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Should one assume that an email went unread if you don't get back a "Read and Received" receipt? I've sent a couple emails with the options selected but...

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  • Last reply by Matt

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have yet to receive any receipt. One gentleman told me that it should show up in my inbox but for some reason, I'm not getting them.

I sent myself an email to another account (gmail) and it did not ask for me to send a receipt when I opened the mail, nor did I receive a receipt for doing so in Thunderbird.?.?.? Does anyone have any idea why this feature doesn't seem to be working for me? I have read that some servers have their own rules about read receipts...but not the received ones. That said, my gmail account still asks for receipts from other senders when they come through.

I'm just trying to figure out how this is supposed to work. The old Outlook made things so much easier...

Thank you for any feedback I can get on this!

Eric

have yet to receive any receipt. One gentleman told me that it should show up in my inbox but for some reason, I'm not getting them. I sent myself an email to another account (gmail) and it did not ask for me to send a receipt when I opened the mail, nor did I receive a receipt for doing so in Thunderbird.?.?.? Does anyone have any idea why this feature doesn't seem to be working for me? I have read that some servers have their own rules about read receipts...but not the received ones. That said, my gmail account still asks for receipts from other senders when they come through. I'm just trying to figure out how this is supposed to work. The old Outlook made things so much easier... Thank you for any feedback I can get on this! Eric

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This is where the default for all accounts read receipts options are set up:

  • Menu icon > Options > Options > Advanced > 'General' tab
  • click on 'Return Receipts' button.

This is where the Return Receipts options are set up on an account basis: Right click on mail account in Folder Pane and select 'Settings' select 'Return Receipts' for account name Selecting 'Use my global return receipts preferences for this account ' uses those set up in Options as discussed above.

selecting 'customise return receipts for this account' allows you choose from the options listed. click on 'OK' when finished.


Selecting to send a 'Return Receipt' request does not mean the recipient sees the request nor does it mean the user will use it even if they see it.

Some servers remove the option before the user sees the email. some users have turned off the facility. Some users choose to ignore the request. http://kb.mozillazine.org/Figuring_out_whether_the_recipient_read_your_message

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For whatever reason, this is NOT working for me. I can see many different places to request the receipts but I'm not receiving one. I'm not even getting a Delivery Status Notification receipt. I've tried a couple different gmail accounts with no luck whatsoever. I should mention, I'm also not getting the notification that the "Sender" is requesting a read receipt...which is unusual b/c I've gotten them before with gmail.

I'm using outlook for my new account and Thunderbird is supposed to support these receipts for this email provider...but for some reason, they don't seem to be working for me.

I should mention, I THINK they were working when I first set up the program b/c I was getting duplicates of emails sent and I wasn't sure what was causing it. Now, I'm not getting anything...on either end.

Any ideas??? Thank you folks!

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Ok, delivery status notifications are largely dead. They have been turned off by almost all server administrators as they are a source of spam in the form of backscatter. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Backscatter_(email)

Being the source of this backscatter is enough in some cases to see the mail server itself flagged for spam for sending the delivery failure messages. Hence they are almost universally not sent.

I have just sent myself test messages from GMX to gmail and in fact I was asked if I wanted to send a return receipt (per my Thunderbird settings). When I allowed it a return receipt was returned to the inbox at GMX.

If you are used to outlook, connected to an exchange server you will find internet mail just different enough to be frustrating. However the "admin imposed" strictures that go with a controlled environment do not apply beyond your area of control. So in internet mail the user decides if you get your delivery notification, they decide if they want to reply and there is no way to ensure the message was read short of using web bugs like online marketers do.

Even with the use of web bugs it is questionable if the web bug evidence would meet legal burden of proof that the message being delivered or read by a particular person. There is still no substitute for signed delivery of documents it would appear.