Email: Return Receipts (1 Viewer)

[Patrick Sun]

Anyone else get peeved when someone at works emails you with the "Return Receipt" option turned on so they'll know when you read their email? It bugs me when it's dealing with them wanting you to do something for them, and it sure doesn't get them on my good side when they use this email feature to hold the "assignment" over my head.

 

[KyleS]

Sorry Patrick but I use this on almost EVERY single email I have which relates to work that needs to be done by someone else for me to get my job done. It has helped me to cover my ass on more then a couple occasions. IS people are very quick to shift blame when it comes to timeline short falls.
KyleS

 

[Ryan Wright]

Outlook: Options, preferences, Email options, Tracking options, bottom of screen: (o) Ask me before sending a response. Click OK. Be happy, you can now deny you ever received a piece of email with a return receipt.
There is a secretary in our organization that requests return receipts for EVERYTHING. She routinely sends out information to the entire building like, "So and so is sick today.", along with a return receipt. Pisses me off.

 

[PatrickM]

I only ever request it when its urgent and there's no other way to contact the person. Otherwise if its really important, get up off your big a$$ and find them or call them.

Just my 2 cents.

Patrick

 

[Michael*K]

The mail client we use at the office (CE Software's QuickMail Pro) is great because it allows you to "peek" at messages without ever opening them. If I do choose to open the message, I can delete the return receipt before it ever gets sent out.

 

[Malcolm R]

What Ryan said. I never let read receipts go automatically. If I feel it's warranted, I'll click yes. But for most mail, always no.

 

[Matt Stryker]

I only use it on a second or third email when a person is being unresponsive, but never to hold it over their head. We use Lotus Notes here at work, and you can view email in a "preview pane" without actually opening it; that doesn't trigger the read receipt.

 

[Patrick Sun]

We also use Notes, and it was my understanding that by viewing the email in the preview pane, the return receipt dealio is triggered.

 

[DaveBB]

Outlook: Options, preferences, Email options, Tracking options, bottom of screen: (o) Ask me before sending a response. Click OK. Be happy, you can now deny you ever received a piece of email with a return receipt.

What if this area is disabled so that you can't make any changes to the settings? Am I SOL?

 

[Philip_G]

I find it annoying also.

 

[Aaron Copeland]

What if this area is disabled so that you can't make any changes to the settings? Am I SOL?

Haha...that is how the company I work for is set-up. The IS group here rules with an iron fist! Those of us who have Windows 2K PCs have all of our wallpaper, screensaver, etc... options disabled. We are not allowed to change anything anymore (though I have figured out ways around some of these). We can't even install anything! I hate it. Anytime we need to update drivers, install a program, or install a new piece of hardware, we have to call IS up and let them take over our PCs remotely so they can do the installation. It really sucks.

On a note related to Outlook. I have Windows 2K and Office XP on my work PC. Whenever I print out an e-mail it always prints out the tracking information at the bottom. So if I send out an e-mail to multiple people and then decide to print it out, it always puts who read it and when at the bottom. I have not figured out how to keep it from printing this tracking information when I just want the e-mail. Anyone know where this option is?

Aaron

 

[Kevin P]

I don't think Return Receipt works on all email clients. It certainly works on Outlook and Outlook Express, and Lotus Notes (though I don't know if it works for Internet mail via Notes) though.

Lately, I've been sending my resumes out in response to openings listed on Monster.com etc. with Return Receipt requested, and have yet to get a return receipt. Either no one ever opens emails with resumes, or they disable return receipt, or they use email clients that don't support it. In any case, I wish I'd get some kind of indication that they opened my email.

KJP

 

[Philip_G]

Lately, I've been sending my resumes out in response to openings listed on Monster.com etc. with Return Receipt requested, and have yet to get a return receipt. Either no one ever opens emails with resumes, or they disable return receipt, or they use email clients that don't support it. In any case, I wish I'd get some kind of indication that they opened my email.

I think depending on the security settings outlook/express ASKS if they would like to send the return receipt, they might be clicking NO, like I do

 

[Matt Stryker]

We can't even install anything! I hate it. Anytime we need to update drivers, install a program, or install a new piece of hardware, we have to call IS up and let them take over our PCs remotely so they can do the installation. It really sucks.

This sounds perfect! I wish our IS dept would do that. Anymore "My Lotus Notes keeps crashing when I load Webshots...can you uninstall Lotus Notes?" calls and I'm going to snap.
You can always join the dark side (IS/IT)...I can feel the hate welling up within you....take this network cable....strike me down with it....your journey to the dark side will be complete .

 

[KyleS]

We can't even install anything! I hate it. Anytime we need to update drivers, install a program, or install a new piece of hardware, we have to call IS up and let them take over our PCs remotely so they can do the installation. It really sucks.

I wish that our IS department would set these standards forth at our company too. Unfortunately all of our users are local admins which allows them to reak havic all over their computers and somehow when the computer gets screwed up its the Help Desks fault or even worse my fault as the trainer.
KyleS

 

[Rob Gillespie]

We are not allowed to change anything anymore (though I have figured out ways around some of these). We can't even install anything! I hate it.

It's done to maintain the integrity of the builds and to make support centralized, transferrable and just plain easier.

I work on two big-o-mundo clients. One runs a country-wide WAN across several sites (most of which are nuclear power stations) on NT4. Everything is locked down. No wallpapers, screensavers. No floppy or CD access. No installing extra software. All the support staff know what is installed by default and by checking the users's group permissions we can see what non-build stuff they have too. That system is pretty easy to maintain and repairing PC problems is dead easy. If an app wont start, it'll be the user's profile or the build on their PC. Profile reset or PC software rebuild - job done 8 times out of 10.

The other client is even bigger and nothing is locked down. They run a variety of Windows OSs, can install pretty much whatever they want, do whatever they want. That client is the single biggest pain in the arse to maintain. Absolute nightmare.

Give me a locked system any day.

 

[Greg_P]

We also use Notes, and it was my understanding that by viewing the email in the preview pane, the return receipt dealio is triggered.

Patrick,

If you want to "peak" at an email in Lotus Notes. Select File, Document Properties, select the 2nd tab. Arrow down to field labelled "Body", and this will allow you to read the message without triggering a return receipt. Also if you want to check if a return receipt even exists for the document, scroll down to the field labelled "Return Receipt" (in the same Doc. Props infobox) if a return receipt exists it'll have a value of "1".

Good luck!
Greg

 

[Steve Owen]

I always request "return receipts" for everything at work. I can't tell you how many times I've had someone give me an excuse for not knowing about some bit of important information, but I have documentation that they READ the email.

Until recently, I didn't realize that it could be shut off at home (ie, I can refuse to send return receipts)... I wonder how many spams I've gotten and inadvertanly send them a return receipt and thus they know they've hit a "valid" address. Sigh.

-Steve

 

[MikeAlletto]

We can't even install anything! I hate it. Anytime we need to update drivers, install a program, or install a new piece of hardware, we have to call IS up and let them take over our PCs remotely so they can do the installation. It really sucks.

Man where do you work? That way I'll know never to work there. I wouldn't be able to stand it not having full control over my work PC. If I break something I fix it. Its only if hardware breaks when I go to the admin since I can't ok buying new hardware.

I occassionally get the return receipt requests. I always deny the return send. If its that important they can walk down the hall and talk to me. As far as proof that something needs to be done, I save all my emails. Thats my proof, and I can't tell you how many times I've had to go back and say "oh oh...but look! I sent an email request about this weeks ago!"

 

[Leila Dougan]

Give me a locked system any day.

I'm right there with you! I used to have to manage a whole site running on Windows 98 (per the contract with our client). It was absolutely hell to admin and maintain. We managed to change the contract so I was able to switch everyone over to NT 4 (what the sites in our company use) and have been so happy. Things are locked down somewhat tight though honestly I wish it were more so. The employees all complain but thats too bad, I want to know what's on our systems. If they want to customize windows, they can do it on their personal computers at home.