Few days back, I upgraded my Google Apps Standard account to Google Apps Premier account because I needed more space and I thought it will be nice to pay for a cloud service and, in the process, get rid of the annoying ads. I was also very keen on using their Postini services and wanted to use the 10 GB space on Google Sites for some project. Plus, $50 per year per user is peanuts for the value one can get out of Google Apps premier edition. But, I cancelled my subscription in exactly two days and for a reason which could be easily dismissed as silly or amateurish.
First, a little background on how I use my Google Apps account. I have two email users in my Google Apps account. One of the email addresses is used for my communication purposes and the other one for everything else. I use the catchall option (well, since I trust Google’s spam filter very much, I am not all that worried about spam coming due to the catchall option. In fact, I, probably, get around 5 or 6 spam emails every month and it is ok for the convenience of the catch all address). I forward the catchall mails to one of my users in the Google Apps account. Since Google Apps Standard edition is free, life hummed along very well without much trouble.
Google’s pricing approach to Premier account is a bit odd from my point of view (where I assume that usage based pricing means you only pay for what you use). Instead of giving an option to allow premier upgrade for only those accounts that needs an upgrade, Google forces the customers to upgrade all the users or none. Also, with their 50 user limit, if you ever have 51 users, you need to pay for all 51 users instead of 50 free + 1 paid user. When you are a 50 people organization, you have a free email system for your organization but if you have 51 people, you have to pay $2550 per year (which is still peanuts though, no doubt).
When I decided to upgrade my 2 user Google Apps account, I wanted to upgrade only the account I use for email communications and not the other “reservoir” account. Since I don’t have the option of selectively upgrading the user accounts, I moved all the mails from the “reservoir” account to another domain of mine with the hope that I can use that standard edition user account as my “reservoir” account including the mails coming due to catchall option. I removed the “reservoir” user account from my domain and upgraded to Premier account with just one user. After the upgrade I realized that the catchall address can only be an address from the same domain. I didn’t notice it when I had the standard account because having an extra user account didn’t cost me anything and, hence, didn’t think about it much. Now, I realized that I cannot forward the catchall address to the Google Apps account for another domain and, then, decided that I will use the group option to push the mails to the other Google Apps account. I set up a group email address under my domain and set it to forward mails to the other Google Apps account. But, Google Apps didn’t allow me to use a group email from the same domain as the catchall email address. It appears one can only use an user account (not a group account) from the same domain as a catchall email address. In short, the only way for me to have a catchall email address is either by using my main email user as a catchall user or pay for another user and then use it.
I perfectly understand the logic behind forcing the catchall email from the same domain. I agree that it is not expensive to buy another account. I also agree that Google Apps is mainly directed towards enterprises and they don’t care about paying for another account as long as the emails don’t go out of their own domain.
However, I feel that Google is wrong for the following reasons. First, even though Google Apps are directed towards enterprises, their main customer base are SME, individual users, non-profits, etc.. For them, $50 per year is not a small amount. Forcing someone to pay $50 for a simple thing like a catchall email is just ridiculous. If the Premier account is really customized for enterprise users, they should have a premier lite targeting individuals and small businesses. This act of forcing the customers to pay for an extra account (or, live with all the catchall mails in the main account which they don’t want to use for the purpose) goes against the Google’s self imposed motto of “Don’t be evil”. It is not only wrong but, also, absurd.
PS: There may or may not be an advanced routing option as an work around. I didn’t dig enough to rule it out. However, irrespective of whether such an option exists or not, there should be a straight forward way of doing it. Period.
Totally agree with you. I’m sure there is some logical reason for charging for all accounts in the domain, but doesn’t mean it’s right.
I actually haven’t taken the plunge to Google Apps for my email because of similar small missing things – IE, an easy way to add another domain to the account with slightly different mail accounts.
Let me see if I understand:
With another service, I can have two email addresses under the same account name (i.e. I pay ONE price but can have up to 10 email addresses).
Is this possible with Google mail? And, can I access one of my other addresses without logging back in?
Thank you!
If spam is not a problem itself, what’s the problem with use you main address with catch all? If you want organization, you can use a label with a simple rule…
As I explained in my post, I use an unique email address for every site I register. Creating a filter for every one of these address is a pain (if I want to organize it properly). Plus, your response doesn’t justify the restrictions of Google Apps Premier Edition. You are just suggesting a workaround and the main point of my post is not about a work around.
Make a rule to forward all mail not addressed to your account to your other email address.
You lay out your apparently well-considered reasoning for upgrading to Premier but then you go on a tirade because you have to pay another $50 for a second account? I guess $50 isn’t “peanuts” afterall. Definitely not “silly or amateurish”.
Agreed! I’m not the only person who set up on email address for primary communications, and another for mail lists! I don’t care to pay for Premier for the mail lists address!
* Waits for Google to read this excellent posting and revise policy *
* Considers forwarding mail list email box/alias to another domain, but I have such an extensive list of filters/labels! *
I know this can be done, because it works for me. I have a standard Google Apps account with several free e-mail addresses. I have a single e-mail account in a Premier Google Apps account. Any incoming junk (catch-all) mail to my Premier accounts gets routed to my standard Google Catch-all account. Unfortunately, I can’t figure out why it works in this manner. Actually, I wanted my incoming junk mail routed to my single Premier Account (as suggested by Krish), but the Premier catch-all setting does not seem to work. I get an invalid account when I try to enter my premier e-mail account name.
I had similar concerns. I have a network of about 100 users. We’re a non-profit. We have about 10-15 catchall email boxes setup for PR/Marketing, Volunteers, Sales, etc. Each one of those accounts was going to be an extra $50
For non-profits, you may be able to get the education edition, which is similar to the premier edition except it has less storage (7.5 GB rather than 25 GB/user) and it’s free for 503 (c) organizations, schools, and the like.
Try using the “nicknames” under “manage account > users”. That allows you to use many different nicknames that can all forward to one account.
@Justin: You’re a non-profit with < 3,000 users…you don’t have to pay anything. Google will give you the Google Apps for Education service for free.
absolutely agree. i think its a totally WRONG marketing strategy for google.
I heard that the standard google aps is free and you get 50 email accounts. Is this correct?
So if I get the premier account and we are a team of let’s say 20 I can also provide free email accounts using my domain to my team?
What is this user thing that is $50? Does this mean that if I get an email address for one my team members I’ll have to pay $50 per person?
Humph; interesting point re: catch all.
I don’t have a Premier account, but would question if it’s possible to use the standard Gmail hidden “feature” of using “username+idontlikespam@gmail.com” on Gmail’s hosted/free/premier services.
Then, “usernames” filters could forward all mail fr that address to whever, Gmail or not.
I’ll have to sign up for the free edition & test it. You should try as well.
– The Doctor
Not all sites allow a + in the email address. Thatz why I didn’t use it.
In fact more and more sites that used to allow the + format shut it off. I guess they realized it was a way to filter them out and our fighting back
The reason of this ‘none or all policy’ is very easy: google apps pro runs on a different environment. In fact, Google give different priorities (in the case of crush of some of their datacenter) to Apps users and Pro Apps users. that’s why
Yeah, it really is a bummer. it is resolvable using subdomains: http://www.google.com/support/a/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=60749
but that’s more of an infrastructural change, and it would make more sense to just be able to pick and choose who you want as premier and who you don’t
Hi,
i want to remove my google email account. i wish u could help me.
please guys i think u can.
thanks
Elijah
Just to explain the counterpoint to your concerns, I run a small business and happily pay the $50 a year for each premier account. I work with many many small business owners and am continually stunned that people feel $50 is too expensive to ensure your ability to send and receive email, and to maintain your email archive. My understanding is that goggles ‘free’ service is just that – a free service that they offer with very little guarantee. On several occasions when the free Google apps have been ‘down’ my Google premier apps keeps running fine.
Free email is clearly the way to go if your ability to send and receive email isn’t worth $50 a year per account. For my business – it would cost us significantly more than that if I were unable to use email for a day or two. I’m happy to pay for a business relationship with a company that provides such an excellent service. I’m happy to pay for my google accounts to run on what I presume to be more resilient, better monitored and maintained infrastructure. And so I’m not at all surprised that one can’t mix-and-match within a google apps between premier and standard.
Krishnan,
A technical question, is there way to revert back to a standard package if one upgrades it to a premium?
Thanks
I agree with Krishnan. They must have flexi plan for SME, SMB who needs few premium account and rest with standard features, Or at least they must offer more storage at extra cost.
If a company with say 30 users where only CEO and couple of more people need premium features but rest need standard features. And 2 or 3 in marketing need standard feature but more space to store their emails.
I hope google with think on this and make both features available soon.