REPLY to email messages get rejected

[carhar]

I have tried to REPLY to an email but it keeps comming back as REJECTED. The
address is correct, the same as the one they sent it from but I just can not
get the reply sent. Is there a reason and can I get help to get it sent?
It is from an old friend who didn't still know if I was at my old address.
I would appreciate help if there is some.

 

[VanguardLH]

I have tried to REPLY to an email but it keeps comming back as
REJECTED.

Why? How do you know they were rejected?

The address is correct, the same as the one they sent it from but I
just can not get the reply sent. Is there a reason and can I get
help to get it sent?

Probably but you chose not to disclose the content of the rejection
message that you get.

It is from an old friend who didn't still know if I was at my old
address. I would appreciate help if there is some.

You'll first have to provide help by disclosing what was the rejection
message.

 

[Milly Staples [MVP - Outlook]]

What is the complete error message?

--
Milly Staples [MVP - Outlook]

Post all replies to the group to keep the discussion intact.
ALWAYS post your Outlook version.
How to ask a question: http://support.microsoft.com/KB/555375


After furious head scratching, carhar asked:

| I have tried to REPLY to an email but it keeps comming back as
| REJECTED. The address is correct, the same as the one they sent it
| from but I just can not get the reply sent. Is there a reason and
| can I get help to get it sent? It is from an old friend who didn't
| still know if I was at my old address. I would appreciate help if
| there is some.

 

[carhar]

Here is what I have gotten when the message was rejected.


----- The following addresses had permanent fatal errors -----
<[email protected]>
(reason: 550 #5.1.0 Address rejected (e-mail address removed))

----- Transcript of session follows -----
.... while talking to smtpserv.absamail.co.za.:<<< 550 #5.1.0 Address rejected (e-mail address removed)
550 5.1.1 <[email protected]>... User unknown

It is their address and I have heard that my server could have had it
rejected for some reason.
Does this help?
carhar

 

[N. Miller]

"VanguardLH" wrote:

Here is what I have gotten when the message was rejected.


----- The following addresses had permanent fatal errors -----
<[email protected]>
(reason: 550 #5.1.0 Address rejected (e-mail address removed))

----- Transcript of session follows -----
... while talking to smtpserv.absamail.co.za.:
<<< 550 #5.1.0 Address rejected (e-mail address removed)
550 5.1.1 <[email protected]>... User unknown

It is their address and I have heard that my server could have had it
rejected for some reason.
Does this help?
carhar

The error message says, "while talking to smtpserv.absamail.co.za". Unless
'smtpserv.absamail.co.za' serves you, then your server did not reject this.

As a rule, SMTP message submission servers will not reject email for a "User
unknown"; unless the server is badly configured. The message submission
server should not know the state of existence of a "RCPT TO:" email address.

A domain gateway (MX) SMTP server may reject email for a "User unknown", if
it knows the state of existence of the "RCPT TO:" email address. It may also
reject any incoming email for any reason, and "lie" (due to error, or
misconfiguration by the administrator) about the reason.

If you can send an original email to that address, but a reply is rejected,
there may be something about how the reply is created by your client that
the gateway mail server doesn't like. You could try replying without
quoting, to see if it is something about the quoting that is triggering the
reject.

 

[VanguardLH]

The error message says, "while talking to smtpserv.absamail.co.za". Unless
'smtpserv.absamail.co.za' serves you, then your server did not reject this.

As a rule, SMTP message submission servers will not reject email for a "User
unknown"; unless the server is badly configured. The message submission
server should not know the state of existence of a "RCPT TO:" email address.

A domain gateway (MX) SMTP server may reject email for a "User unknown", if
it knows the state of existence of the "RCPT TO:" email address. It may also
reject any incoming email for any reason, and "lie" (due to error, or
misconfiguration by the administrator) about the reason.

If you can send an original email to that address, but a reply is rejected,
there may be something about how the reply is created by your client that
the gateway mail server doesn't like. You could try replying without
quoting, to see if it is something about the quoting that is triggering the
reject.

It is also possible that the original sender screwed up and entered an
invalid or incorrect e-mail address in the Reply-To header. When
sending e-mail to this person, you are using their correct e-mail
address. When replying to their e-mail, you are, by default, using the
Reply-To e-mail address that the sender specified, if they specified
one.

You sending new e-mail to this person has you using their correct e-mail
address that you recorded in your contact records.

You replying to this person's e-mail is using their Reply-To header to
specify what e-mail address to use as the recipient in your reply. If
they got it wrong, you reply to that wrong e-mail address.

So when you reply, try the following: do a reply but wipe the To field
to remove their e-mail address, and then use their e-mail address from
your contacts list. If it goes through, tell them to correct their
Reply-To field in the e-mail account they defined in their e-mail client
as it is invalid. If it doesn't go through, neither will new e-mails
sent to them as they have a problem at their end.

Although you think the e-mail address is correct, how do you know that
person still has an active account at that domain? They might've closed
it. It might be a freebie account and they abandoned it for too long so
it got disabled. They or their e-mail provider might've closed that
account.