Bouncing emails

[#1]

Hi John,

Not a nuisance at all, just tricky issues this week.

Today there were issues with the network which has impacted some user's access to email, but not everyone's as has been the case recently with the email service itself.

The response does NOT suggest one way or another the validity of the password, in fact I an suspicious of the userID in the text you have redacted...

 curl.exe -v imaps://imap.force9.net -u xxxx@xxxxx@f9.co.uk

Unless there is a typo in there, the email address is mal-formed.  It should be...

 curl.exe -v imaps://imap.force9.net -u xxxx@xxxxx.f9.co.uk

That said using really bad credentials of the form above does not give rise to your error - I just get failed login...

< A002 NO Login failed.
* closing connection #0
curl: (67) Login denied

What platform are you on and are you using PlusNet as your ISP?

Apple devices - please try again.

To to be sure that there were no transient issues, can you please confirm if the email application can login to the IMAP server and then try to send again ... which is where we started!!

@plusnettony 

I am stumped here now ...

• This started off as a SMTP black listed IP address
• It has morphed into a IMAP diagnostic failure on certificate revocation
• IMAP diagnostic without security (to eliminate the certificate factor) cannot login

[#2]

Sorry - yes there is a typo in the redaction of the user ID

I am on windows 11 and Plusnet/Force9 is my ISP 

When I try to send from my main email address now on an ipad to another valid email address, I get the message cannot send mail and that both email addresses are not valid email addresses and are rejected by the server (and message placed in the outbox). I don't get a logon error, so presumably I can logon ok to the server?

puzzled!

[#3]

I’m getting frustrated with this email problem. I thought it might help to summarise the present situation.

1. It all relates to emails from addresses off my main domain hosted on Plusnet/Force9
2. It is occurring on my different devices – Home PC running Windows11 + Microsoft outlook – and two ipads using the apple mail application.
3. But the problem manifests itself differently in the two different environments and has seemed to evolve.
4. Windows11 PC – when I do a send/receive command in outlook I get the prompt – enter user name and password for the following server “mail.plus.net” + User name (visible) + Password (hidden)
   1. I enter the correct password and press “OK”
   2. The send/receive fails “ERR login fails” – verify user name and password in Account settings
   3. So, no mail is currently being received or sent from this email address
   4. I know that the user name and password being used is correct because I can go into webmail successfully and use all the functions
   5. When I try to verify the password in account settings the process fails “something went wrong …..”
5. Ipads – Messages to email addresses off my domain are being received, but no messages can be sent.
   2. If I try and send with a home main domain email address to someone else, or if I send from a @gmail.com or @me.com address then I get the same message each time :- “xxxx@xxxx.com and xxxx@xxx2.com are not valid email addresses and have been rejected by the server”

Where do I go from here please?

[#4]

relates to emails from addresses off my main domain hosted on Plusnet/Force9

enter user name and password for the following server “mail.plus.net”

If this is a FORCE9 mail service then the server should be mail.force9.net (for POP3)

If this is an IMAP configuration then the server should be imap.force9.net

[#5]

Hi Townman,

I'm not certain that changing the POP3 server to Force9.net is the issue. Firstly, when I try to amend the server details in the Accounts settings section, and also using the manual repair option it doesn't allow an update with the message "something went wrong and outlook couldn't save your account settings",

Secondly this problem surely cannot be due to a fault in the Outlook settings which were working fine until a couple of days ago and nothing systemwise has changed here - and why also are there problems now with this email address on the ipads with apple mail which didn't occur before?  This suggest the problem lies at the ISP end  AND

now I am even more confused now as I have just had the following email from support@force9.co.uk, namely:- 

"Username: xxxxxx

You are receiving this message as your mailbox has not been accessed since:  2025-04-25 16:37:24

We have therefore archived the contents of the mailbox, please note that new mails will continue to be received.

To stop this from happening going forward you need to access it and collect E-Mail at least once within a 90 day period.

If you would like your email restoring then please contact our support team by raising a ticket using the Help Assistant on our website:

https://portal.plus.net/

We will only keep archived email for a limited period of time, after which it will be permanently deleted.

Kind regards,

Plusnet customer support

https://portal.plus.net/="

I have used this mailbox daily for the last 25 years or so - so that message doesn't make sense. Really grateful for any clarity on how to rectify this situation.

cheers and thanks 

[#6]

"something went wrong and outlook couldn't save your account settings"

Could be a local issue on your PC, nothing to do with the server set up.  I think I asked, but I do not recall your answer - is the the paid for Outlook or the free one?

Try google for answers as well - see Outlook does not save my email account settings and says to try again after each failed attempt - Mi...

@plusnettony - there seems to be something odd going on with this user's email service, could you try to get someone to look in more detail that I can offer advice for please?

[#7]

Hi,

Its the paid for outlook. However I think the point is that this is not an outlook-specific problem as I am getting the same problems with Apple mail on other devices. 

Incidentally and slightly peripherally - how do you raise a help ticket online now like one used to be able to do - as advised in the Support email. Nowhere on the https://portal.plus.net/

can I see anywhere to raise a ticket online?

cheers

[#8]

@Pancho4 That 'raise a help ticket online' suggestion should have been erased from the template years ago - you cannot do so. This glaring error has been raised to PN on numerous occasions, but they appear reluctant to/incapable of fixing such things.

[#9]

Can you drop me a PM with your username please?