Comcast SmartZone Problem - HTML to Text Issue

[steelsox1]

I am not sure if this is the correct forum, but Comcast customer no-support has no clue on this one. So, here it goes:

1. I send emails from my laptop using Outlook 2010 that goes to a cloud-based MS Exchange server.
2. My emails have my company logo w/ embedded link to my website with basic info text below it.
3. It goes out HTML but by the time it hits the Comcast SmartZone, the email is now Text Only, the logo is now two attachments and the embedded link is an "unknown HTML" attachment of 0 bytes. Yes, I have SmartZone setup to receive all emails as HTML when possible and to allow graphics to be in the HTML format.
4. The HTML email w/ logo and link arrives perfectly fine to other email addresses including Yahoo, Gmail and Earthlink...so it's not happening at my Outlook or Exchange server level.

I can't get anyone on the phone to understand that Zimbra is handling the email and that something is happening prior to it getting to the SmartZone. This is very bad news for me as I am an email content consultant and there are millions of folks who use Comcast.net email addresses...if my emails are stripped down, my content is less informative and basically useless. FYI, I don't send SPAM and use an ESP to ensure it, but I do have many legit relationships.

Any help on this one would allow me to tell the knuckleheads at Comcast how to fix the issue...they literally ignored an open service ticket for two weeks and opened a "new" one last night...I can't wait another two weeks to find out they have no clue. Thanks in advance.

[steelsox1]

Is there anyone else using Comcast noticing this situation? If you have this issue, please just let me know as Comcast thinks I am the only person with this issue...I say it's not being reported as that's not logical.

Pipe up as I am willing to go to battle with the oligopoly, but I need some ammo!

Thanks.

[steelsox1]

Okay, I must be the only one having this issue and I am stumped...no new clues and Comcast support has no idea that Zimbra is running their email application.

Unfortunately, they open tickets to "escalate" to a technical unit and it never gets acted upon. When these giant companies work, all is fine. When they don't, look out as you will not get help.

If you do have this issue or other Comcastic experiences, please do share as I am still monitoring this thread. Thanks.

[Peyton morgan]

I have just spent 3 hours trying to get help from comcast.
(XP machine, directly hooked to comcast router)
some email attachements require several minutes to be viewed in
Zimba window (www.sz0039.wc.mail.comcast.new.zimbra...)
in a chat with comcast, they reset things at their end, then asked me
to reboot, when I asked how to get back to them, they said use code 181225
after rebooting I was sent to a different person (chat) and they said
" I can't connect you to that, what's your problem?"
then we started again and I got a message " Donnabelle has closed your Issue"
and that was it.
I am going to use Thunderbird which is fine for normal people, but
I am very frustrated that no one at Comcast knows or cares about
how badly their support helps their customers.
If there was an alternative, I would use it.

[steelsox1]

So, I may have ticked off one of my two nagging techie issues...Comcast stripping my company logo and other heavy HTML emails (such as my Staples download link for my tax software today) BEFORE it ever gets downloaded to my Outlook 2007 desktop client.

I once again Googled this subject and came across this link that seems to have cleared up what I believe was the Comcast SPAM filters being overly aggressive...how about a quarantine notice so I, the end-user, can decide if what the soul-less corporate giant thinks is SPAM is indeed that or a massive mistake like so many of the emails before me. Why they didn't just kill the whole email at the HTML level and converted to Text only with links stripped out is beyond me, but this solution seems to be working for the few tests I did.

Give it a try as will I...if things look good for a month or so, I'll mark this as solved.

Unfortunately, I still have the mysterious Moto Droid losing WiFi thing going on...Verizon saying it's Motorola/Google and vice versa...but that's for another forum!

[steelsox1]

Well, I know the solution worked for my initial test, but now it's back to stripping out my logo and embedded URL...I know I am not on any SPAM list as I don't send emails to the general public and I only send to myself and a few work colleagues who are expecting things from me.

Seems that some Malware/Virus check is deciding at a high level to strip this stuff and I have no way to make a User decision to let it go. I think the easy solution is to ask me, the User, via a Quarantine process if the email they flagged is indeed SPAM or an expected email.

I have called Comcast once again today to report and found out that they will auto-close tickets if the front-line person sends it to the "wrong" area...as if there is a right one in this company! The best part is they never tell me, the person who opened it up, that it's been closed. Nice Customer Service.

I also found an online forum with certified Comcast employees responding and picked one out to Private Message the issue...here's to hoping someone in that company can get this figured out...my company branding is suffering big time and any future branding is doomed for Comcast email holders...nice!

[glorry]

Did you ever manage to resolve this issue? I'm in the same situation as you. I run a list of a large number of verified, opt-in subscribers, and whenever I attempt to format the messages with HTML/graphics sure enough the Comcast spam filters will for some reason block it.
affiliate marketing tips
Was there ever any luck with the PM to the technical support agent, or is this a lost cause?

[steelsox1]

No, this is not resolved and you will never, ever get a knowledgable person on 1-800-Comcast and they either will not or cannot figure out how to transfer me to the unit handling the high-level filters that keep stripping this stuff. I am amazed others have not complained, but I do know I will be hosting my logo on a dedicated server to get around this issue.

How can a company as huge as Comcast not get this right? Microsoft, Yahoo and others get it right.

Why can't they do what my Microsoft Exchange Online system does: Quarantine and give me the choice to accept or not?

Too simple I guess and the one thing I have found from having an unrelated 3 month issue with Comcast's ISP and Phone service is people like my neighbors put up with a lot of inferior service and never report it...I am sure the same thing is going on here and it's costing opt-in marketers like us real money! If you find a solution or competent contact, let me know...good luck!