Posted by HisHughness on 2/12/11 9:10pm
Msg #372589

Email functions query

I use Yahoo for my email provider.

At some time in the past, I used an emailer that would let me know if the recipient had picked up the message. Yahoo doesn't have that function. Does someone know of an email program that does have that service?

Reply by Stoli on 2/12/11 9:42pm
Msg #372592

Yes, AOL. n/m

Reply by KODI/CA on 2/12/11 10:14pm
Msg #372595

Yes, GMail

Reply by MikeC/NY on 2/12/11 11:00pm
Msg #372596

You're looking at this from the wrong end... There are a number of email programs that will make the request, but the question is whether the email program on the other end will respond to it. Even Outlook - the epitome of business-to-business email - can be configured to automatically ignore requests for a return receipt.

So it's not about where you're sending from, but who you're sending to...

Reply by HisHughness on 2/12/11 11:45pm
Msg #372599

But if your email program doesn't permit you to even ask the recipient program for a receipt, you are foreclosed on the front end and it doesn't matter what the recipient has provided.

Reply by MikeC/NY on 2/13/11 10:14pm
Msg #372645

Good point, but the reason why many email clients don't offer that functionality is because it doesn't really work.

There are ways around it - you can Google " web bugs", for instance - but it's just not something that is reliable. I understand what you're trying to do, and it's a really good idea from a business standpoint, but from a software perspective it's sort of like trying to nail Jello to a tree...

Reply by Glenn Strickler on 2/13/11 2:31pm
Msg #372620

Some 3rd party tracker programs are available.

There are a few programs that claim to track email and claim to work with your existing email, including Yahoo, available for download at

http://download.cnet.com/1770-20_4-0.html?query=return+receipt&platformSelect=Windows&tag=srch&searchtype=downloads&filterName=platform%3DWindows&filter=platform%3DWindows

Some of them are free or free to try then if you like, purchase. Perhaps you can use the free trial and send some emails to some friends to see if they actually work before you buy.

Thunderbird mail has a return receipt function, as does Outlook and a number of other stand alone programs and they will work with the POP version of Yahoo, but that would require you to upgrade to Yahoo email plus for a monthly or annual fee. Otherwise, you could use it with your isp provider. I have had it work with Verizon.net, but as stated before if the person on the receiving end chooses to set their program to ignore such requests, then you get nothing.

And sadly, the people who don't think to block the functions aren't the people you need to worry about saying they didn't get your email.