email hosting

[#1]

I am looking for some advice please.
I have been a Plusnet customer since 2005. I also have a personal .co.uk domain currently hosted by IONOS (formerly 1and1) which I use solely for personal emails.
In recent months I have been unhappy with the service provided by IONOS, because a number of emails have not been received into my IONOS email account, nor have the senders been advised of a mail delivery failure. Despite a number of phone calls, they have been unable (or unwilling) to help resolve the matter.
I am now looking for a replacement hosting service. I don't understand whether I am able to transfer just my email to another company, or whether I have to transfer the domain itself to that same company. I understand that Plusnet no longer offer a domain hosting service.
Can anyone advise, please. Also can anyone recommend a reliable domain hosting company.

[#2]

I use Microsoft Exchange hosting, which works well on my domains. All you have to do is make an MX record change and it takes two days for it to take effect - possibly.

[#3]

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@waldron40 wrote:

I am now looking for a replacement hosting service. I don't understand whether I am able to transfer just my email to another company, or whether I have to transfer the domain itself to that same company.

I've been using Ecohosting for about a year now for my email service, they're very cost effective and am very pleased with the service. Initially I just took the email service and left my domain registration with FastHosts, although I have now transferred the domain registration to Ecohosting as well. Providing you have full control of the domain DNS and can change the nameservers with your existing registrar then you shouldn't need to transfer the domain.

I currently use their Business email account https://ecohosting.co.uk/email.html since the Personal one only gives one mailbox whereas I currently use 5 mailboxes. If there's a possibility that you might need web hosting in the future then their Cloud Tier 1 Web hosting package https://ecohosting.co.uk/hosting.html is only £3/yr (+vat) more than the email only and includes 10 mail accounts.

If you have any questions then shout up ...

[#4]

Moderator's note(s):

Thread moved from General Chat to Tech Help.

[#5]

Thanks for the information. I will look into it.

MisterW.  My .co.uk domain has been hosted by 1and1/IONOS since 2009, and so far I haven't needed a web presence. At 80 years of age, I doubt I will need one now, so an email only package would be suitable. 

I don't understand anything about control of domain DNS, but I will check out ecohosting to see if that would be suitable.

[#6]

Neither did I @waldron40 

I used to work next to my sysadmin friend (good friend of mine), who told me how it works.

He knows what he is doing, and gave me a telling off for still using POP3. 😀

He moaned so much, so I changed it to Exchange Hosting. It wasn't rocket science but quite a bit nerve racking. It would be if your e-mail stops working of course.

Nerve racking to say the least. Was I pleased when e-mails started arriving into exchange after a day? As the advert Churcill Dog once said "Oh Yes" 😀

[#7]

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@Alex wrote:

I use Microsoft Exchange hosting, which works well on my domains. All you have to do is make an MX record change and it takes two days for it to take effect - possibly.

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Not for an MX record change. DNS changes take effect quite quickly, it's nameserver changes that used to take days but even those are supposed to be a lot quicker these days.

All the op needs to do is login to their registrar and setup an MX record to their new (pre-configured so it accepts the domain) email host. Point to note though is that if the mail server ever goes down smtp clients will my default try to deliver to the domains A record instead.

[#8]

All the op needs to do is login to their registrar and setup an MX record to their new (pre-configured so it accepts the domain) email host

I'm afraid these days that isn't sufficient to provide a reliable email service, particularly sending email. You need spf and dkim records setting up to decrease the chances of any email you send  being rejected. If you leave the nameservers set to your registrars ones , then you need to set these records manually. Changing the nameservers to those of your email service provider, means that they can create the necessary records automatically. 

[#9]

Thanks @MisterW 

I don't know what they are, but I will bear your post and do my usual lazy thing and worry about it if it starts to affect me. 😀

Reminds me I need to check my domains expiry date cos of course that will be my e-mail bouncing. Not good.

Mind you I don't use e-mail very often. More Facebook, LinkedIn a bit (that is just a more professional Facebook IMHO). I put Facebook in onto private mainly because a don't want potential photos of me being been seen by employers.

I hate photos of me as I look like someone who has recently escaped from prison: I'd be like one of those photos you see on TV "If you see this man do not approach him". (That's a joke by the way I have never been to prison or been in trouble with the police).

Some of the photos of when I went to Australia of my are not too bad and being in some of them is unpreceded.

Also I do swear and use the F word far to much in my posts as well. I am worse than Gordon Ramsey 🤐

[#10]

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@MisterW wrote:

All the op needs to do is login to their registrar and setup an MX record to their new (pre-configured so it accepts the domain) email host

I'm afraid these days that isn't sufficient to provide a reliable email service, particularly sending email. You need spf and dkim records setting up to decrease the chances of any email you send  being rejected. 

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There is that but a basic mail service will run with MX records. The domain keys and spf come are technically optional. The MX or A record isn't.

[#11]

Fair enough @7up 

Can't remember the last time I changed mine, but I remember it didn't take long to take effect.

If the OP feels flush 😀 You could even go as far keeping your old provider and setting up two MX'es. A 10 priority one for the one in case their server is not accessible and a 20 as a backup. Mind you if your new provider offers multiple servers then you should be fine.

[#12]

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@waldron40 wrote: In recent months I have been unhappy with the service provided by IONOS, because a number of emails have not been received into my IONOS email account, nor have the senders been advised of a mail delivery failure. Despite a number of phone calls, they have been unable (or unwilling) to help resolve the matter.

I hope you're a one off! I also hope they are not slipping. Currently, I don't have any issues with email done through them - been with them since 2006. Although saying that, I have over the years logged in via webmail (very rarely) to find a couple of emails caught in my spam folder. I never ever look at the spam folder day to day. How the emails have got there is a bit of a mystery as the addresses were in my whitelist. Just wondered if the same is happening in your case given there is no delivery failure notification to the sending party.

[#13]

Thank you everyone for your help and advice. I am currently considering moving my emails to a Personal Email Account with ecohosting. Looking at their website, I think the option I need is "I will use my existing domain and update my nameservers".
I presume that means that ecohosting will advise the new nameservers, and I need to amend something in IONOS. That is where I am struggling, as I don't know what to look for or change.
Would I also need to amend MX records?

[#14]

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@idonno.
I have been with 1and1 since 2009 and previously had no problems. However in the last couple of months I have been made aware of at least 11 emails sent from 3 of my regular contacts, which I have not received, nor have they received a delivery failure message.
I only became aware of this when the contacts phoned me to ask why I hadn't responded. They were then able to send to my Plusnet email address (which I don't usually use).

I have spoken to IONOS about this on three separate occasions, but have got nowhere. They contend that the problem must lie with the senders, and have refused to accept any responsibility for progressing. They have asked for evidence that the emails were rejected, which of course I am unable to provide. Their response was "since all the issues are external to Ionos we are not able to help in this situation".

I have no way of knowing if any other emails have been rejected, and now feel that I have no confidence in IONOS' reliability to provide the service I require. Therefore I am looking to move my emails elsewhere.

[#15]

I’d move everything away from ionos including the domains, it would make it easier for you.