[SOLVED] weird outlook calendar issue

[Rosco]

I have a client that is based out of NYC. His assistant used to live in the area but has since moved to WY. So now she is a virtual assistant. She handles all his calendar emails and anything else. She has her computer set to EST to make things easier. She operates as him in an outlook on her computer. Over the last few weeks, she responded to some of the calendar invites as my client. The subject lists the time in MST. I have looked at her time and the time zones in Outlook calendar options. Everything is Eastern Standard Time on her PC. I am not sure where the issue is coming from. Finally, today, they emailed me a picture of the email saying it changed the timezone. Can anyone direct me to where to change this setting? Do you have any insight?

 

[Blues]

So who is receiving it and it showing the different time zone as in the screen grab? Usually the received invite shows in the recipients time zone regardless of the initial individuals time zone. The verbiage in the screen grab suggest the invite was initially created in the NY time zone. I am just wondering if we are chasing the wrong issue here based on what I can see it doesn't confirm that the Assistant and their physical location is an issue or changing anything.

 

[Rosco]

So who is receiving it and it showing the different time zone as in the screen grab? Usually the received invite shows in the recipients time zone regardless of the initial individuals time zone. The verbiage in the screen grab suggest the invite was initially created in the NY time zone. I am just wondering if we are chasing the wrong issue here based on what I can see it doesn't confirm that the Assistant and their physical location is an issue or changing anything.

Thanks for the reply. My client is blind. I should have mentioned this. So when it is accepted and in his inbox, the subject will state the appointment in MST. It is read aloud to him from his iphone. This has been the system for 2 years and only now having a issue.

 

[britechguy]

Double check that the time zone is what you think it is on the computer generating the appointment.

Personally, I'd set the computer to it's actual time zone and set up an appointment template that explicitly uses the time zone for the person being scheduled for.

 

[Rosco]

Double check that the time zone is what you think it is on the computer generating the appointment.

Personally, I'd set the computer to it's actual time zone and set up an appointment template that explicitly uses the time zone for the person being scheduled for.

All the computers associated with my client are set to EST. The templates are set to EST. Other than the assistant being in MST i can not find a reason this is happening.

 

[britechguy]

If @callthatgirl or other Outlook experts have no comment, I can't figure it out, either. This is where MS support should be brought in if possible.

 

[carmen617]

Are location services turned on on the remote computer?

 

[callthatgirl]

how about her phone? Does she accept appts from the phone? I'll keep thinking about other options.

 

[Rosco]

how about her phone? Does she accept appts from the phone? I'll keep thinking about other options.

Are location services turned on on the remote computer?

If @callthatgirl or other Outlook experts have no comment, I can't figure it out, either. This is where MS support should be brought in if possible.

OK, here is the solution. Thanks so much to everyone who weighed in. The invites were sent from Google Meet to my client, who does not ever use his Google account. They both accept through Outlook. His assistant is logged into it though. When I clicked on the invite link, it brought me to Google Calendar. The timezone setting was in Google even though his calendar is in Outlook. Then, when looking at the past few meet calendar invites, this happened. It was all from Google Meet. So I set Google Calendar to the correct time zone, and it all seemed to fix itself. It has been all day, and there has been no call, so I must be working. Have a great night fellow nibblers

 

[britechguy]

The timezone setting was in Google even though his calendar is in Outlook.

Really? And that's not doubt, just a request for clarification.

Outlook is perfectly capable of working with Google Calendar, synced in to Outlook itself. I'm wondering if this all ties back to the fact that Google Calendar is involved.

 

[callthatgirl]

@britechguy "Outlook is perfectly capable of working with Google Calendar, synced in to Outlook itself."

Outlook only synchs natively with Exchange, everything else needs a connector, sync product or an app to sync calendars, contacts, notes, tasks.

 

[britechguy]

Outlook only synchs natively with Exchange

True. But you already pointed out that other things can be, and are, routinely used to sync Google Calendar and Contacts with Outlook. I never said anything that implied natively. There are scads of sync clients acting as go-between as of today. And Outlook for Windows now syncs mail, calendar, and contacts to Google natively. I can't imagine that the Outlook desktop app will be very far behind. Microsoft foolishly decided not to play well with the Google ecosystem, and appears to have awakened to the folly of that choice.

I'll bet the folks who have been making those Google-to-Outlook sync clients for years now are not at all happy with the direction things are taking.

 

[callthatgirl]

I'll disagree, Outlook Classic will never natively sync with anything but Exchange, that's giving money away practically. It never has, never will. Businesses doesn't use the new Outlook and never will, it has zero functionality. Home users is what it's made for and my home users even hate it.

MS and Google will never play in the same sand box, nothing foolish about staying at the top. Google copied everything MS does in the messaging arena. Even copied how Chrome downloads now.

Sync products will be bought, installed, configured and used for Outlook for many years to come. MS will not give up that money.

 

[Rosco]

Really? And that's not doubt, just a request for clarification.

Outlook is perfectly capable of working with Google Calendar, synced in to Outlook itself. I'm wondering if this all ties back to the fact that Google Calendar is involved.

Yes, the time in the Outlook calendar has always been correct. It was just the subject line of the accepted meeting that was wrong. When I looked at the Google calendar, which was never used, the time of the meeting was in MST. I switched the time zone setting in Google, and then Google Calendar also had the correct time. Because my client is blind, this was a significant issue. Luckily, it seems to be resolved now. Thanks for all your help!

 

[britechguy]

I'll disagree, Outlook Classic will never natively sync with anything but Exchange

So we'll agree to disagree. I fail to believe that Microsoft would add long-demanded graceful synchronization of email, contacts, and calendar between Outlook for Windows (the replacement for Mail, People, and Calendar apps in Win10 and 11) and omit that in the Outlook desktop app. That would make zero sense from any perspective.

I can't count the number of users I know who have been using Outlook desktop with Gmail accounts for years, and have been very frustrated that sync with it by Outlook is not handled with grace.

Time will tell. But MS certainly has major work to do on the "New Outlook" UI in regard to the Outlook desktop app. The preview version (which is the only one I know of and have worked with) essentially turns the desktop app into Outlook for Windows, and no one wants that who really uses the full functionality of desktop Outlook.

Addendum: Just for the heck of it, I decided to switch over to the New Outlook again just to see what, if anything, may have changed since I last tried it out. It appears that nothing has. It really boils down to Outlook for Windows without a graceful sync of mail, contacts, and calendar with Google. I don't know of anyone who'd want that. The massive loss of Outlook core functionality on the whole makes it a "no go" in every way.

 

[callthatgirl]

I don't want to agree to disagree, tell me some facts then. What other program can you add to Outlook that will sync everything...mail/contacts/calendar/tasks and notes outside of Exchange? This includes all varieties of Microsoft outlook.com, hotmail.com, etc.

The reason I want you to post it so I learn and others learn. Many people read these posts to learn and if I'm wrong, I'll own it.

This is only for Outlook Classic, not the New Outlook/PRE.

 

[britechguy]

Note well: I originally specified only mail, calendar, and contacts.

Fruxx syncs contacts, calendar, and tasks to Outlook. I have literally never touched notes, so they've never concerned me.

Another option that includes notes is gSyncit. (Look at all the services it can sync into Outlook)

The need/want has existed, for years, and I've had to use tools like these (most commonly, for home and micro business users, GO Contact Sync Mod, which handles calendar and contacts for Google is more than sufficient). I'm actually surprised, given the range of your client base, that you've never had to use something like this. I wouldn't think any one of us here works only with people who use Outlook only with Exchange, and nothing else. I'm the flip side of the equation, since my support is for home and micro business users, and most of them who use Outlook desktop are using IMAP access to the email account(s) they use, along with the contacts and calendar for same. With the advent of M365 Personal and Family, I've had more of these than I even used to, as Outlook was not previously included in most of the home-user-focused versions of Office.

 

[callthatgirl]

I was talking native, not apps, connectors or other software.

I'll disagree, Outlook Classic will never natively sync with anything but Exchange

 

[britechguy]

I was talking native, not apps, connectors or other software.

You asked: "What other program can you add to Outlook that will sync everything...mail/contacts/calendar/tasks and notes outside of Exchange? This includes all varieties of Microsoft outlook.com, hotmail.com, etc."

I answered. You don't get to change the question retroactively.

Since Outlook for Windows already natively syncs mail, calendar, and contacts for Gmail, at least, I stand by my position that Outlook desktop will have to do so as well. There are god-knows how many people who've been clamoring for this for years now. There's no way, with M365 in all its forms using desktop Outlook, that this functionality won't end up there.

 

[britechguy]

BTW, today when I "flipped the switch" in Outlook 365 desktop to try the "New Outlook" I got something for my Google Account that's been in use by Outlook Desktop forever that I have never received when I've flipped in the past:



I've had to go through the OAUTH process in the distant past when the account was initially configured in Outlook, but have never been asked again since. Something's changed "under the hood" where the New Outlook is no longer recognized as having access, even when it did in the past.

Flipping back to Outlook desktop did not trigger any additional OAUTH activity.