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unable to send emails via outlook, error message 550 relay denied

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JaneC1
Dabbler
Posts: 17
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Registered: ‎28-02-2021

unable to send emails via outlook, error message 550 relay denied

I rarely send emails from my Sony 10 android phone but on the 24th feb I tried to email a photo from it (using the standard android email app and via my home plusnet connection) to a friend but it wouldn’t send the email.  I tried persistently many times.  As I have regularly encountered issues with my plusnet router dropping connection randomly to either phone, laptop, printer, Alexa smart tvs etc I attempted restarting the router (no difference) and then I tried restoring the router to factory settings which it failed to do.  Later that day I tried to send the photo by email from my laptop (w10) many times.  That failed with the error message “the following recipient cannot be reached .......550 recipient rejected – relay denied”.  I use Outlook from Microsoft office 2007 on my laptop and have done with the same settings without problems for over 10 years and have been with plusnet for the same time at least.

I rang plusnet and stated that I thought it was a bit of a coincidence that both my android phone and W10 laptop should both fail to send emails almost simultaneously but was told that as plusnet advised using plusnet webmail and not 3rd party email applications there was nothing more they could do.  He added that if I wished my router replaced it would cost me about £100.

The next day I suddenly remembered that my Sony phone had had a system update (from Sony) about 3 days previously so I checked my email settings on that and found that the password field was blank!  Once I corrected that I was able to send emails from it again.  However my laptop still won’t send emails.

I can’t help but wonder if my persistent attempts to send emails from my phone without a password had triggered some sort of security flag at plusnet which has stopped me from sending emails from my laptop.  I have tried changing my outlook outgoing email settings but to no avail.  The settings I’ve always used have never caused problems for me before so I don’t think that’s the cause.  These are my settings for outgoing mail:-

Account type POP3  Incoming mail server mail.plus.net  Outgoing mail server (SMTP) relay.plus.net

Require login using SPA box left blank

Contents of more settings Advanced tab: Incoming server (POP3) 110  

This server requires an encrypted connection box left blank

Outgoing server SMTP 25   Use the following type of encrypted connection box None

If I click on the “test account settings” box I get the same error message as on my failed emails

I have also tried setting up a new email account within Outlook using my usual settings but that produced the same error message.

I find Plusnet’s webmail such a pain to use, I now have to send emails from it with a bcc to myself in order to file within outlook!

35 REPLIES 35
daveplus
Pro
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Registered: ‎25-08-2010

Re: unable to send emails via outlook, error message 550 relay denied

Hi @JaneC1

I recommend:

1. Pursuing the connections issue with Plusnet until its gets sorted

2. Taking a look at the Plusnet settings info at https://www.plus.net/help/email-guides/how-to-set-up-plusnet-email/

3. Using IMAP rather than POP

Plusnet does not advise only using plusnet webmail. In fact the link above says "IMAP and POP are ways you can download your emails from Plusnet systems to another email application. When you're setting things up, you'll need to choose which one to use."

HTH

Dave

 

JaneC1
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Posts: 17
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Registered: ‎28-02-2021

Re: unable to send emails via outlook, error message 550 relay denied

many thanks for your response.  I've just tried imap but unfortunately a test email produced the same 550 error message.  I suppose I shall have to phone plusnet again..

daveplus
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Re: unable to send emails via outlook, error message 550 relay denied

I said IMAP because POP deletes mails on the server when they are read. Not relevent to your issues.

D

daveplus
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Re: unable to send emails via outlook, error message 550 relay denied

JaneC1
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Registered: ‎28-02-2021

Re: unable to send emails via outlook, error message 550 relay denied

thanks again for that Dave but as I'm emailing from home as usual and emailing addresses I've used for years without issue with the same email settings I've used for years I suspect the problem is caused elsewhere.  I still suspect some sort of security flag at plusnet which was triggered by my multiple attempts to email from my mobile without a password.

MisterW
Superuser
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Re: unable to send emails via outlook, error message 550 relay denied

I still suspect some sort of security flag at plusnet which was triggered by my multiple attempts to email from my mobile without a password.

I'm not aware of anything like that associated with email accounts. If I understand correctly, you can send ok from your Sony mobile ? that would suggest that there is no problem with the email account. TBH its more likely to be an Outlook problem. You've only got to search this board to see the number of problems that seem to sporadically occur with Outlook

Outgoing server SMTP 25

I don't think this is the problem but the smtp port should more correctly be 587. Port 25 is used between mail servers for relaying mail, port 587 should be used by clients to submit mail.

Superusers are not staff, but they do have a direct line of communication into the business in order to raise issues, concerns and feedback from the community.

JaneC1
Dabbler
Posts: 17
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Registered: ‎28-02-2021

Re: unable to send emails via outlook, error message 550 relay denied

thanks for your suggestion, I have changed it to 587 from 25 but unfortunately hasn't changed my error message

daveplus
Pro
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Registered: ‎25-08-2010

Re: unable to send emails via outlook, error message 550 relay denied

@JaneC1 

Did you also change the rest of these?

Incoming server imap.plus.net  
Incoming port 993  
Outgoing server relay.plus.net  
Outgoing port 587 (recommended) or 25  

 

Dave

jab1
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Re: unable to send emails via outlook, error message 550 relay denied

@JaneC1 I've only scan-read this topic, but can you send to other recipients without error?

John
jab1
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Registered: ‎24-02-2012

Re: unable to send emails via outlook, error message 550 relay denied

A couple more questions @JaneC1 , Which ISP is your fiend with, and how do they receive email - email client or webmail?

Also, if you try again via your phone - or laptop - and get the same response, can you copy and paste the whole error message on here - x'ing out their name of course?

John
JaneC1
Dabbler
Posts: 17
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Registered: ‎28-02-2021

Re: unable to send emails via outlook, error message 550 relay denied

just retried using those settings, still no go

JaneC1
Dabbler
Posts: 17
Thanks: 1
Registered: ‎28-02-2021

Re: unable to send emails via outlook, error message 550 relay denied

Hi

from my laptop I can't send any outgoing emails at all but can send emails from my phone

JaneC1
Dabbler
Posts: 17
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Registered: ‎28-02-2021

Re: unable to send emails via outlook, error message 550 relay denied

I must have clicked on fixed my problem in error, it didn't! sorry!

JaneC1
Dabbler
Posts: 17
Thanks: 1
Registered: ‎28-02-2021

Re: unable to send emails via outlook, error message 550 relay denied

sorry all. I'm sure I didn't click on accepted fix when trying to respond to posts as problem still remains.  The problem is when using my laptop only, phone email is ok.  On my laptop the problem remains on all emails out regardless of recipients.

Thanks to everyone trying to help.