Mail not forwarding to sbcglobal addresses?

[mksfbay]

I'm not receiving mail at my protected address @sbcglobal.net, although the counters at spamgourmet appear to be decrementing.

I ordered merchandise online this morning, and provided a <someword>.6.<user>@xoxy.net address. Checking later, I can see that the <someword>.6.<user>@xoxy.net address was created (at 2005-09-12 11:01), and it shows that 1 message was received, but that message still hasn't appeared in my @sbcglobal.net email box.

I sent a test message to <differentword>.10.<user>@xoxy.net, and that address was also created right away, but the message hasn't been delivered to the protected address. I sent a message directly to my @sbcglobal.net email box, and that message appeared almost instantly. Also, when I registered to use this BBS, the confirmation email appeared there immediately, too.

Using a different spamgourmet user that forwards to a different domain, I tested again, and the message was delivered. Is this a case of spamgourmet not properly forwarding to sbcglobal.net, or is sbcglobal.net not accepting email from spamgourmet? ...thanks!

[dl97]

Same thing happening with my swbell.net protected address. Haven't received mail since yesterday (possibly earlier). Normally use POP client, but messages don't appear via SBC/Yahoo web interface either. Any assistance is appreciated!

[mksfbay]

I've complained to SBC/Yahoo. I believe that swbell.net is managed by SBC/Yahoo, so another complaint might be useful.

[SysKoll]

Ask your ISP if they are using a black list, and if so, which one.

[josh]

an MX lookup for sbcglobal.net shows several servers, among them sbcmx1.prodigy.net

when I telnet from the spamgourmet server to that machine at port 25, and try to send an email, it says:

553 5.3.0 ylpvm06,DNSBL:To request removal of, 216.218.230.146, send the complete error message in an E-mail to removeme@sbc.sbcglobal.net

So, yes, it looks like they have our server blacklisted.

[mksfbay]

So, yes, it looks like they have our server blacklisted.

Thanks much for the test, Josh.

I've changed my protected address to a gmail account. It takes several days for SBC/Yahoo to respond to those "remove" requests, and I'm tired of fighting with it.

[SysKoll]

Josh,

I take it you emailed them for removing us?

And that, boys and girls, is exactly why you shouldn't use a black list.

[mksfbay]

I take it you emailed them for removing us?

I left a complaint through the usual problem reporting channels, to which I received a nice, long boilerplate answer that totally ignores the IP address I provided, but instead says, "without the actual error message, we can't do anything about it."

[dl97]

I also reported the issue to SBC/Yahoo and was told to contact Spamgourmet . Hopefully Josh's findings will convince them where the issue lies.

Thanks for everyone's help!

[josh]

I haven't contacted sbc. I will, but I really don't have time to dance around too much with them. I say this, because I actually don't have time to do the same thing with all the other service providers that spamgourmet users have.

So, I'll send a message to that address that contains the error that I get when I try to type out a message, but if they expect me to grovel (not sure what it is about sbc that makes the word 'grovel' come to mind -- oh, wait, yeah...) or go to extraordinary lengths to convince them to change things, I'll instead advise affected spamgourmet users to use another provider (there aren't *that* many using sbc for email).

[mksfbay]

I haven't contacted sbc. I will, but I really don't have time to dance around too much with them.

And dance you will.

After the initial response that I posted earlier, I replied to say:

I found out that Yahoo is specifically blocking the IP address [216.218.230.146] for some reason. I put that IP address into my original complaint, but it would appear that no one bothered to actually check to see if that IP address is blocked.

I received another response:

Hello,

Thank you for contacting Yahoo! Customer Care.

After looking into the issue, it appears that your emails may have
become deprioritized due to a number of potential issues with your
mailings. To continue to receive prioritized delivery, we recommend
ensuring that your email lists are well maintained. If you conform to
industry standard practices, then you will not be deprioritized and you should see improvements in delivery times as well as available
connections.

Please visit the following URL for information on improving list
maintenance:

http://help.yahoo.com/help/us/mail/spam/spam-18.html

http://help.yahoo.com/help/us/mail/bulk/bulk-01.html

The above help page lists several techniques and technologies that will help you to effectively maintain your email lists. If you are not
conforming to these standards, then you will likely experience
significant delays in connections, as our system automatically
prioritizes connection availability based on the type of information
contained in this FAQ. By trying the basic suggestions listed on the
help page, you can potentially:

* decrease your cost of mailings -- in bandwidth, hardware, AND
management.

* increase the effectiveness of your mailings -- nonexistent users
can't open your mail or respond to your offers!

* increase the speed of your delivery -- mails sent to large numbers of nonexistent users can definitely impact the time it takes for you to deliver your important messages.

Plus, you'll ensure that your messages are prioritized by our delivery system which helps us differentiate you from spammers.

Thank you again for contacting Yahoo! Customer Care.

Regards,

Brian

Yahoo! Customer Care - Mail Investigations
http://abuse.yahoo.com
case id: 15576803

[mksfbay]

So, I'll send a message to that address that contains the error that I get when I try to type out a message, but if they expect me to grovel...

I replied to the second unhelpful message, and got this response:

Hello,

Thank you for contacting Yahoo! Customer Care.

Our servers are running normally at this time and your account appears to be functioning properly with no blocks on our side causing any denial of service for [216.218.230.146]. The mail is perhaps violating one or more of the latest version of our spamguard.

If you are not the administrator for the mail server(216.218.230.146
gourmet.spamgourmet.com ) affected, we encourage you to contact the administrator so they can address the possible delivery issues regarding mailings from their mail server to Yahoo! Mail.

To receive prioritized delivery or if your servers are being delivered
to Yahoo! Mail's Bulk Mail folder, please visit the following URL's for
more information on improving mail server delivery practices:

http://help.yahoo.com/help/us/mail/spam/spam-18.html

http://help.yahoo.com/help/us/mail/bulk/bulk-01.html

The above help page lists several techniques and technologies that will help you to effectively maintain your email lists. If you are not
conforming to these standards, then you will likely experience
significant delays in connections, as our system automatically
prioritizes connection availability based on the type of information
contained in this FAQ. By trying the basic suggestions listed on the
help page, you can potentially:

* decrease your cost of mailings -- in bandwidth, hardware, AND
management.

* increase the effectiveness of your mailings -- nonexistent users
can't open your mail or respond to your offers!

* increase the speed of your delivery -- mails sent to large numbers of nonexistent users can definitely impact the time it takes for you to deliver your important messages.

Plus, you'll ensure that your messages are prioritized by our delivery system which helps us differentiate you from spammers.

Thank you again for contacting Yahoo! Customer Care.

Regards,

Brian

Yahoo! Customer Care - Mail Investigations
http://abuse.yahoo.com
case id: 15576803

[theq]

I'm not receiving mail at my protected address @sbcglobal.net, although the counters at spamgourmet appear to be decrementing.

As others have said, this is likely because SBC is using the SPEWS blocklist, and Spamgourmet's provider (Hurricane Electric) is listed there because they are apparently slow to disconnect spammers. Nothing you or Spamgourmet have done wrong; the problem is upstream. There's a whole 'nother thread digging into the details of this.

In any event, I had the same problem, but noticed buried in the bounces was a removal address. I emailed that address and SBC whitelisted me (presumably automatically) the same day.

Personally, I think SPEWS is too aggressive for mainstream use and I'm a bit surprised SBC is using their list - but it's up to SBC how they want to defend their netspace. It's their choice - just as it's up to you to decide if you want to give them your business if you don't like how they do things. Good luck! (and be sure to look for an auto-whitelisting address, which I think is referred to - confusingly - as a removal address).

[josh]

Wow:

>Thank you for contacting the SBC Internet Services Security department.
>We have received your request to be removed from our RBL.

>After investigating the IP address provided, we have honored your
>request and removed this IP address from our RBL.


>Thank you,

>The SBC Internet Abuse Security Department


OK -- I apologize for the 'groveling' quip.