Sending email from plus.com

[#1]

I use Outlook in Windows 10.

Currently my plus.com account will not send emails. 

I receive the error message

Task ****@****.plus.com - Sending' reported error (0x800CCC6F) : 'Your outgoing (SMTP) email server has reported an internal error. If you continue to receive this message, contact your server administrator or Internet service provider (ISP). The server responded: 554 avasout06 smtp ESMTP server not available (blacklisted by local policy)'

Please resolve this.

[#2]

You need to configure O/look e mail settings manually to work on PN.
Using a wizard (automatic) set up will always fail.

[#3]

Hi

I don't really understand the answer.

When I go into the account settings on Outlook, I don't know what needs to change, and in the Server Settings section I get a message saying "Something went wrong and Outlook couldn't save your account settings. Please try again." 

I haven't changed anything.

The error message I get on 'send/receive' is:

Task [Removed]- Sending' reported error (0x800CCC6F) : 'Your outgoing (SMTP) email server has reported an internal error. If you continue to receive this message, contact your server administrator or Internet service provider (ISP). The server responded: 554 avasout06 smtp ESMTP server not available (blacklisted by local policy)'

I'm contacting my internet service provider. It says I'm 'Blacklisted'.

Please tell me what to do. Everything has been OK since I got this sorted out when I got the PC. Why is it not working? What do I do?

Moderators Note: Personal information removed

[#4]

Hi @Cluff 

A warm welcome to the forums.  I agree that its not clear what @Gel is suggesting here.  Checking server settings is always the first port of call when investigating SMTP sending issues, but the error which you've reported rather suggests that the connection got way past the usual authentication errors.

A quick Google search found this - https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/msoffice/forum/all/reported-error-0x800ccc6f-when-trying-to-send...

Another search found https://www.inmotionhosting.com/support/email/email-error-554/

Error 554 is a "some other error" code.

Do you get this error on an attempt to send, or in a response after sending?  If after what is the full detail of the bounce message (see the attachment to that email)?

The first link above refers to a blacklisted IP address.  Are you sending on the the Plusnet network (not using a VPN) or over 3G/4G mobile?  If on the Plusnet network, do you have a fixed IP address?  If not, I suggest that you try to obtain a new dynamic IP address.

Find out your current address - do a Google search for whatsmyipaddress - and record it.  Switch off your router for 90 minutes.  Switch the router back on, find out the IP address (hopefully it will be different), then try sending again.

[#5]

Hi, I had a very similar problem for the last 2 weeks with an error: avasout 03 smtp ESMTP server not available (blacklisted by local policy). I could receive mail but not send any emails using PC (Thunderbird email client) or across 2 android mobile devices (Bluemail email client. (Using relay.plus.net smtp server). I could send email via Plusnet Webmail and via Bluemail through a data link. Plusnet Tech help have been useless, consistently saying it is the fault of the email client. I did some research and checked my IP address with spamhaus.com. It showed my IP address as one of a block blacklisted by Plusnet. I reset my router as you suggested and obtained a new IP. Everything is now working fine.

I have been with Plusnet (using same email address and Thunderbird as client) for over 15 years. I am now transferring all mail to gmail and will consider ditching Plusnet.

[#6]

This is NOT a Plusnet issue. Some user has abused that IP address and (for the protection of all) the IP address has been blackballed from sending emails.

There are ups and downs of dynamic / static IP addresses. Some believe dynamic addresses aids security ... in some instances they bring the blight of other’s abuse! Fixed IP addresses are available for a one off £5 charge.

[#7]

I believe this is a Plusnet issue:

Blocks of IP addresses are assigned to Plusnet. They in turn issue IP addresses from this block. If someone then abuses an IP address from that block and then the whole block is blacklisted, surely it is up to Plusnet to warn innocent users. I have never sent a spam email in my life. If they can't do that then surely their Tech Help should have been able to advise me to change my IP address rather than just sticking to the answer that 'it's your email client and nothing to do with Plusnet'

[#8]

Thanks for all the replies. I was slightly surprised that there isn't a 'standard' way to rectify the problem described by the error message but that just shows how much I don't know about computers. I was also sort of reassured that there wasn't a simple answer that I should have worked out myself. I've never sent spam by the way, and wouldn't know how to.

Anyway, I asked my son (via a lockdown phone call) what the difference was between static and dynamic IP addresses. He sent me to the router, literally, to get the URL number I'd need to access the router's settings. He told me to switch it off and on again whilst I was at it. Problem solved.

Stay safe!

[#9]

@Clive2

No this is not a Plusnet issue.

No one said YOU had sent spam, but rather someone using that IP address previously.

The black balling of the IP address is not done by Plusnet but rather by the vendor of their mail security platform - a platform used by many email service providers. Such measures are essential to prevent the whole of any email service becoming blacklisted.

A volunteer organisation I’m associated with did not have appropriate safeguards in place and two plus years ago they found that they could not send email to any external addresses. None of the major email players - Gmail, Yahoo, Outlook and Plusnet - would accept email from that source.

Spam prevention is an imperative to stop the whole of an email service being black balled ... and that starts by identifying IP addresses which appear to be a source of spam.

As @Cluff notes, the advice to switch off the router for a short while to obtain a new IP address resolves this issue ... as does obtaining a static IP address.

I’ve seen the same issue with users on other ISPs networks, this is not unique to Plusnet network users, it is a consequence of a few individuals’ abuse of resources and services.

[#10]

@Cluff

If the error message delivered the solution, those causing the issue might more quickly move on and blacken many more IP addresses.

[#11]

Hi 

I'm involved in 2 voluntary organisations, both of whom's website 'general query' forms come to me via the plus.com email address. Neither site stores sensitive information.

I don't administer either site myself, but am aware that both are 'hacked' from time to time, or even constantly. The web hosting service for the more complicated site is apparently very good at sorting out any functional problems that sometimes happen. The other site basically has an information page and a query form, that's all. Could this be why my address gets 'blacklisted' as a source of spam? If I used a different account to receive email from these sites, eg gmail, would that help?

thanks for your helpful replies!

Cluff

[#12]

Hi @Cluff 

Where a user finds that they are unable to send an email in the manner discussed here, it is because the IP ADDRESS of their internet connection has currently is blacklisted due to previous abuse.  This has nothing to do with the EMAIL address of the user.

There are different scenarios where a user's SMTP server account has been compromised and used to send spam - in such cases the server account could be back-balled but in such scenarios, it is more likely that Plusnet's email servers would be black-balled.  That is why Plusnet take great care on monitoring for risky use of the SMTP servers.