Can't receive email with large attachment. why?

[GaryGranath]

A friend sends an email to me with a large attachment. It is rejected and he gets the following response.

{edited for privacy}:

206.46.232.11 failed after I sent the message.

Remote host said: 552 5.3.4 a message size of 20483 kilobytes exceeds the size limit of 20480 kilobytes computed for this transaction

The message is small, but the attachment is large. Is something wrong or am I really limited to receiving relatively tiny attachments?

My Yahoo email account receives the same email with no problem at all. Can someone tell me what's up?

[dslr595148]

There is a limit to how big the attachments can be.

#1 Tell the sender to reduce the size of the message somehow..

For example this could mean zip (compress) it.

When you reveive the zipped file, you need to unzip (uncompress) it.

#2 Or to use some sort of web based file sending system.

For example http://www.sendspace.com/

^^

[GaryGranath]

Thanks for the response, but the file attachment is already zipped. It's still apparently too large for verizon email to process.

I think Verizon's size restriction must be unrealistic. Yahoo email handles it with no problem at all. Larger files are more common now than in the past.

Verizon would do well to provide something equal to Yahoo on this issue, or at least give users the opportunity for an exception - perhaps on a limited basis - once or twice during a particular time period. Verizon is a large enterprise. Surely a large email attachment isn't too much for it to handle.

[somegirl]

First of all, I wouldn't consider 20 MB to be "relatively tiny," but I suppose that's open to interpretation.

Taken from Verizon's Support site:

How large of an attachment can I send or receive through email?

When you are using email, the Verizon web-based email application, you can send attachments that are up to 8 MB (megabytes) in size. Emails sent using 3rd party email programs like Outlook, Lotus Notes, or Eudora, however; can contain attachments up to 20 MB....

[GaryGranath]

OK, I have no problem agreeing that 20MB is not "relatively tiny." Here's a list of the zip files (they were attached to separate emails) that Yahoo email accepted without complaint.

The first file (last in the list) that Verizon rejected was right at 20MB. We tried using Yahoo at that point and had no problem. Yahoo handled the 29MB zip file without complaint too.

Sun, 2/7/10      4752KB

Sun, 2/7/10      15MB

Sun, 2/7/10      1838KB

Thu, 2/4/10      903KB

Mon, 2/1/10      7KB

Mon, 2/1/10      29MB

Mon, 2/1/10      3KB

Sat, 1/30/10      20MB

According to the Properties attribute once I downloaded the 20MB file from Yahoo email, the reported size of the file was actually 15,826,944 bytes. Where the additional 4MB doesn't matter, but if Yahoo can take care of this, how about a policy change, Verizon? Can you match Yahoo? You have a wireless network with the best national coverage. How about stepping up to this? Little problem, big corporation. Shouldn't be a big issue.