Emails to one recipient no longer working

[#1]

I realized after about a month that all my emails to a regularly contacted friend xxx@cruzio.com were not being received. But her emails to me were arriving okay. The problem seems to have started in mid-November. I don't receive any indication that the messages to her have failed - I use Thunderbird as my mail agent on Linux. Plusnet host my own domain.

I have not changed anything at my end.

She has looked in her spam folder and all other reasonable sanity checks.

I sent her a test email from my emergency alternative account (gmail), which did arrive, but landed in her spam folder.

Now my question is whether this is cruzio.com ditching anything from me, or plusnet ditching anything to cruzio.com?

Advice much appreciated.

[#2]

Hi @breslaw 

Are you able to ask your friend to add your email address as a "safe sender" on their cruzio.com email account, and then re-test sending an email? 

Ali 

[#3]

I've been in contact with cruzio.com technical support. Apparently I am already on my friend's whitelist. However, when I tried sending a email to their test address demo@cruzio.com, that failed to arrive. Whilst messages to their support address customertickets@ticket.cruzio.com work fine.

So it seems that PN are blocking anything to @cruzio.com. The cruzio support people told me to raise this with PN. I rather dread doing this because email problems in the past have always been a rather soul destroying experience.

[#4]

@breslaw if Plusnet were blocking mail to cruzio.com then you would almost certainly get an NDR (non delivery report) when you tried to send.

Plusnet host my own domain.

Ah! what is much more likely is that cruzio are marking your email as spam because its not authenticated with either SPF or DKIM.

Its not possible to enable DKIM for a PLusnet hosted domain but there is a workaround below to enable SPF. Do you already have that configured ?

Plusnet fully hosted and registered domain

For Plusnet brand registered and managed domains, SPF configuration is facilitated by the addition of a TXT record in the domain's DNS settings. Plusnet's DNS configuration tool for hosted domains does not permit the creation of TXT records. However, there is an unsupported "facilitation" which will create an SPF record for a hosted domain.

On the basis that your account ALREADY has a hosted domain:

• Log into the user portal
• Go to Manage Account
• Manage Your Domains (Manage your domains link)
• Configure domain name
• Create an "Additional DNS records (Advanced)" as follows...

For the avoidance of doubt leave the left side blank, exactly as shown. It might take Plusnet's systems up to 6 hours to generate the SPF record.

[#5]

Thank you MisterW.

Create an "Additional DNS records (Advanced)" as follows...

I did that a few years ago, and the "additional record" exactly as you specified is showing under my breslaw.co.uk domain configuration options.

Furthermore, if cruzio were deeming xxx@breslaw.co.uk as spam, then why is it that  customertickets@ticket.cruzio.com do receive my emails even if xxx@cruzio.com don't?

[#6]

then why is it that  customertickets@ticket.cruzio.com do receive my emails even if xxx@cruzio.com don't?

A very good question...

Without access to any server logs its very difficult to determine what's happening. 

[#7]

So any idea what I should do next?

[#8]

Have you tried sending from your native <account>.plus.com address ?

[#9]

"Have you tried sending from your native <account>.plus.com address ?"

I've tried sending from the webmail portal rather than from my email client - Thunderbird.

I wouldn't know how to send from my native plus.com address. On webmail my domain address is the only identity that's visible.

[#10]

On webmail my domain address is the only identity that's visible.

When you go to compose a message, to the right of the FROM address is an 'edit identities' link , click that and add a new identify. I suggest <accountname>@<accountname>.plus.com as that is the default catch-all OR if you already have a mailbox defined then use <mailbox>@<accountname>.plus.com

Then when back in compose , you should be able to select that new identity as the FROM

[#11]

Thank you @MisterW . I've just tried that and I'll let you know what happens.

[#12]

Okay. So I sent an email from [Removed].plus.com on the webmail portal to the technical support guy at cruzio (customertickets@ticket.cruzio.com) with copy to demo@cruzio.com.  Then I notified him that I'd done this with an email from my normal email address via Thunderbird.

He let me know that he'd received the latter notification, but hadn't received anything from [Removed].plus.com. His comment was:- "so it has to be something between our mail servers. They don't like talking to each other for some reason. I'm still waiting on word from our upstream provider."

This failure to communicate started in mid-November and continues. Prior to that, it had been fine for years.

Moderator's note by Mike (Mav): Personal information removed from a public forum.

[#13]

Checking ticket,cruzio.com and cruzio.cim, they are different mail servers, so that would possibly explain why one works and the other doesnt. 

At least it sounds like cruzio are investigating the problem...

[#14]

PN have investigated the problem. It is their "fault", but they can't fix it. Here's what they say:-

Essentially, your emails are failing a security 'ID check' called SPF. Think of this as an approved list of senders for your domain. Because your email isn't on that list, the receiving servers are rejecting it to protect against spam.

The reason you aren't getting a 'bounce-back' notification is due to a technical 'handshake' error. The two systems are failing to connect properly at such an early stage that the system can't even send you an error report to tell you what went wrong�the message just disappears.

Normally, we would just log into your domain settings and add the correct record to fix this. However, because we are currently migrating all accounts to a new provider, that part of your control panel is locked and we can't make changes right now.
At this stage, there are really only two ways forward:

The first is to wait for the migration to Greenby. Once you are moved over to their system, they will handle these security records automatically. They are aiming to have everyone moved by Easter 2026, but we don't have a specific date for your account yet, and these things can sometimes take longer than planned.

The second option�if you can't wait�is to transfer your domain hosting to a different provider entirely. This would give you back full control over your settings immediately so you could fix the records yourself, but it does involve moving your services away from us.
I know it�s frustrating not having a firm date for the migration, but until that move happens or the domain is moved elsewhere, the security block will remain in place."

I do have an SPF record which was added a couple of years ago. As they say, even if they wanted to change my DNS settings, they can't because ... well because.  They can't explain why the handshake failed, or whether other emails from me are disappearing without bounce back, because they are no longer qualified to discuss email problems. So either I wait for an indefinite time until migration to Greenby, who then might not be able to fix the problem. Or I move my hosting and email elsewhere. 

That's what they call "customer support".

Pretty shoddy if you ask me!

[#15]

That sounds like 'bovine excrement' to me!

Essentially, your emails are failing a security 'ID check' called SPF. Think of this as an approved list of senders for your domain. Because your email isn't on that list, the receiving servers are rejecting it to protect against spam.

but your domain DOES have an SPF record ? 

The reason you aren't getting a 'bounce-back' notification is due to a technical 'handshake' error. The two systems are failing to connect properly at such an early stage that the system can't even send you an error report to tell you what went wrong�the message just disappears.

 Never heard of that, sounds like rubbish to me.

Normally, we would just log into your domain settings and add the correct record to fix this. However, because we are currently migrating all accounts to a new provider, that part of your control panel is locked and we can't make changes right now.

No they wouldn't. Its never been possible to add SPF records to the native <account>.plus.com domain (except on a very limited trial basis!)

The first is to wait for the migration to Greenby. Once you are moved over to their system, they will handle these security records automatically. They are aiming to have everyone moved by Easter 2026, but we don't have a specific date for your account yet, and these things can sometimes take longer than planned.

 'Its all going to be fine when its moved to Greenby' seems to be the favorite response at the moment.

They don't like talking to each other for some reason. I'm still waiting on word from our upstream provider."

Did cruzio ever come back with anything from their provider ? 

TBH despite PN's awful response , I still think its a cruzio related issue.