cannot receive email, isp claims it's Apple's fault

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cannot receive email, isp claims it's Apple's fault

For at least two years now I have been able to receive email on my ISP email account, but am been unable to send. I believe this pre-dates my upgrade to Mavericks. My ISP is Grande Communications. I am able to receive and send using my other email accounts in Mail with no problem. This has been an ongoing problem that has caused so much frustration that I avoid using that account. However, I still need to sometimes reply to a message sent to me on that account, but am unable to do so. I have spent countless hours on the phone with both Apple and Grande Communications Support. Apple says my settings are correct and the problem lies with my ISP. Grande says my settings are correct and the problem is Apple's. Has anyone else experienced this problem? Is it truly Apple's fault? Is there a solution?

For what it's worth, A Grande tech told me yesterday that they constantly receive calls from Mac users with the same problem, but there is nothing they can do about it.

MacBook Pro, OS X Mavericks (10.9.2)

Posted on Jul 29, 2015 8:51 AM

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Answer 1

Klaus1

Level 9

52,749 points

Jul 29, 2015 9:12 AM in response to animalia

Change your ISP to one that knows about Macs.

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Answer 2

animalia Author

Level 1

0 points

Jul 29, 2015 9:20 AM in response to Klaus1

Unfortunately, other ISPs I have tried in my area are even worse because of other issues. Obviously I would have switched again by now if they were any more reliable. Thanks anyway.

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Answer 3

Eric Root

Level 10

684,039 points

Jul 29, 2015 9:46 AM in response to animalia

Troubleshooting Apple Mail

What does Mail/Window/Connection Doctor Show? If the server is red, select it and look at the Show Details box.

Troubleshooting sending and receiving email messages

Troubleshooting sending email messages

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Answer 4

animalia Author

Level 1

0 points

Jul 29, 2015 11:06 AM in response to Eric Root

Server is green, "Connection to server succeeded, no login required." Believe me I've been through the Support articles many times and spent hours on the phone with Apple and Grande over this issue. Perhaps I should have phrased my question: "Is this just total BS from my ISP or could Apple truly be at fault, totally or in part?" Thanks for trying to help.

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Answer 5

Csound1

Level 9

59,973 points

Jul 29, 2015 11:10 AM in response to animalia

Why do the other email accounts work if the problem is at your end?

Just go to the website to read these occasional emails, your ISP seems quite clueless.

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Answer 6

animalia Author

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Jul 29, 2015 11:17 AM in response to Csound1

Good point. I guess I won't waste any more time arguing with Grande Communications and try to stick to other email accounts until Google Fiber gets here. Thanks.

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Answer 7

Jul 29, 2015 12:36 PM in response to animalia

Your posting title here indicates problems receiving mail, but your text implies problems sending. I'll assume sending.

Per the Grande Communications FAQ, their mail server apparently uses TCP port 465 for outbound submissions, which is "nonstandard, but sometimes used for legacy reasons".

That configuration should work with OS X, but you'll have to manually select it in the SMTP server settings within Mail.app.

I'd also disable the "adaptive" setting within Mail.app.

The Grande folks are also referencing an expected certificate error in their FAQ, and I'd guess that this might be at the core of the issue. Secure mail should not access a server with a bad certificate, after all. If you really trust that server, see if there's a web server running on that specified SMTP host — if there is, then you can tell Safari to connect to the server accept and trust the (bad) certificate. I'd suspect that — if that certificate is really bad — that this as at the bottom of the connection error. It's also possible to acquire the (bad) certificate that the server is identifying itself with via the mail server port and some low-level SSL/TLS commands, but that's a little more involved.

"Nothing you can do about it" is unlikely here, but I'm not in a position to port scan and to fingerprint the mail server that Grande is using to see what's happening, nor to check the details in the FAQ and to verify that (bad) certificate — not without permission.

As for alternatives, there are folks that'll host your own mail on your own domain — this hosting and registering and using your own domain means you won't have to change email addresses if or when your ISP changes, or is acquired or spun off or renamed or reorganized — for very little money per year, too. You can change on your schedule, for as long as you are willing to register and host your own domain.

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Answer 8

animalia Author

Level 1

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Jul 29, 2015 1:39 PM in response to MrHoffman

Dagnab it, I did say sending instead of receiving in the title to my post. Sorry about that. Thank you for all this useful information. Wish I could also mark this as having solved my problem. Now, if (shudder) I ever have to deal with Grande concerning this issue again I'll be able to teach the bozos a thing or two. Thanks again.

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Answer 9

Jul 29, 2015 3:15 PM in response to animalia

animalia wrote:

Wish I could also mark this as having solved my problem.

Just to clarify the status of this, that certificate was the problem, and you're working (again)?

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Answer 10

animalia Author

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Jul 29, 2015 3:32 PM in response to MrHoffman

No, I haven't had a chance to try what you suggest yet, but I will. I'm trying to avoid spending any more time dealing with this issue until I have to, but until I get around to it I appreciate the affirmation that it is Grande at fault and not me for being a Mac user. I'm not even sure I want to continue using Grande's email services at all anymore now that I am aware of the security issues.

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Answer 11

Csound1

Level 9

59,973 points

Jul 29, 2015 3:34 PM in response to animalia

You should be able to go to the Grande email page on the web and set a forward from there to one of the other accounts, once that's done you can just remove the Grande account from Mail.

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