I am going to kill someone

[Mercutio]

Outlook 2003.
Google Apps for domains.

Four users. Their settings are all correct according to Google. I've removed the Antivirus software they were using from their PCs entirely. I've deleted and recreated their Outlook profiles. I've deleted and recreated their PSTs. Besides the E-mail scanner, they have no other add-ins that could impact message transport.

They are using POP e-mail. They don't like IMAP because of the brief delay while a message opens, and aren't even willing to discuss the webmail client.

About 90% of the E-mail they said works fine.
The other 10% of the time, the messages just sit in their Outbox.

Outlook mail logging makes it look like Outlook isn't even trying to send the stuck messages.

Sometimes the messages send on exit. Sometimes they don't.
Sometimes Gmail prompts them for a password for no reason that I can tell.

I'd love, dearly LOVE, to just make them ditch Outlook. I don't have these problems in Thunderbird. They want Outlook. They paid for it. They think they should have it.

Fine.
But I'm going to drive to Redmond to personally strangle as many developers who worked on Outlook as I can before I'm killed in a hail of gunfire by Washington's finest. And I'm using whichever Outlook-programming bastard I happen to be killing right at that moment as a human shield.

 

[ddrueding]

For what it's worth, I had just as many issues using Outlook 2003 IMAP with Google apps for domains. Considering how easy it is with Thunderbird, Mac Mail, and the webclient, I think the blame rests firmly with MS.

 

[Mercutio]

You are not helping my murderous rage at the moment.

 

[ddrueding]

You are not helping my murderous rage at the moment.

I'm at a safe distance, rage away

After my first encounter with Outlook/Google Apps, I now consider adoption of their web client mandatory. Otherwise I show them the bill for a SBS2003 setup and a T-1 line.

 

[Mercutio]

I am trying to make these people not have an SBS server. They're being RBL'd to hell because whatever dumbass set their server up left it as an open relay, and they're sitting on a Comcast dynamic /24 IP. Anybody with a halfway decent anti-spam configuration doesn't want herpes-over-SMTP from their SBS server.

 

[ddrueding]

I completely agree. Typically, just showing them the cost either makes them use the webclient, or I lose the customer.

 

[CougTek]

Explain them the issue and why they should use Thunderbird. If they absolutely want to stick with Outlook, well, they should call Microsoft for support. It's to Microsoft they gave money for their shitty software, so logically it is to Microsoft to please the customer. Of course, any sensible person knows Microsoft will blame other perfectly fine applications and that in the end, the customer will be left with the problem no matter what. The customer has to understand that it should be pissed against Microsoft, not against you.

Besides, you're a computer technician. Your job is to fix computer problems or propose work-arounds if you can't. Your job isn't to fix human stupidity. It just isn't your field of expertise. Tell them that if they are too thick to understand that, then their problem isn't in your field of expertise.

 

[Mercutio]

Yeah, they aren't having any of it. No changing mail clients. The guy paying the bills doesn't want them using anything different because he thinks they would be less productive working with unfamiliar software.

I'd put it on Microsoft but I have a feeling that they'd just tell him to move everything back to his SBS machine, and he'd go back to bitching that no one gets his E-mails.

 

[sechs]

Crap. Hasn't someone come up with a extension to make Thunderbird look like Outlook?

Maybe you can just concoct some seemingly reasonable way to make sticking with Outlook wildly expensive.