Common Email Problems

On this page we'll cover how to solve some of the more common problems that get raised to our support team. If your problem isn't covered here then you should take a look at our Email Troubleshooting Guide. If that doesn't help, contact our Support Team and we'll help you fix it.

1. Problems Sending Email
2. Problems Receiving Email
3. Contact Us

1. Problems Sending Email

• When I try to send mail I get timeout errors
• I see the error message: Relay not permitted
• Mail I send to certain addresses is bounced back to me
• I see the error message: 503 valid RCPT command must precede DATA
• I'm being asked for a password when I send email
• I've corrected my settings but I still get the same error message

When I try to send mail I get timeout errors

Timeouts are usually caused by one of the following:

• There's a problem with your Anti Virus or Firewall
  As a test, turn them off and try sending email again. If you're able to send email like this then you've found the cause of the problem. We'd advise speaking to the vendor of your software, although in most cases removing and re-installing the program should solve the problem.
• There's a problem with our email server
  Check service status - http://status.plus.net. If there are any service issues then we'll post them here and keep you informed about when we expect them to be fixed.

I see the error message: Relay not permitted

You'll see this if you try to use an ISP's outgoing (SMTP) server while you're connected to different network.

If for instance you used your Plusnet email on a laptop and connected to a free WiFi hotspot you'd see this error.

To fix the problem you'll need to use SMTP authentication. We only offer this option on subscription accounts.

Mail I send to certain addresses is bounced back to me

We might already be aware of a problem - check our service status to confirm this: http://status.plus.net

If there are no service problems, the bounce message should explain what's happened. If this doesn't help, use the Help Assistant to raise a ticket and we'll do our best to assist you.

Please try to include the following information when raising your ticket:

• The address you're sending from
• The address you're trying to send to
• A copy of the bounce message
• How long the problem has been occurring

I see the error message: 503 valid RCPT command must precede DATA

The most common cause of this error is incorrect settings. You should check over your settings and pay particular attention to the email address you've entered.

If you're using a Plusnet email address, make sure it ends in plus.com rather than plus.net. (This is easy to overlook)

e.g. yourname@username.plus.com

Similarly, Force9 and Free-Online addresses should look like this:

• Force9: yourname@username.force9.co.uk
• Free-Online: yourname@username.free-online.co.uk

I'm being asked for a password when I send email

You have SMTP Authentication turned on. If you need to use this, make sure you use your account username and password (the ones you use to log into this site).

I've corrected my settings but I still get the same error message

This problem can affect Outlook Express and Windows Mail users. If it's happening to you, go to your outbox and clear everything out. Make sure you take a copy of any emails you need to send before you delete them!

After you've cleared your outbox, you should be able to send email as normal.

2. Problems Receiving Email

• I'm not receiving emails from certain people
• I'm not receiving replies to my messages
• I'm not receiving any emails
• I'm receiving emails but they're delayed
• I get timeouts or connection errors when I try to check my mail
• My password is rejected when I try to check my email

I'm not receiving emails from certain people

There are a few things that cause this sort of problem.

• Make sure that the sender is using the correct email address
  Ask them to confirm it to you (it seems obvious but it's easy to overlook)
• Check our service status
  If there are any service issues then we'll post them here and keep you informed about when we expect them to be fixed.

Do people get a bounce or rejection message when they try to email you? If they do, what does the message say? This will tell you what the problem is. If you can't solve the problem yourself from this, use the Help Assistant to raise a ticket and we'll do our best to assist you.

Please include the following information when raising your ticket:

• The sender's email address
• The address they are trying to send to
• A copy of the bounce message (if possible) or a copy of what it says
• How long the problem has been occurring

I'm not receiving replies to my messages

Check your settings and make sure that you've entered your email address and reply address properly.

I'm not receiving any emails

There are a few things that can cause this.

• Check our service status - http://status.plus.net
  If there are any service issues then we'll post them here and keep you informed about when we expect them to be fixed.
• Check your settings
  Make sure that your settings are correct and that you're setup to collect email from the right mailbox. This is especially important if you're trying to collect from a new address.

  If you're collecting mail from one of your additional mailboxes, then make sure you have:

  • Username: Your account username+your mailbox name
  • Password: Your mailbox password

  Otherwise, use the same username and password that you log in to this site with.

I'm receiving emails but they're delayed

• Check our service status - http://status.plus.net
  If there are any service issues then we'll post them here and keep you informed about when we expect them to be fixed

If there are no service issues, we'll need to see header information from the delayed email, see our guide on How to get email headers if you're not sure how to do this.

When you have the header information, use the Help Assistant to raise a question to our Support Team and we'll investigate for you.

Please try to include the following information:

• The sender's email address
• The address they are trying to send to
• Header information from the delayed email
• How long the problem has been occurring

I get timeouts or connection errors when I try to check my mail

This will most likely be due to one of the following:

• There's a problem with your Anti Virus or Firewall - If you use them, try turning one or both off. If the errors stop then you've found the problem.
  • If your Anti Virus was the cause then turning it back on should solve the problem, remove and re-install the software if it doesn't.
  • If your Firewall was the cause, remove any rules relating to email and try again. If this doesn't help then you'll need to remove and re-install it.
• Check service status - http://status.plus.net
  If there are any service issues then we'll post them here and keep you informed about when we expect them to be fixed.

My password is rejected when I try to check my email

Check all of your settings, make sure that you're using the correct username for the mailbox you are trying to collect from.

If you're collecting mail from one of your additional mailboxes, then make sure you have:

• Username: Your account username+your mailbox name
• Password: Your mailbox password

Otherwise, use the same username and password that you log in to this site with.

3. Contact Us

If the steps above have not solved your problem and you've had a look at the Email Troubleshooting Guide, the next step is to Contact Us.

You can call us or raise a support query using the Help Assistant.

Please provide as much information about the problem as you can. It'll be easier for us to help if you can tell us:

• What the problem is
• The email program you use
• The email address you're having problems with
• The settings you've used
• The error messages you see (if any)

This page last updated 15th May 2009