Receiving emails through webforms

BenHoughton · 12-27-2008, 02:33 AM

Hi guys,

First time poster here so excuse anything I do 'wrong'!

I've been having a website built thats been dogged by problems and one of them is that through the various webforms I don't always receive the emails and if I do then it takes days (literally) to come through. It doesn't go in to spam folders but curiously the forms work fine if the email address the autoresponders go to is a live.co.uk but not if they are gmail or ymail.

Any ideas so I can point the techie numpties building it in the right direction?

Thanks
Ben

daniel142005 · 12-29-2008, 12:39 PM

What programming language is the site designed in? It could be the server that is having the problem sending the mail, not necessarily the site. You could bypass sending email all together and just use a database to store the data, then you could just log in and it would be instantaneous.

BenHoughton · 12-30-2008, 12:25 AM

Hi Daniel,

Thank you for the reply.

I'm not sure what language the site is in. Basically I'm having a nightmare with this design company and I do have systems support background so I'm not entirely in the dark or indeed naive when it comes to IT but I've been fobbed off since last August for one thing or another and I've reached a point where I can't afford to wait any further.

The guys at the design company say they get there email and I am going to assume that as a business they'll use an exchange server. Again assuming that live.co.uk (Microsoft) uses the same kind of set up as Exchange I was wondering if there was somekind of pop3 setting the design team need to put in place.

I realise I'm somewhat fumbling around with details but as the core of the site involves receiving an email to confirm an online session it's no good if emails don't arrive or if they arrive days after the session was due to take place.

As for bypassing email, that would be great if not for two things:
1. The design company will charge a fortune for 'changing the design'
2. When clients register they are meant to receive an email with registration details which they currently aren't getting...(if its gmail/ymail)

Any help at all that I can throw at the design company will be great.

daniel142005 · 12-30-2008, 06:34 AM

Ah, well is it only Gmail/Ymail that do not receive the emails? Does hotmail and other email providers work? I assume the server is a microsoft server then since you mentioned exchange... I'm not too familiar with how windows sends email but maybe the server is not including certain headers that gmail/ymail require? or the server its sending from is blacklisted... Which has happened to a few sites I've seen.

BenHoughton · 12-30-2008, 07:47 AM

ok, live.co.uk receives emails which is micorsoft so I'm working on a lot of assumptions reference exchange. It does seem to be gmail/ymail so far that don't work however. I'm speaking to the designers on Friday so I was hoping to be armed with things.

neonjuice · 12-30-2008, 09:25 AM

Sounds to me that the site may be programmed with PHP since you mention that users can enter their details and recieve an email, that is a database in use right there. Though if you are on a Windows server it could be ASP.
In your browser URL, look at the end of your domain name and see if it ends with .PHP or .HTML soforth. That way we can know what language it is in.

I think you should look elsewhere for a new developer. No client should ever be treated like this by a company.

daniel142005 · 12-30-2008, 01:51 PM

The site is probably done in ASP/PHP, but there is also JSP, Python, Perl, etc. but I do agree with:

Quote:

Originally Posted by neonjuice

I think you should look elsewhere for a new developer. No client should ever be treated like this by a company.

Find a programming or web design freelance site, you may get a better deal.

BenHoughton · 01-03-2009, 12:33 AM

Yeah, I've been speaking to a lot of other companies who this place claim to have worked with and they have also had many issues. In one sense I am very lucky in that what I've paid is a lot less. These other guys have paid between 16k-50k each for there sites and are heading down the legal route.

Content wise my site looks on the right track and I do have control over that side. I just wonder if I do have the option to take what is there and get a freelancer in to finish the job. In terms of picking up someone elses code I don't know how easy that is.

12-27-2008, 02:33 AM	#1 (permalink)
BenHoughton Registered User Join Date: Dec 2008 Posts: 8 OS: xp sp3	Receiving emails through webforms Hi guys, First time poster here so excuse anything I do 'wrong'! I've been having a website built thats been dogged by problems and one of them is that through the various webforms I don't always receive the emails and if I do then it takes days (literally) to come through. It doesn't go in to spam folders but curiously the forms work fine if the email address the autoresponders go to is a live.co.uk but not if they are gmail or ymail. Any ideas so I can point the techie numpties building it in the right direction? Thanks Ben

12-29-2008, 12:39 PM	#2 (permalink)
daniel142005 Registered User Join Date: Dec 2008 Posts: 43 OS: Windows Vista x64	Re: Receiving emails through webforms What programming language is the site designed in? It could be the server that is having the problem sending the mail, not necessarily the site. You could bypass sending email all together and just use a database to store the data, then you could just log in and it would be instantaneous.

12-30-2008, 12:25 AM	#3 (permalink)
BenHoughton Registered User Join Date: Dec 2008 Posts: 8 OS: xp sp3	Re: Receiving emails through webforms Hi Daniel, Thank you for the reply. I'm not sure what language the site is in. Basically I'm having a nightmare with this design company and I do have systems support background so I'm not entirely in the dark or indeed naive when it comes to IT but I've been fobbed off since last August for one thing or another and I've reached a point where I can't afford to wait any further. The guys at the design company say they get there email and I am going to assume that as a business they'll use an exchange server. Again assuming that live.co.uk (Microsoft) uses the same kind of set up as Exchange I was wondering if there was somekind of pop3 setting the design team need to put in place. I realise I'm somewhat fumbling around with details but as the core of the site involves receiving an email to confirm an online session it's no good if emails don't arrive or if they arrive days after the session was due to take place. As for bypassing email, that would be great if not for two things: 1. The design company will charge a fortune for 'changing the design' 2. When clients register they are meant to receive an email with registration details which they currently aren't getting...(if its gmail/ymail) Any help at all that I can throw at the design company will be great.

12-30-2008, 06:34 AM	#4 (permalink)
daniel142005 Registered User Join Date: Dec 2008 Posts: 43 OS: Windows Vista x64	Re: Receiving emails through webforms Ah, well is it only Gmail/Ymail that do not receive the emails? Does hotmail and other email providers work? I assume the server is a microsoft server then since you mentioned exchange... I'm not too familiar with how windows sends email but maybe the server is not including certain headers that gmail/ymail require? or the server its sending from is blacklisted... Which has happened to a few sites I've seen.

12-30-2008, 07:47 AM	#5 (permalink)
BenHoughton Registered User Join Date: Dec 2008 Posts: 8 OS: xp sp3	Re: Receiving emails through webforms ok, live.co.uk receives emails which is micorsoft so I'm working on a lot of assumptions reference exchange. It does seem to be gmail/ymail so far that don't work however. I'm speaking to the designers on Friday so I was hoping to be armed with things.

12-30-2008, 09:25 AM	#6 (permalink)
neonjuice Registered User Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Minnesota Posts: 115 OS: Vista Ultimate 64 bit SP1. Linux Ubuntu, XP Pro	Re: Receiving emails through webforms Sounds to me that the site may be programmed with PHP since you mention that users can enter their details and recieve an email, that is a database in use right there. Though if you are on a Windows server it could be ASP. In your browser URL, look at the end of your domain name and see if it ends with .PHP or .HTML soforth. That way we can know what language it is in. I think you should look elsewhere for a new developer. No client should ever be treated like this by a company. Last edited by neonjuice; 12-30-2008 at 09:26 AM.

01-03-2009, 12:33 AM	#8 (permalink)
BenHoughton Registered User Join Date: Dec 2008 Posts: 8 OS: xp sp3	Re: Receiving emails through webforms Yeah, I've been speaking to a lot of other companies who this place claim to have worked with and they have also had many issues. In one sense I am very lucky in that what I've paid is a lot less. These other guys have paid between 16k-50k each for there sites and are heading down the legal route. Content wise my site looks on the right track and I do have control over that side. I just wonder if I do have the option to take what is there and get a freelancer in to finish the job. In terms of picking up someone elses code I don't know how easy that is.