Any one else seeing tha the level of support from Spamcop has gone down over the last year...now taking days to get anything more than an automated response? Also the attitude of some members of the support staff seems to be less focused on customer service?

Two examples...I had my reporting disabled and a threating email from the staff to setup mail hosts...this was a FIRST request. When I set it up, responded and commented on the threating email, I was told that asking doesn't work and their policy is to disable. As a side note, it took more than a day for my reporting to enabled.

Secondly, I have been attempting to change an email address for more than a month. Jeff pops says he is going to take care of it and disappears...no response to emails.

Does anyone else feel there should be a way to contact a REAL person to assist the paying customers with customer service? I know this is not the way Cisco does business and if there are others who feel that service has gone downhill...maybe we need to find the executive over Spamcop and let them know how we feel!

I have been with Spamcop close to 10 years (if not longer) and I am sad to see what was a good company with people who provided support what few times it was needed become a company that is like many "fly by night" Internet companies that only take your money and when you need support there is nobody around.

--Jeffrey

There are two very separate parts of SpamCop that each have their own support staff.
The reporting side tends to be responsive to email requests, but it is very important to use a subject title that clearly states the purpose of the email. I personally have sent requests on a Sunday regarding some non-urgent issues, not expecting a reply until Monday or Tuesday and was very surprised with replies being received on Sunday.
The paid email mail service (which is actually a separate company) is not as responsive as the reporting side.
Please see the link in my signature below for the various methods to contact the various parts of the SpamCop services.

...Do things really appear to seem worse to you? I see complaints from you (not to suggest that they're not justified [or justified] -- I'm just observing <g>) going back to September 2005 ("Filtering Problems?") and including a specific complaint about staff rudeness in December of the same year ("Account lost or systems having problem?").
...By the way, if jchauncey[at]spamcop.net is your real e-mail address, you may wish to look at http://forum.spamcop.net/forums/index.php?...amp;#entry29130.

Note: I moved this "thread" from the "SpamCop Email System & Accounts" Forum to the "SpamCop Lounge" because it deals with both the e-mail system and the reporting system.

The "threatening" email you're talking about started with this sentence, "I am sorry to report that spammer tricks are getting better every day, which means the spam our users are submitting cannot always be processed correctly by our system."

Later in the email I said, "I'm sorry, but I can't allow clever spammer forgeries to fool our system into reporting innocent bystanders, so I have had to suspend your reporting privileges until you get the Mailhost configuration completed."

If that's what you call "threatening," it's truly unfortunate.

That's correct.

As I told you, "Unfortunately, the suspension is a necessary evil. I have learned from hard experience that many, if not most users will not respond if I don't suspend the account. Plus, I would be derelict in my duty if I allowed users to continue reporting forged IP addresses while waiting for them to get back to me."

Actually, it took 21 hours from the time I sent the suspension notice to the time I reinstated reporting for you after you let me know you had finished configuring your Mailhosts. I'd say that's pretty good.

- Don D'Minion - SpamCop Admin -
.

Even though MailHost configuration is still optional, it is highly recommended for most users and becomes mandatory for specific users when the reports they send end up going to innocent parties, generally due to tricks the spammer has built into the headers. When this happens the individual account is suspended until MailHost configuration process is completed and a request is sent requesting reactivation stating that the process has been completed.

See also SpamCop Wiki entry: My Reporting Account Has Been Suspended

I had the same issue a short time ago. In my instance, it was also less than a day before reporting was restored.

Email response has been a bit more "relaxed" than I would like to see for a paid service, however.

Jargon filled boilerplate responses available on request.

- Don D'Minion - SpamCop Admin -
.

I wonder if we are really talking about a paid service or not?
The way I understand it, and I could be wrong; the 30.00/year email service provides automatic links to the no charge Reporting Service.
The paid Email service remains un-interupted, but the reporting service is disabled.
Also the 30.00/year charge is about 1/2 of what Earthlink charges for email only service which is 4.95/month; which suffers from inbound file size limitations and fixed maximium disk space limits that SpamCop does not have.

It's kind of hard to separate the two, but the fact is that Email Service users pay $30 a year for spam filtering, and the reporting service is free.

I only suspend reporting privileges. The email services are not affected.

- Don -
.

And it seems to me that suspending reporting until the Mailhost process is completed is hardly a major inconvenience or loss of service.

Andrew

It appears that reporting a problem with the e-mail system by clicking on "Problem" in the SpamCop webmail, doesn't help. I did this a few hours ago, and never even got an acknowledgment of the problem report.

I just used the contact form at http://mail.spamcop.net/contact.php, and immediately received an automatic acknowledgment.

My problem is that the SpamCop incoming mail servers stopped accepting e-mails to my SpamCop address that were forwarded to it from my main e-mail address.

That mechanism generates input to an internal system (one could assume an e-mail) so that it's there when JT or Trevor get to read it.

That form does generate an actual e-mail to the same support account that one would hit if sending an e-mail directly. Again, it'll be there when JT or Trevor get there to read it. Along with that, an entry to the 'problems database' is generated, that's what the "ticket number" is all about.

There is a chance that if data were offered here, another user might be able to walk through some troubleshooting steps to try to track down the issue.

One easy thing ewould be to forward e-mail from that account to your SpamCop.net e-mail address with a CC: to yet another account .. looking to see if that e-mail shows up at either place. If it does, you'd then have a set of headers that would include Time/Date data to make it easier to locate in various log files to see what the handshaking issue might be.

I would not hold your breath for a response! I am day 4.5 with no response and this is third time Jeff has just disappeared. While the deputies are quick to reply the "email side" is horrible and for the most part always has been in my about 10 years with SpamCop.

I have one suggestion, file an online complaint with the Better Business Bureau (http://www.bbb.org)...enough complaints and perhaps someone will wake up.

I am considering looking around for another provider...might cost me more, but having a "real" support team that responds to tickets and perhaps a telephone number you can call might be worth it.

...you milage may vary.

E-mail to JT sent, pointing 'here'. The 'Problem' button or web-form contact should be more reliable (when sending from outside spamcop.net, as I am), just covering another angle, another route.

How are you forming the problem report? While it does take longer than it should, I have never waited more than 2 days (usually over a weekend) to get a response to one of my problem reports.

I however, usually have deeply researched the problem and sometimes provided the direction for the solution (be it web service, IMAP service, SA problem, etc.). Perhaps I should not need to do that to get a response, but that is also my full time occupation (network administrator) so it is second nature for me. It is the kind of information I would like in a problem report myself.

As you state, your milage may vary.

P.S. I see you have not taken advantage of the primary email support venue (these Forums) unless your only problems with the email service since 2006 has been the address change request. I am not counting the reporting disable because that is a seperate side of SpamCop as described the last time you posted.

A couple of clarifications:

I am talking about multiple paid services here

I have been a Spamcop.net customer since 1998 or 1999

I have had few problems with the service in the ~10 years, so there are limited posts from me. Generally they are resolved with an email or two.

Don and Ellen are generally quick responding--I may not always like the tone, but they respond

I have previous had my email address stole, when Spamcop's database was hacked. Stuff happens

I pay a fee per year to Spamcop for services, I really do not care if it several different companies--how would you feel if you took your car to the shop and the dealer told you the door was handled by someone else and it was not the dealers problem?

I would be willing to pay more for service to increase the service and support and be able to reach a person when I felt the need (only a few times in the ~10 years)

The number of problems between the reporting and email services is on the increase, with frequent outages lasting from minutes to multiple hours.

There should be an email address other than service, support, or deputies to reach someone with concerns. We should have a esculation path.

Jeff on the mail side is either overworked, overloaded, chooses to ignore follow up on email to support, or the system is broke...either way there is NO method to address the problem other than a open forumn and should like a complainer.

As a customer I want when I do need to contact support I want someone to assume the responsibility for the problem--not continue to say "that is the .... side and I have nothing to do with that..." Help me get a resolution, it is your reputation that you are tarnishing. Telling me that the "email side will eventually respond...when they get to it" is not a customer service friendly attitude. After multiple attempts across, multiple days, spread across multiple tickets, for the same problem, is not handling the problem it is passing the buck. Home Depot was getting creamed by Lowes in customer service...Home Depot associates now are supposed to walk to the area you are looking for AND find you help if needed.

I have been a strong silent supporter of Spamcop.net across the years, sending many people to them for spam filtering and have NEVER asked anything in return! I was asked several weeks ago...and I honestly had to suggest they keep looking for a service, that I was not happy with mine and explained Jeff's lack of support and response. I do not want to subject my friends to situations of non-support and jargon emails as I am the one that ends up hearing the complaints from them.

The spam filtering works and I have very few Spams that make it through the filters and very few real emails that get caught. I have helped to get many spammer's accounts shutdown through the years.

Enough ranting and raving from me this morning. I am going to crawl back into my hole...while I appreciate the help here, the problem I am experiencing is adminstrative not technical. Don and Ellen are unable or unwilling to help; email team is not responding...so I have voiced my complaint through another more formal method. As a customer, I am at a crossroad...either things get better or exercise my options to take my business (and recommendations) to another provider. We are (currently) in a capitalist society, if Spamcop does not provide the services they will cease to exist--I do not see Cisco dumping money into something that is reflecting on their business (Spamcop is a part of IronPort which is owned by Cisco).

Doesn't quite track. There are Donations, there is the Fuel/Premium Reporting Account, and then there's the flat-rate e-mail account (that comes with a 'free' Reporting Account.) Unless you're sending out multiple checks (credit card prchases, etc.) to different outfirs, then there is really only "one" paid service. That you are pointing to and including an e-mail account, one has to assume that your Account is the last one mentioed.

Will agree in general, but there are those that have a different opinion.

Been there, done that. Bought a vehicle overseas through the PX, picked it up in D.C. .. local dealer refused to touch it as it was bought elsewhere. You can order a Saleen from most local Ford dralers, but you may not be able to get it serviced there (though in reality, you probably wouldn't want to anyway.) Years back, I worked on an engine for an ultralight aircraft .... the sales/dealer for the ultralight sold the kit, but did not perform any engine work, as he had no mechanics ... the Yanaha motorcycle shop refused to touch it once they saw that it had been modified for an ultralight. Have more, but it'd lead to rambling on ...

Yet again, noting that there are different companies involved, different staffing, etc. etc., etc.

You might need to explain that. The addresses youmention are actually accessible by multiple people, in contrast to you sending an e-mail to a specific person that may be on the road somewhere, focused on something else entirely. Not sure where you'd actually escalate things to, beyond what you have already identified. SpamCop.net, IronPort, Cisco, CESmail .... that's it, and it's fairly common knowledge that two of those companies don't seem to respnd to anyone directly about SpamCop.net issues, nevermind their own products and services. Notable exceptions seem to be for those folks that spend the mega-thousands of dollars on the expensive stuff.

Actually, your general statement is part of the problem side of things. JT gets ton-loads of e-mail vitching about or asking help for the Parsing & Reporting System .... which he has no input or access to. Deputies get all kinds of incoming traffic about e-mail issues which they have no access to. Lots of wasted time for both sides. Yes, they forward crap back and forth, but ....

As noted in many places, this is a user to user help Forum, customer service is way down the hall.

You surely can't be talking about the paid-staff ...????

Still a volunteer here, so don't know what else to tell you beyond the fact that I'm not seeing any of your money <g>

Technically speaking, "SpamCop Reporting" is a part of IronPort which is owned by Cisco. Again, "SpamCop Email" is a completely seperate company. Your money is not going to IronPort/Cisco at all as far as I know.

...Since I paid many thousands of dollars for the car, I'd be extremely angry and would not do any further business with them. If I had paid nothing for the car and only $30 per year for the door, I'd almost certainly cut them some slack!