topic Re: Can't send email following password change in Email

Can't send email following password change

AlanH2 — Mon, 20 Dec 2021 12:06:36 GMT

For security reasons (I received a phishing email), I changed my Plusnet webmail password a few days ago and put the new password into my Outlook mailbox on my laptop and into my iPad. Since then, incoming email has been arriving ok but I have been unable to send emails from webmail, Outlook or Safari. I get an error on all three whenever I try to send. The fact that I cannot even send direct from my webmail account suggests the fault is somewhere at the Plusnet end and not with any of my devices (all of which had been working ok prior to the password change).

Can anyone help, please?

Re: Can't send email following password change

jab1 — Mon, 20 Dec 2021 12:09:41 GMT

@AlanH2 What error?

Re: Can't send email following password change

AlanH2 — Mon, 20 Dec 2021 12:27:58 GMT

When trying to send from webmail, I'm getting "Error 535 - Authentication failed".

Re: Can't send email following password change

jab1 — Mon, 20 Dec 2021 13:03:43 GMT

That sounds like a problem for PN Help Team intervention from my quick glance at a similar issue a couple of years ago. This probably a really silly question, but are you sure you are using the correct password?

Re: Can't send email following password change

AlanH2 — Mon, 20 Dec 2021 13:23:31 GMT

Thanks, yes, I have engaged with the PN Help Team. They refreshed something at their end and I can now send email from Webmail and it arrives in my Webmail, Outlook and Safari accounts ok. I just need to fix my Outlook and Safari outboxes now!

Not a silly question about whether using the correct password. These things have you dobting your own sanity!

Re: Can't send email following password change

jab1 — Mon, 20 Dec 2021 13:33:54 GMT

Good to see Plusnet have been able to help. Afraid I can't help with the other two as I don't use either. Safari is a web browser, though, not an email client, so I don't get how it is involved.

Re: Can't send email following password change

AlanH2 — Tue, 21 Dec 2021 09:23:47 GMT

Hello John,

Just to close the loop on this one, the PN Help Desk got to the bottom of the problem. Despite there appearing to be no chargeable components on my account, it became deactivated for some unknown reason (maybe my password change triggered something). Following reactivation, normal service returned. Not sure why, if the account had been deactivated, inbound mail was arriving but not outbound but nevermind.

Don't know why I mentioned Safari before, I meant to say my iPad email account.

Merry Christmas!

Re: Can't send email following password change

Townman — Tue, 21 Dec 2021 12:58:09 GMT

@AlanH2

Thank you for coming back to share the information you received from Plusnet. This will help advising and supporting other users. Hitherto there has been a perception that if you can log into webmail and read your emails, you should be able to send emails too via webmail. I have in the past raised questions in this space and received the above advice - I will review that with Plusnet support.

There are a multitude of account statuses which have specific implications for the use of the outbound SMTP server...

A new broadband account (prior to going live) can read the Plusnet mailbox (if there is one on the account) and create new mailboxes, but CANNOT SEND emails via the Plusnet relay service
There are various flavours of email only accounts - previously only paid for email only accounts could use the SMTP servers, free ones could read emails but not send them - since 3+ years ago the charge on paid for accounts was removed ... possibly leading to confusion of the profile of "free" email only accounts