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MktgINT_2024's avatar
MktgINT_2024
New Member
2 months ago

Ongoing Issue with Time Zone Error in GoToWebinar Email Reminders

Subject: Ongoing Issue with Time Zone Error in GoToWebinar Email Reminders

I’m reaching out to address an ongoing issue with the time zone in calendar events added through the email reminders sent by your platform.

Summary of the issue:

  • Problem Description: Our customers have reported that when they add events to Google Calendar via the email reminders sent by GoToWebinar, the time zone is incorrectly set. It’s being changed to a completely different time zone, even though the correct time zone is set in Google Calendar.
  • Where the issue occurs: The problem only occurs when the calendar event is added through the reminder email from GoToWebinar. If we manually add the event directly through the registration form on the GoToWebinar platform, the time zone is correctly set, and there are no issues.
  • Why this is an issue: The issue appears to be tied to the email reminder feature in GoToWebinar. This is not a problem with Google Calendar itself, as everything works perfectly when the event is added manually via the GoToWebinar form.
  • Customer Impact: Customers who receive the email reminders from GoToWebinar are experiencing this problem, leading to confusion and frustration, as their calendar events are being incorrectly scheduled.

We have verified multiple times that the time zone settings are correct in Google Calendar and have ensured that all customers who reported the issue are using the correct settings.

Our Request:

We believe that the root cause of this problem lies in the integration between GoToWebinar’s email reminder system and Google Calendar. Since this issue is directly related to how your platform is sending the calendar invites, we kindly ask that your team investigate this further and work on resolving it.

Frustration and Ongoing Delay:

We have been trying to resolve this issue for over two months now, and, unfortunately, the responses we’ve received have either ignored the issue or repeated the same response. The answer we consistently get is that the problem lies with Google Calendar’s time zone settings, which we have already confirmed are correctly configured. Despite explaining this multiple times, we continue to be directed back to Google and asked to verify something that we’ve already ruled out.

It’s frustrating to keep repeating ourselves without seeing any meaningful progress or resolution. Additionally, we’re being asked to pass the responsibility onto our clients to reach out to Google for an issue that originates from your platform. This continuous back-and-forth without a solution is not only wasting our time but also our customers' time, and it's clear that the responsibility lies on your side to fix the integration.

Thank you for your attention to this matter. We expect a prompt and actionable response to resolve this issue as soon as possible.

Best regards.

3 Replies

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  • KateG's avatar
    KateG
    GoTo Manager
    31 days ago

    Hi MktgINT_2024 

    Thank you for confirming that copying the webinar workaround does not apply to your circumstance and this isn't the root issue. 

    I’ve shared this with our team, and there is an internal ticket reviewing the issue.  

    While I don’t have a specific timeline to share, we’ll be sure to keep the Community updated. We apologize for the frustration this has caused and appreciate you bringing it to our attention.

  • MktgINT_2024's avatar
    MktgINT_2024
    New Member
    31 days ago

    Thank you for your response. However, I’d like to clarify that this issue is not related to copying a previous webinar event. The problem occurs consistently for all webinars, whether they are newly created or based on a copied event.

    Since this has been an ongoing issue affecting all our customers who add events to Google Calendar via your email reminders, we would appreciate further investigation and a concrete resolution.

    I would also like to to provide further clarification on the issue and what seems to be missing on your end.

    Technical Explanation of the Issue:

    • The problem occurs when users add events to Google Calendar through the email reminders sent by GoToWebinar.
    • It appears that the calendar event data in your system is not correctly passing the user's time zone to Google Calendar.
    • Instead of respecting the user’s configured time zone, the event defaults to the first time zone in Google’s list—Pacific Time (PT).
    • This suggests that your integration may not be correctly setting the TZID parameter in the calendar event file (.ics) or the Google Calendar link.

    What Needs to Be Fixed on Your End:

    1. Ensure the correct time zone parameter (TZID) is included in the .ics file
      • When generating the .ics file attached to email reminders, make sure the correct TZID is included for the event start and end times.
      • If the TZID is missing, Google Calendar will assume the default (Pacific Time).
    2. Ensure the Google Calendar link includes the correct time zone
      • When generating Google Calendar event links, you should include the ctz parameter with the correct time zone.
      • If ctz is missing or incorrect, Google Calendar will default to Pacific Time.

    Since this issue affects all webinars, whether newly created or copied, we would appreciate further investigation and a concrete fix.

    Could you confirm that your development team is reviewing these aspects of the integration? Please provide an update on the next steps and an estimated timeline for resolution.

    Best regards.

  • KateG's avatar
    KateG
    GoTo Manager
    2 months ago

    Hi MktgINT_2024, 

    Welcome to the Community. I'm sorry to hear about the frustrations you have experienced. 

    I reviewed your case and this appears to be a known issue, and your case was added to an internal ticket. One suggestion was to avoid copying the affected webinar event to a new event for future sessions. 

    I will share this experience with our team as well. Thank you for taking the time to report the issue.