I need to upgrade a businesses Internet connection.  Cable is not available, so I thought I'd try DSL.  I goto http://www.att.com and click on Internet.  The page that loads includes this jpg:

Now if the webpage is smart enough to figure out that it can't load the desired multimedia ad (it looks like Ad Block Plus killed it), why would you give the user an error message instead of a static ad?

Anyway, so I click on the "Check Availability" link, click on the "Business" tab, enter my address where it says "Business Address", click "Check Availability", and get an error screen saying "Based on the information you entered, we couldn't find an exact match for your address. Please choose one of the options below.", and of course the first option below is the exact address I entered, so I select it, hit "Continue", and get this:

Remember I clicked on the "Business" tab and put my address where it said "Business Address"?

So I decide to report the problem, and give up after fifteen minutes of navigating "Contact Us" and "Support & Help" links once I have determined that there is no option anywhere for reporting a problem with their website.  I guess they just assume their website is perfect.

Pascal:

So I decide to report the problem, and give up after fifteen minutes of navigating "Contact Us" and "Support & Help" links once I have determined that there is no option anywhere for reporting a problem with their website.  I guess they just assume their website is perfect.

 

According to an old standard, "postmaster@domainname" is always supposed to reach a human being. Maybe sometimes it just goes into a bit bucket, but I have never seen it rejected.

 

AndyCanfield:

Maybe sometimes it just goes into a bit bucket, but I have never seen it rejected.

It happens sufficiently enough for someone to put a site up about it.

PJH:

AndyCanfield:

Maybe sometimes it just goes into a bit bucket, but I have never seen it rejected.

It happens sufficiently enough for someone to put a site up about it.

Wait what?

What if my domains don't even HOST email? I have to put up some stupid postmaster email address? Run an email server? Do all the DNS shit? Fuck that.

blakeyrat:

PJH:

AndyCanfield:

Maybe sometimes it just goes into a bit bucket, but I have never seen it rejected.

It happens sufficiently enough for someone to put a site up about it.

Wait what?

What if my domains don't even HOST email? I have to put up some stupid postmaster email address? Run an email server? Do all the DNS shit? Fuck that.

No. You don't need a postmaster if you don't deal with post.

Speaking of which, the postmaster is probably not the person you want to report web site issues to.

blakeyrat:

What if my domains don't even HOST email?

If your domains don't host email, then it won't be sending them.  Then mail servers can happily reject any mail purporting to come from your domain.

blakeyrat:

I have to put up some stupid postmaster email address?

part of the RFCs says that it's good netiquette to honour postmaster@your.domain and webmaster@your.domain your domain (amongst other addresses). The idea is that, by convention, emailing postmaster@your.domain should get through to the mail administrator for mail-related enquiries.

blakeyrat:

Run an email server?

You don't need to host email - a forwarder will do. 

blakeyrat:

Do all the DNS shit?

If your domain hosts a website, it's one or two more DNS records on top.

I know of some domains that host email but not websites, since it's actually quicker and easier to set up a mail server than a webserver with maintainable content.

blakeyrat:

Fuck that.

Indeed.

Spectre:

Speaking of which, the postmaster is probably not the person you want to report web site issues to.

Usually webmaster@ - but this should be for webserver issues, rather than site content issues (which webmasters will normally forward onto content managers).

blakeyrat:

PJH:

AndyCanfield:

Maybe sometimes it just goes into a bit bucket, but I have never seen it rejected.

It happens sufficiently enough for someone to put a site up about it.

Wait what?

What if my domains don't even HOST email? I have to put up some stupid postmaster email address? Run an email server? Do all the DNS shit? Fuck that.

You're a fucking idiot. Not that that's news to anyone.

The RFC requires anyone who hosts MX records to ensure that they accept an email to postmaster. Hosting a website does not require you to host MX records or accept email. Seriously Blakey - how thick are you???

Surely there's a phone number somewhere for their sales droids. Call them, and tell them you'd like to do business with them, but you can't because their web site is broken and there's no way to report it. Insist you'll only do business with them if they're competent enough to get their web site fixed.

 Encourage your friends to do the same.