In a previous message, Shahrukh Merchant wrote:
: >Here is a message I have made up (have not had an opportunity to use it
: >yet) to send to potential demon subscribers.  BTW, does Listserv have a
: >way to automate (a) rejecting subscribers based on a domain address only
: >(e.g., demon.co.uk)  (b) customizing the MAILTPL to send the reason for
: >this (yes, I realize this would not be customizable for _each_ domain)?
: >
: >Shahrukh Merchant
: >[log in to unmask]
: >
: >================================================================
: >Sorry, but we cannot accept subscriptions to mailing lists from
: >subscribers to demon.co.uk.  This is simply because their configuration
: >causes too many headaches for our list administrators.
: >
: >We understand that demon provides dial-up access, and that the mail is
: >not delivered until the user actually dials up (unlike most dial-up
: >services where the mail is stored in the users' mailbox whether or not
: >he or she is actually logged on).  Owing to the sometimes once-a-week
: >access by their users, demon has set the delay for mail bounces on
: >undelivery to EIGHT days, and it continues trying for a total of 31
: >days.
 
This is blatantly incorrect. Mail sent to our dialup customers *is*
stored in their directory on our mail machines. When they connect, the
mail is delivered to their machine and then removed from our mail
servers. If the user does not log in for over eight days then a warning
message is sent to the message sender to say that the recipient has not
logged in to collect mail which is why they have not had a reply.
 
After a further 23 days (i.e. 31 days from the date the message was
first received), the sender will receive a message to say that the user
has still not collected mail and that the original mail has been deleted.
 
Please correct your above statement if you intend to distribute it as
a standard reply.
 
: >This means that if someone stops accessing his demon account, eight days
: >later (and not before), the list administrators start getting bounces.
: >Even if they remove the address right away from their lists, there are
: >still 8 days worth of bounces pending, and furthermore, this may be
: >periodically repeated for up to 31 days!   For high-volume lists (tens
: >to hundreds of messages per day), this could result in literally
: >hundreds to thousands of largely redundant bounce messages to the list
: >administrators, all from ONE demon user, even after the user has been
: >deleted from the list.  This severely impedes the ability of the list
: >managers to run the list.
 
This is correct, but surely this is the fault of the thoughtless person
who has subscribed to a list and then never bothered to read their mail,
rather than Demon as an Internet provider.
 
: >Demon is the only site we are aware of that has this setup and, therefore,
: >this problem; to date, they have been unwilling to modify it.  Please
: >contact them directly if you are unhappy about this.
 
There are many Internet providers that follow a similar system, why
single Demon out ?  If subscribers to your list don't read it for weeks
at a time then why are they subscribed in the first place ?
 
Please don't get me wrong, I can understand your annoyance. I am a list
maintainer myself and receive the same volume of warning messages. My
solution is to remove anyone from any site who's mail starts bouncing and
do not let them subscribe again until they can persuade me that they will
not do the same again.
 
I would ask that you immediately stop spreading untruths about our mail
system.
 
        Regards,
                Dom.
--
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  Snail-mail: 7th Floor, Gateway House, 322 Regents Park Rd, London N3 2QQ
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  Support -> Tel: 0181-371 1010, E-mail: [log in to unmask], Fax: as above