days and was the same issue on Sky's Email & Tools and GMail, both in our office and at home. It is a shame as I like their services.

Back on the topic of sending files - I totally understand why they've done this and have to agree with the majority, if you'd like to send such files, perhaps you should look for a business service that will allow you to do this. Out of interest, the ntl:Telewest broadband/telephony business service - do they supply email services and will that move the same way?

[APS]

Enforcing blocking of vulnerable attachments is really a backstop for the inadequacies of the AV scanning VM (and now Goggle/Postini) already do.

We use Postini at work and have had one or two viruses get through (the fast changing types). In recent times they have advised turning on file blocking, which for their corporate service is configurable down to an individual file type/user level. I would not expect VM to allow that level of configuration to home users though.

[Sirius]

Originally Posted by Captain W

You obviously haven't used GMail, or Google's Corporate version for Sky - both have had issues over the last couple of years, from lockouts to sights and servers going down - I'm speaking from experience and not hearsay

Hopefully, you or Virgin's customer's aren't plagued by the problems we have experienced - in fact just last week, we had issues with a very slow access and timeing out stating their was an 'Internet Connection Problem' - this lasted about 4 or 5 days and was the same issue on Sky's Email & Tools and GMail, both in our office and at home. It is a shame as I like their services.

Back on the topic of sending files - I totally understand why they've done this and have to agree with the majority, if you'd like to send such files, perhaps you should look for a business service that will allow you to do this. Out of interest, the ntl:Telewest broadband/telephony business service - do they supply email services and will that move the same way?

I use gmail and have not had any of the problems you have had ????

[Toto]

Originally Posted by ratspeaker

Firstly, I'm sure Virgin Media would like us all to consider that we pay them just for Internet connectivity, and that email, usenet access, webspace etc are free add ons. It doesn't change the fact that I signed up for an advertised package that had a specification. Ie I pay X beer-tokens and Virgin give me what they advertised at the time I signed up. These days they are reducing their service to suit the masses who do not demand the same technical facilities as the savvy user, boosting their profits at the same time.

I don't consider my attitude arrogant and condescending. The P.C. was designed to be a general purpose computing device and the Internet a medium for the exchange of information. I would argue that Microsoft, Apple etc have warped the purpose of these things for rampant commercial reasons to the detriment of everyone. The P.C. has been dumbed down and sold as an Internet Entertainment System and the Internet reduced to a parody of the high street containing mass advertising and dwindling content of any real worth. Facts that I find quite sad really.

Yes I have had a few so called speed upgrades. I don't get whats advertised, if I use what I pay for I get throttled whoops I mean traffic managed. So I will move my services because Virgin can no longer or are unwilling to supply the service I require. That's not because my demands have changed thats because Virgin Media have unilaterally changed the terms of my contract to my detriment in order to pander to what they perceive as the mass market.

No disrespect meant here ratspeaker, but I really do believe you are throwing out the baby with the bathwater.

Virgin Media have to invest a large sum of operating costs into the maintenance of email services, with about half of their residential email service in desperate need of an overhaul - I am refering to the Blueyonder email platform, and a trawl through the VM newsgroups will show how bad that service is.

The fact of the matter is that VM need to invest in all aspects of its service, and reducing operation costs in a particular service whilst offering an improvement in such a service is what all networks would aspire to.

A unified email platform can realize operational cost savings, real savings, and these can be moved into other areas.

If you want to leave Virgin just because a flaky email system is being moved over to a more substantial system then fine, but I am not sure there's a decent alternative overall.

[Ignitionnet]

Originally Posted by Captain W

You obviously haven't used GMail, or Google's Corporate version for Sky - both have had issues over the last couple of years, from lockouts to sights and servers going down - I'm speaking from experience and not hearsay

Hopefully, you or Virgin's customer's aren't plagued by the problems we have experienced - in fact just last week, we had issues with a very slow access and timeing out stating their was an 'Internet Connection Problem' - this lasted about 4 or 5 days and was the same issue on Sky's Email & Tools and GMail, both in our office and at home. It is a shame as I like their services.

I've been using Gmail since 2004. I've had one or two instances of brief issues in that time. There have been multiple issues recently with the BlueYonder exchange cluster and the ex-ntl email platform I am very familiar with and I'm not going to go into why it had its' issues in too much depth.

Either way YMMV I've had next to no issues at all with GMail in over 5 years of usage.

[Sirius]

Originally Posted by Broadbandings

I've been using Gmail since 2004. I've had one or two instances of brief issues in that time. There have been multiple issues recently with the BlueYonder exchange cluster and the ex-ntl email platform I am very familiar with and I'm not going to go into why it had its' issues in too much depth.

Either way YMMV I've had next to no issues at all with GMail in over 5 years of usage.

Gmail does what it says on the tin simple as that. Its never let me down.

[Toto]

Originally Posted by Sirius

Gmail does what it says on the tin simple as that. Its never let me down.

Yes, spot on.

[AndyCambs]

Gmail for me has the advantages of a more accurate spam filter than other service providers, plus IMAP which means irrespective of which computer I use for mail (laptop, desktop, or work computer) all my mails are filed the same and accessible.

That's why I currently use Gmail as a preference to Virgin Mail - and have the Virgin mail pulled into the Gmail.

My parents are also forever deleting something accidentally from their Outlook -and this should assist.

Overall I think Virgin have a good move - outsource to someone who has a decent product and offer more and better services.

[Ignitionnet]

They did it for the newsgroups and I think the general response has been very positive. Outsource non-core activity to experts and specialists, simples.

[Sephiroth]

Originally Posted by Broadbandings

They did it for the newsgroups and I think the general response has been very positive. Outsource non-core activity to experts and specialists, simples.

How about they outsource their core stuff to experts!

[Gengee]

Does anyone know when in January this is expected to happen ? I have read the thread, and looked on the Virgin site, all I can see is a vague 'January' and you will know because we have sent you an e-mail

Later

Gengee

[Captain W]

Originally Posted by Sirius

I use gmail and have not had any of the problems you have had ????

... and what difference does that make????

[Sirius]

Originally Posted by Captain W

... and what difference does that make????

Just saying that not everyone has a problem with it . And as you seem to think i should not have posted what i have . What has Skys email got to do with a Virgin customer ???

You obviously haven't used GMail, or Google's Corporate version for Sky - both have had issues over the last couple of years, from lockouts to sights and servers going down - I'm speaking from experience and not hearsay

Just because Sky has these problems does not mean that VM will have the same problems.