May spammers rot in Supermax*

I sent email to a business contact today and was careful to go log onto my email server and put him on my spam whitelist. While there I noticed that in addition to the changes that my email server company made, they set my spam blocker to HIGH - without informing me. I had it set on medium, which means I've never lost email before, just had some of it marked "SPAM" when it came in. What this means is that I had 73 emails sitting in my bulk mail folder, among them email from former clients I had been trying to reach to see if they could use me (why, yes! last week they emailed back, but I never got it) and notification that my electronically filed tax returns (Fed and state) were rejected and required me to do something to fix them - now filed very very late and therefore will incur penalties. ARGGGHH&^)*%&)*%)*&%!!!!!!!!

*Supermax is where Moussaoui is destined. Nice place.

Comments

[Marja-Leena]

Ai Ai! That tax penalty hurts. At least you discovered it and can get back to your clients. Technology -- the good and the bad!

[Joe]

Oh wow, sorry to hear about this!

When I was doing web design I had several of my own web-sites and a few clients using a specific hosting company that vanished with our money and our web-sites/e-mail. I lost a subcontracting job thanks to it, couldn't get the comps to the person in time and my clients weren't very pleased either...

Hope you can work it out, is there anyway to prove this error that wasn't your fault, perhaps to the IRS?

[jon]

Sorry to hear that. I would shift email companies if I were you. Mail me if you want a gmail account.

[leslee]

Well, I figured it out. While I was traveling over Easter weekend, I wasn't using Outlook Express but using the email web interface directly. I noticed they redesigned the interface and I got some popup about spam blocker, which I just clicked OK on because I thought it was just notifying me that spam blocker was ON. It must have said something there about setting it on High and being the impatient person that I am I didn't read it closely. That's when my email started disappearing. So the mistake was on my part.

My clients are fine - communications cleared up. We'll see if the IRS and Mass DOR read the nice letters I mailed with my tax forms and payments and refrain from fining me.

[Lorianne]

btw, "A" just emailed me & said her recent emails to you bounced back with an error message about a "bad address": would that be related to this?

I'm wondering now if you got our emails about tomorrow...we're planning to meet at 12:30, so if I don't hear from you, I'll call you in the morning.

[leslee]

No, I changed my blog email address because of spam. I should have updated people, but I couldn't remember who uses this email address for me.

[MB]

Ah, Leslee, what a hassle! I'm sorry to hear it! Hope you get it all cleared up soon.