POP email not working on new iphone

[newmacfilm]

I just got my iphone yesterday and setting up gmail was fine, but I tried setting up my work email via another POP account, everything is correct but when i try to send mail it says the sender email is invalid. When I check the inbox on the iphone for my work mail i've had a couple of pieces of spam trickle through, but none of my other emails, it's totally sporadic and will only download maybe 1 email (the spam) and none of the other 20 or so emails. I've been reading that there have been some email issues and ppl have said restart, refresh, reboot, delete account/redo, trick the phone, etc...if this is what i have to do to access my work mail it's not something i want to deal with moving forward. Any suggestions or other places to look for help? I love the phone otherwise, but if i can't get my mail it's a dealbreaker. thanks for any help.