Monday, November 04, 2013

Mandrill.com mail service review

I wrote a web app that sends email invites, password resets and the like. The problem is, half of my emails get blocked by destination servers, and so I thought it prudent to sign up with one of these bulk email services designed just for this purpose: sending email on behalf of your app. My first try is with Mandrill.com, a service by MailChimp. My initial thoughts are not good. I created an account (after 3 page loads which erased my email address because my chosen password didn't meet their idea of complexity). After signing in, I attempted to access the smtp settings, only to be prompted for my password again. I couldn't get past the password prompt (I just made it, and I even wrote it down!) and that didn't let me in. So, off to password recovery. I entered my username (but wait, I used an email to sign in didn't I? Shouldn't it ask for my email not a username?) and clicked the button.... waiting.. waiting.. waiting.. I didn't see the email come in after a few minutes, so I scan my folders in Outlook and what do I see? The password recovery link is in my Junk E-Mail folder! Sadly, I have to say goodbye to Mandrill. If their own app emails just end up in junk, I can't use them. That is exactly what I'm trying to avoid! Add to that the clunky sign up process and incorrectly labeled buttons, I would rate this service as definitely not ready for production! What is your experience with Mandrill.com?