address book limited to 500 !!!

[deef]

I was shocked today when I tried to upload my address book and it stopped after 500 addresses. I am using 11% of my 600MB quota but my address book is arbitrarily capped.

This sucks.

[n5bb]

The FastMail membership level features list is at:
http://www.fastmail.fm/pages/fastmai...ricingtbl.html

Enhanced accounts have 10,000 entries.

[eph]

FM Full members should be allowed more than 500 addresses! Ridiculously low limit for paying members

[rmns2bseen]

I would suggest that people click on "Compare Plans" before they plunk down their money for an account, then look over the features and limitations at each level, and decide if the level they are signing up for has the features they need. It says plainly that at the Full level there are 500 addressbook entries allowed. If this isn't enough, then another service would probably have been a better choice, huh? Reading before buying isn't all that difficult, folks.

[Javier]

I agree rmns2bseen about previously reading the features offered for every paid plan, but I also find that the difference among Full (600) and Enhanced (10,000) accounts is very big. But I would like to suggest FastMail.FM people to offer the option for people, not needing more storage quota, to have more than 600 addressess as an option (complementary paid, similar the one mentioned for "Extra file storage".

If so, when somebody rans out of addresses, may buy another 600 addresses package (the number is just an example) for just a few dollars (IMHO, this should be an one-time fee).

[rmns2bseen]

Yes, Javier, you're probably right, and I apologize to the earlier posters for my sarcastic tone. Many have said on this forum that the FM pricing structure is in dire need of an overhaul and this is another indication of it.

I suppose the sarcasm comes from the fact that so many people sign up and should know what the features are that they'll be getting, and then seem surprised when those features seem paltry.

[sky]

Yes, the pricing are listed on a table, but IMHO, requiring the avg customers to read and analyzing all the items on a 40 rows by 4 columns = 160 cells table just for a plain email account is quite exhausting.

In addition, some items are limitations that many people have taken them for granted. Address book, for instance, is free of any limitation for all the email services that I have come across, except fastmail. It is such a nessicity for using email that it is quite radiculous to have such a limitation for a paid accounts. Even most of the major free webmail don't have such a limitation. And it is quite unlikely that anyone would shell out additional cash to upgrade to enhanced because they need more than 500 address book entries.

[rmns2bseen]

Originally posted by sky
Yes, the pricing are listed on a table, but IMHO, requiring the avg customers to read and analyzing all the items on a 40 rows by 4 columns = 160 cells table just for a plain email account is quite exhausting.

You bring up some good points otherwise, but with all due respect, my money is hard to come by, and before I spend it I wouldn't have much trouble reading the service plans comparison on the FM home page. It's not that tough.

[hadaso]

Originally posted by sky
... Even most of the major free webmail don't have such a limitation. And it is quite unlikely that anyone would shell out additional cash to upgrade to enhanced because they need more than 500 address book entries.

Are you sure about that? have you tried to store more than 500 addresses on Yahoo or Hotmail? The fact that they don't publish a limit doesn't mean they don't have it. They always have a clause in their TOS that allows them to limit you in arbitrary ways without telling you in advance. In most of these services you have to load the addresses one by one so it's very difficult to reach 500.

It is possible to store more than one address in each addressbook entry, so one way to cram in more than 500 would be to categorize them and keep several addresses that are closely related in the same entry. I have several entries where I just collect notes like phone numbers and email addresses of different people in the same organization (and I have enhanced account now. It's just more convenient not to have so many entries for addresses I almost never use).

Anyway, I moved from member to full just for one extra personality (so I don't have to retype the same email address each time in the "From" field).

[sky]

Originally posted by hadaso
Are you sure about that? have you tried to store more than 500 addresses on Yahoo or Hotmail? The fact that they don't publish a limit doesn't mean they don't have it. They always have a clause in their TOS that allows them to limit you in arbitrary ways without telling you in advance. In most of these services you have to load the addresses one by one so it's very difficult to reach 500.

Yahoo, Hotmail, and gmail all allow importing address book from a file, so it doesn't require one to add the addresses one by one.

I did a quick test, and successfully imported 5000 addresses to a gmail account, and I have no reason to suspect that i cannot add even more. And this is already 10 times more than the limit of a full account at FM.

[Jeremy Howard]

Originally posted by Javier
I agree rmns2bseen about previously reading the features offered for every paid plan, but I also find that the difference among Full (600) and Enhanced (10,000) accounts is very big.

It doesn't really make sense to look at this difference - the idea is that Enhanced is effectively unlimited; the only reason there's any limit is to alert us if there's some possible problem we need to look into. If any Enhanced user actually finds 10,000 not enough, we'll probably increase it for them.

I think if you need >500 addresses it's not unreasonable to ask you to upgrade. I know some other services don't have this limit - but on the other hand we don't have some limits that other services do...

[Chipper]

Originally posted by deef
I was shocked today when I tried to upload my address book and it stopped after 500 addresses. I am using 11% of my 600MB quota but my address book is arbitrarily capped.

I have a similar situation:
132 addr entries (approx 26% of capacity)
14.3 M of 600M (approx 2% of capacity)


However, there are a couple of things to consider:

1) Because everyone has different needs, it's almost impossible for everyone to be maxing out for all categories at the same time. Some other person may be at 599M of 600M and only have 20 addr entries.

2) Although it would be possible to have some kind of "cafeteria plan" to allow people to set their own capacities, that would probably make things really complicated for the FM team.

3) I kind of look at it this way: If you go to a fast food restaurant, you might pay 79 cents for a 16 oz drink and 89 cents for a 32 oz drink. Ten extra cents for double the size.

[sky]

Originally posted by Chipper
3) I kind of look at it this way: If you go to a fast food restaurant, you might pay 79 cents for a 16 oz drink and 89 cents for a 32 oz drink. Ten extra cents for double the size. [/b]

I think it is fair if the restaurant charges different prices for a econ meal with small drink and fries, a regular meal with medium drink and fries, and a premium meal with large drink and fries. However, i would find it ridiculous if the restaurant includes items like # of napkins, amount of salt and pepper allowed, or even the # of toothpicks to the meal packages.

for example:

econ meal -> small drink and fries, 1 napkin, 1 packet of salt and pepper, 1 toothpick

regular meal -> medium drink and fries, 2 napkins, 2 packets of salt and pepper, 2 toothpicks....

etc....

IMHO, address book is so essential to email, that i don't understand why there is such a limit for different account levels, just like restaurants won't limit ur use of napkins, or salt and pepper.

[rmns2bseen]

Originally posted by sky
IMHO, address book is so essential to email, that i don't understand why there is such a limit for different account levels, just like restaurants won't limit ur use of napkins, or salt and pepper.

Because FastMail is a business ; they rely on subscribers to stay in business; they want to have as many subscribers at the highest level that they can get. Personally though I don't find the 500 limit all that restrictive. And yes, a restaurant will limit your use of condiments and napkins if your usage starts to eat into their profits in any way

[hadaso]

Originally posted by sky

econ meal -> small drink and fries, 1 napkin, 1 packet of salt and pepper, 1 toothpick

regular meal -> medium drink and fries, 2 napkins, 2 packets of salt and pepper, 2 toothpicks....

etc....

Feast -> ... 10000 napkins, 10000 packets of salt and pepper, 10000 toothpicks (bring your own food).