April 20, 2004

2:31 PM

1and1 Webmail problem: For the last several days, the webmail for my domain at 1and1 has been inaccessible. Specifically, I can log in, and I can send email, but I cannot view my inbox. More inside.
posted by gd779 to (12 comments total)

For the past several days, webmail access to my domain has been unavailable. Specifically, I am able to log in and send email, but I am generally unable to view my inbox. When I try, I get the following message: "One moment, please. Loading e-mails... If you run into trouble, please use your local mail client."

The screen can stay like that for hours. On the few occassions when, after a very long delay, my inbox has become visible, I get a similar message after trying to check an individual email. I have reproduced this behavior on multiple computers and from multiple networks, using IE 6. Using a local email client is, unfortunately, not an option for many users of this domain.

I have two questions: First, is this specific to my account or are others experiencing similar problems? (I know that, like me, many MeFites grabbed the free promotional domain at 1and1). Second, does anyone know what might be causing this or how it might be resolved?

Thanks in advance.
posted by gd779 at 2:33 PM on April 20, 2004

This might be a really stupid suggestion, but how about you ask them? I suspect they have more information on what's going on than all of MeFi put together.
posted by fvw at 2:37 PM on April 20, 2004

I haven't had that problem. Let me check right now...

Nope, no problem. (Although it says "Hint: This mailbox contains no emails.")

FVW, he's asking here because (assuming he got the free intro plan like me) there's no hope in hell of getting a timely response from them.

Not that I blame them, really. After all, it's free.
posted by Ethereal Bligh at 2:41 PM on April 20, 2004

No problem here.
posted by muckster at 2:57 PM on April 20, 2004

Mine works. I sent an email here beforehand and it showed up. Can you access your email with an email client? (You said that's not an option for many users, but just to test it.) How about your website on that domain? Have you done anything that would lead 1and1 to restrict your access (i.e., violate the TOA)? When you say "many users", how many mailboxes have you assigned -- more than the limit? Have any of those users exceeded the mailbox size limit?
posted by joaquim at 3:55 PM on April 20, 2004

Nope, no problem... No problem here

Okay, thanks that's helpful information. Unless someone else is experiencing this problem, I will be able to isolate it to my particular account. If anybody else with a 1and1 account that could confirm/deny this problem, I would appreciate it.

how about you ask them? I suspect they have more information on what's going on than all of MeFi put together.

1and1 apparently never responds to customer service emails. But a lot of MetaFilter members got free accounts - I think I even heard about the promotion through MetaFilter in the first place.
posted by gd779 at 3:56 PM on April 20, 2004

It's possible that there's a problem with your inbox that messes up webmail but wouldn't mess up POP. Then you could dl the mail and it might be fixed.
posted by Ethereal Bligh at 6:06 PM on April 20, 2004

such an on going problem at 1and1....email email email. just wait it out it always gets fixed.
posted by BrodieShadeTree at 7:39 PM on April 20, 2004

Can you access your email with an email client?

Sort of. I receive some emails but not others, with no apparent rhyme or reason. I'm trying to download some messages on the theory this this will clear the problem up, but no luck so far. At least I know it's limited to this domain, and is not a common behavior among other 1and1 accounts. That's useful.

How about your website on that domain?

There is no website currently on that domain.

Have you done anything that would lead 1and1 to restrict your access (i.e., violate the TOA)?

I can't imagine so. It's just used for email.

When you say "many users", how many mailboxes have you assigned -- more than the limit? Have any of those users exceeded the mailbox size limit?

Just one user at this point - I just got the domain started, and hadn't rolled it out to the rest. However, that one user has somehow managed to collect about 400 emails in a very short period of time, and she hadn't bothered to delete any of them. It's therefore possible, though unlikely, that she is over her storage quote of 50MB. But why the penalty for going over the storage limit would be to lock you out of the inbox entirely, without warning or notice that this has occurred, I certainly could not guess.
posted by gd779 at 9:50 PM on April 20, 2004

Not that it would help you, but I am fortunate in that the 1and1 customer service center in the USA is located...in my building!!! I admit I kind of freaked a little when I realized their contact info was the same as my contact info.
posted by stupidsexyFlanders at 11:14 AM on April 21, 2004

The situation has been resolved. Once I realized that the problem was specifically related to my domain, I made the effort to download all the emails through an email client and clean them off the server. This solved the problem.

So 1and1 handles accounts with large amounts of email by making them inaccessible by webmail, and by making them sporadically accessible through an email client. So much for failing gracefully.

Thanks, all!
posted by gd779 at 12:25 PM on April 21, 2004

You know, I forgot to mention, 1and1's phone support is actually pretty good. Not sure if you tried doing that, but
the hold time is reasonable and you actually do get someone live to talk to.
posted by stupidsexyFlanders at 12:56 PM on April 21, 2004