Coming Back to Fastmail

MarkD · 5 Mar 2022, 06:02 PM

I signed up with Fastmail way back in late 2001 (also when I first posted here - holy moly that's 20 YEARS AGO!!), I think they were just starting out then.

In mid 2007 I set up a domain with gmail when it was free and ended up gravitating to that, although I've always also kept my Fastmail account as a backup and to use for some of it's domain/filtering/alias features. But I haven't been using fastmail except to filter and forward to my google account.

Now that Google is finally forcing people off it's free G-Suite accounts I've started looking at options, starting of course with Fastmail where I already have an account. My main concern was it would not be as good an experience on mobile (Android) as Gmail.

So anyway, I've started using Fastmail exclusively for the past 2 weeks, to confirm that I'm happy to move back here.

In summary: Hell Yes!

Wow, it's a lot slicker than I remember it. For one thing, the mobile app on Android is incredibly powerful. Anything I can do on fastmail.com, I can also easily do with the app. The same cannot be said of the gmail app. I used the Fastmail app to reorganise my folder structure, tidy up my mail, set up rules, mass delete emails and it was a fast, smooth and intuitive experience.

Even if they were to relent and keep G suite free for existing users, I'll be moving back to Fastmail.

BritTim · 5 Mar 2022, 06:26 PM

Other plus points, apart from those that are directly visible, the stability and reliability of Fastmail today is streets ahead of what it was in 2007.

Negative points are

Support, in case of a serious issue, cannot be relied upon. There is no way to contact a human at Fastmail if there is a critical issue.
Two-way communication between Fastmail and its users (a strong plus in Fastmail's early days) now bears no comparison to the days when Jeremy Howard was in control. This is regrettable but the norm with service providers today.

TenFour · 5 Mar 2022, 07:47 PM

Quote:

Support, in case of a serious issue, cannot be relied upon. There is no way to contact a human at Fastmail if there is a critical issue.

^^This^^ I recently used Fastmail for most of a year as my main email provider, but when I hit a couple of snags that completely shut down my email for a week with no help I left. Being here in the USA might be part of the problem. The difference in time zones, etc., seems to mean that sometimes a support request is not answered for several days. Put a couple of back and forths together, each taking a couple of days, and you pretty quickly can end up with a wasted fruitless week. They do have a subsidiary, POBox.com, located in Philadelphia, but I previously experienced similar problems with them, so maybe these delays are just built in to their system for some reason. Of course, free Gmail has absolutely no support, so you need to pick your poison!

ChinaLamb · 15 Mar 2022, 02:30 AM

Tell me the last time you've talked to anyone at Gmail?

I've contacted Fastmail support and usually I get a response in a very timely fashion. We've had some very BIG issues in the past, and some emergencies... And Fastmail has been VERY good to us.

5 Mar 2022, 06:02 PM	#1
MarkD Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Sydney Posts: 127	Coming Back to Fastmail I signed up with Fastmail way back in late 2001 (also when I first posted here - holy moly that's 20 YEARS AGO!!), I think they were just starting out then. In mid 2007 I set up a domain with gmail when it was free and ended up gravitating to that, although I've always also kept my Fastmail account as a backup and to use for some of it's domain/filtering/alias features. But I haven't been using fastmail except to filter and forward to my google account. Now that Google is finally forcing people off it's free G-Suite accounts I've started looking at options, starting of course with Fastmail where I already have an account. My main concern was it would not be as good an experience on mobile (Android) as Gmail. So anyway, I've started using Fastmail exclusively for the past 2 weeks, to confirm that I'm happy to move back here. In summary: Hell Yes! Wow, it's a lot slicker than I remember it. For one thing, the mobile app on Android is incredibly powerful. Anything I can do on fastmail.com, I can also easily do with the app. The same cannot be said of the gmail app. I used the Fastmail app to reorganise my folder structure, tidy up my mail, set up rules, mass delete emails and it was a fast, smooth and intuitive experience. Even if they were to relent and keep G suite free for existing users, I'll be moving back to Fastmail.

5 Mar 2022, 06:26 PM	#2
BritTim The "e" in e-mail Join Date: May 2003 Location: mostly in Thailand Posts: 3,093	Other plus points, apart from those that are directly visible, the stability and reliability of Fastmail today is streets ahead of what it was in 2007. Negative points are Support, in case of a serious issue, cannot be relied upon. There is no way to contact a human at Fastmail if there is a critical issue. Two-way communication between Fastmail and its users (a strong plus in Fastmail's early days) now bears no comparison to the days when Jeremy Howard was in control. This is regrettable but the norm with service providers today.

15 Mar 2022, 02:30 AM	#4
ChinaLamb The "e" in e-mail Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: a virtually impossible but finitely improbable position Posts: 2,320	Tell me the last time you've talked to anyone at Gmail? I've contacted Fastmail support and usually I get a response in a very timely fashion. We've had some very BIG issues in the past, and some emergencies... And Fastmail has been VERY good to us.