When "Reply To" is set by sender to distribution list, how can I get a warning that my "Reply To" is essentially a "Reply All"?
I've had a couple of embarrassing moments where I thought I was replying to my supervisor ONLY - because I hit Reply, NOT Reply All - but the reply went to all the users on the email distribution list that was showing in the "Reply To" that can be set by the sender.
Is there a way to get some sort of warning when this happens - or just any time there is a difference between the From (sender) and Reply To (customized option set by sender)? If not, any other suggestions on what I could do to avoid making the same mistake in the future?
All Replies (4)
If I have an email with a 'Reply-to' which was setup by sender, then it shows very clearly in my headers. Are you saying that you do not see the 'Reply-to' in the headers ?
When I click on 'Reply', it clearly shows: 'From' and 'To' email addresses and also the 'Subject'. Is there an issue with this view? Are the TO fields hidden ? If there are several TO fields with email addresses then a scroll bar should appear on the left side. Is there any issue with visibility of TO fields?
The headers should instantly show that you are sending using the correct mail account/email address and check/choose recipients. I'm assuming you know if that email address is your supervisor or anyone else; if it is a 'no-reply at domain dot com' then you also know not to bother trying to reply to that email address.
At the end of the day, Thunderbird cannot know what emails you do or do not check. It assumes that you check all the data before you send.
You could opt to use 'Send Later' which would put all emails in your 'Outbox' like a temp store, this does give the option to recheck before sending, so it could act like a safety-net, but it still means you have to check your recipients are the correct ones. 'Send Later' is available under 'File', but will also replace the 'Send' option if you compose in offline mode.
Suggest you check to see if you are seeing full headers or the abbreviated Normal view. 'View' > 'Headers' > 'Select 'Normal'
This will show only the essential items which may make the visibility more obvious for you.
I guess I'm just not used to the sender being able to designate the "Reply To", or at least it was never used when I was using Outlook. Never had to worry about Reply To going to a distribution list unless the "From" was a distribution list - there was no "Reply To".
Wonder if there might be a way to highlight the "Reply To" field, conditionally or unconditionally. I'm going to check into that ...
I set up a message filter that catches known distribution lists, places them in a separate folder (subfolder of my supervisor), and marks them as "Work", so I'll be more likely to recognize them and correct the Reply address if need be. Thanks for the help.