E-mail problem

[AshW]

Hi

I'd be really grateful if someone could offer some guidance to a problem I've been experiencing please. I've recently built a shopping basket for a client using Catalog (and Protx as the PSP - with VSP Form).

My client isn't using Catalog for order processing as he prefers things as simple as possible. He's relying exclusively on the 'send receipt e-mail copies to' feature to let him know via e-mail what's being ordered from the site.

The problem we're having is that these e-mail copies of receipts aren't being delivered 100% of the time (he gets e-mail copies of receipts for about 60% of orders).

After seeing this problem a few times I then added my own e-mail address to the 'send receipt e-mail copies to' field as well (so this field now has both our e-mail addresses in) to help establish whether the problem was a problem with my clients mail only.

This doesn't seem to be the case as I get exactly the same e-mail copies of receipts as my client does, and am missing exactly the same ones as my client is missing.

I've checked the following things after reading this forum:

There are no indications of problems in the error log (help/troubleshooting).

My SMTP address is defined correctly in Network setup (I've tried 'localhost' as well but this doesn't make a difference).

E-mails are being sent ok from Catalog running on the desktop - e.g. sending 'Order Shipped' e-mails.

The Network Settings test passes ok every time.

The contact e-mail address specified in the basket is on the same domain as the basket is being hosted.

I've spoken to my hosting company (Fasthosts) tonight to ask whether SMTP mail requires authentication, but they say that it doesn't. However, I'm suspicious about this as I need to tick 'My Server Requires Authentication' in Outlook Express in order to send e-mail from accounts I have on this same server.

Is it likely that I'm probably seeing these problems because the SMTP server does in fact require authentication, and that short of changing hosts, the workaround for this problem is to use the modified Actinic.pm script mentioned in the forum (which needs the MAIL::MAILER module installed on the server?

If this is the case, would installing the MAIL::MAILER module be a big job for a server engineer?

Many thanks for your time.

Ash Whitney

[Infolink]

Is it possible that these are just abandoned carts?

In the real world you will find customers will bail at any point, so where a cart has been assigned a transaction number if the customer bails prior to completing then the software may not have gotten to the email generation point.

Phil

[AshW]

Hello Phil

Thanks for your reply to my post.

I can see what you're saying , and I don't get e-mail receipts mailed to me for aborted transactions understandably.

However, the transactions we're missing e-mail copies of receipts for have been processed ok by Protx.

We get e-mail confirmation of these successful transactions from Protx, but its hit and miss as to whether we get an e-mail copy of the receipt from Catalog for the same transaction.

I started out along the route of thinking it may be related to my client's e-mail address - that there may be a problem with delivery or something, but since adding my own address to receive copies of receipts as well, I'm seeing that we get exactly the same copies of receipts delivered to us both, and by the same token we both fail to get delivery of other receipts (we both get or don't get the same e-mails I mean).

Kind Regards

Ash

[Infolink]

It could be the path of servers that fall between you and the hosting server then.
With the increase in spam a lot of the intermediate servers are really tightening up a lot on what they will pass. More so if they see it has come directly from another server. You need to make sure the way the email is constructed exactly meets the various RFC guidlines as to the content of fields etc and see if that improves matters in any way. Also make sure any hostnames in address return paths have the DNS set up properly, one of the quickest checks a lot of servers do is verify the return path - if it does not resolve due to incorrect DNS delegation then if may get branded as possible spam and dumped.

Phil

[zmagyar]

Sounds interesting. Can you see anything similar with these orders? Probably there are some problems with the buyer's email address which stops email processing.

Regards,

[AshW]

Hi Zoltan

Thanks for your reply.

I can't see any similarities with these orders to be honest - but that doesn't mean that I'm not missing something.

The orders have been for a variety of products from our catalogue, all from different customers. All the 'missing' e-mails are for buyers on different domains - they haven't all had hotmail addresses or anything like that.

I've also tried a few different valid e-mail addresses belonging to my client and myself for actalog to send copies of the receipts to, but this didn't help either.

Regards

Ash W

[Infolink]

It's probably worth checking if possible the ip address that the customers sent mail from against some of the established blacklists - could be just one server downstream of you that is set really high on its anti spam filtering.

Phil

[cdicken]

It could also be down to mail server authentication.

If you (or your client) are connected to the internet whilst a customer is placing an order then it could be that the SMTP server allows the connection from the Actinic scripts to be made and the email to be sent.

Then when you are not connected, the SMTP connection from the Actinic scripts is refused.

We are working on a fix for the problem with SMTP authentification for a future release. In the meantime, one of our partners (Norman Rouxel) has written instructions for using 'sendmail' to send emails online. This, of course, does depend on whether your server has sendmail installed.

I have attached Norman's instructions anyway.

[Infolink]

Chris,
When I set up a site I always generate a new user account for the orders / admininistration of the site - this should then (certainly on a UNIX / LINUX type system) give the file ownership to this user - emails from this account can always be forwarded to another account, then if you are connected normally you should be as another user.
Is this the correct way to go from the perspective of this sendmail issue?

Phil

[AshW]

Hello Chris

Thanks for advice offered re the mail problem I'm experiencing.

In all honesty I'm not quite sure what you mean about the mail server authentication issue. I'm not disputing you, just having difficulties making the connection.

My client and I both use different ISP's (NTL and BT), but our e-mail addresses are independent of our ISP's - both e-mail addresses are associated with domains on a dedicated server with Fasthosts (on which Catalog is being hosted as well). We only log in to this Fasthosts machine when checking mail.

I think the best option at this point is to use the workaround to use sendmail instead as you suggest. I'm hoping to get someone to install the MAIL::MAILER module on the server so that we can use Norman's modified script.

Regards

Ash

[Infolink]

Ahhh its coming together now, the word Fasthosts appeared in that last mail!

A peruse of the archives about Fasthosts should quickly give you an informed opinion as to what the general community in here think of them!

Or in other words....

If you want it to work get a new hosting company!

There are plenty of people on here, myself included, who can do this who both know how to set up actinic and keep it and the server running properly!

Phil

[cdicken]

Just to clarify the SMTP Authentication issue, some servers will only let you send emails if you are connect to the server via a dial-up connection with a username and password first. This is an anti-spam measure to stop anyone just connecting to the SMTP server and using it to send spam emails.

Obviously, Actinic's online scripts do not connect to your server via a dial-up - which means that sometimes the SMTP server will reject the email.

In your case, however, it sounds like the problem is with Fasthosts occasionally timing out the mail send operation for some reason.

[chris ashdown]

I have been using Fasthosts for the last 6 months and after Initial troubles getting started, had no problems with them.

I use the home plus option

Fasthosts offer two server options, have you asked to be transfered to the other option

Hope this helps

Chris

[AshW]

Hi Chris

Thanks for the suggestion.

We've been using a dedicated Linux server with Fasthosts for the last two years - which has served us well in fairness. Although in all honesty we haven't had the best of responses on the occasions when we've tried to get support for various issues.


Hopefully I can get this MAIL::MAILER module installed in order to use the sendmail workaround.

Regards

Ash

[chris ashdown]

Thats OK

But note they claim they are now using a new set of servers especially written for them by microsoft. I think this is over the last couple of months.

On my new site I tried the Home option but was told the server could not run Actinic on it and that I would need the plus option to get it to work

They said there was a miscrosoft and linux option, I chose Microsoft and it's all OK. but all this may have nothing to do with your problemif you have been running it for 2 years

Have a nice day

Chris

[Mike Hughes]

Just to let you know that mail::mailer is often installed as standard and it shouldn't be a problem for your host to do this.

Mike

[AshW]

Hello Mike

Thanks for the info about the mail::mailer module.

I've checked the server, but it doesn't look like it's installed, so I've downloaded it from CPAN ready to install.

Kind Regards

Ash

[AshW]

Hi Again

I installed the mail::mailer module on the server early this morning, and then followed Norman's instructions for patching Actinic.pm to the letter. I then updated the site and tested it.

The product page of the basket showed ok, but as soon as I click ADD TO BASKET, VIEW BASKET or BUY PRODUCTS buttons I'm redirected to a plain page generated by the server saying that 'the server encountered an internal error', and to contact the domain administrator.

I replaced the original Actinic.pm file, and all worked ok again.

I was wondering if anyone had seen similar when making changes to the Actinic.pm file in order to use the sendmail workaround??

Regards

Ash

[pinbrook]

Phil is correct, search the forum so see comments on the service that fasthosts supply.

Jan has used the new servers there, and has been driven away from them.

Fh are very cheap, but consider how much time you have spend trying to sort out this problem , I bet it adds up to more than their annual hosting fee.

If you want a hassle free future you know what to do!!

[TraceyG]

Hi Ash,

Looking at your original problem of receiving e-mails intermittently, it seems to me that it could be due to the customers getting to the 'Your order was completed successfully' page in Protx and then either closing their browser down or going to a different site.

The e-mails are not generated until the (Actinic) receipt page is displayed, so unless the customer returns to the merchant site the e-mail will not be sent.

As your client does not download orders, they may want to put a message into Act_Order02.html (the page that gives them the payment method in checkout) to say that customers must return to the merchant site for their receipt (or something like that).

I hope this helps.

[pinbrook]

Ahhh Yes!

I had a client with the same problem and we came to the same conclusion, shopper not returning to merchant site.....

[AshW]

Hi

Thanks for the suggestion Tracey. I think that you've hit the nail on the head in identifying the problem.

I've just been doing some testing to see what happens to e-mails if I don't return to our site from the Protx 'Order completed successfully page', and what happens if I do return from the same Protx page.

The results are consistent with what yourself and Jo suggest; e-mails don't get sent if the customer doesn't return to us from Protx, and do get sent if they do return.

In fairness, the Protx 'Order completed' page does ask the customer to click a link to return to our site for their receipt, but there is no way of enforcing this as it stands.

I'll ask Protx if they could tweak this page, or perhaps put an auto redirect back to our site.

Many thanks again, and to everyone who has offered suggestions to try and help resolve this problem.

Kind Regards

Ash

[Freeze]

Hi all

I too suffer from Protx (using VSP form) and the sometime lack of receipt if the customer does not return to the shopping cart page.

This is a serious stopper for my client as they only want to run with the email confirmations to process orders.

Any solutions other than a redirect from Protx back to my site??

Glen

[AshW]

Hi Glen

I imagine that your client gets a confirmation of order e-mail from the Protx system as well as a copy of a receipt from Actinic, but that this Protx e-mail doesn't show the basket contents (just the value of the order and customer details), so isn't of a lot of help to clients like ours who would rather rely on e-mail to see orders from the site.

Before switching to Actinic, our old basket/Protx setup did show the contents of the basket on the confirmation e-mail from Protx. I had enquired with Actinc and Protx as to whether this was possible, but drew a blank with both unfortunately.

I certainly can't comment much as I don't know the extent of the work that would be involved to pass the basket contents to Protx, and subsequently have these details mailed out from their system on the confirmation of order e-mail. But it would present a workaround to the problem that you and I (and probably others) are experiencing.

Regards

Ash W

[Freeze]

Protx ----mmMM

Spoke to technical support and they think it might be a go to automatically redirect back to the cart. I'll let you know.

Interestingly WorldPay does this redirection automatically.

[AshW]

Hi Glen

Thanks for the update.

I'd sent an e-mail to Protx asking about a redirect as well, but haven't heard anything back from them yet.

When we were running our old basket (also in conjunction with Protx), we had a redirect back to our site from the Protx payment pages, so hopefully it will be possible for them to modify things.

Regards

Ash