Thread: Random Mail delivery failed: returning message to sender when sending to gmail

I have an automated email set up from my domain to a gmail address.

On a random basis the email sent to the gmail address gets bounced back. The bounce mail is random and could bounce one or more times a day. I have included a bounce back message below. I have edited the actual email addresses.

Thank in advance for any ideas on how to resolve.

From: Mail Delivery System <Mailer-Daemon@voda21.vodahost21.com>
Subject: Mail delivery failed: returning message to sender
Date: May 26, 2012 12:00:48 PM EDT
To: address@roundhillvawx.com
Return-Path: <>
Envelope-To: address@<span style="font-family: arial">rou...awx.com</span>
Delivery-Date: Sat, 26 May 2012 11:00:49 -0500
Received: from mailnull by voda21.vodahost21.com with local (Exim 4.77) id 1SYJQ8-0005g2-R4 for address@<span style="font-family: arial">rou...awx.com</span>; Sat, 26 May 2012 11:00:48 -0500
X-Failed-Recipients: address******.com, address******.com
Auto-Submitted: auto-replied
Message-Id: <E1SYJQ8-0005g2-R4@voda21.vodahost21.com>



This message was created automatically by mail delivery software.


A message that you sent could not be delivered to one or more of its
recipients. This is a permanent error. The following address(es) failed:


address******.com
The mail server could not deliver mail to address******.com. The account or domain may not exist, they may be blacklisted, or missing the proper dns entries.
address******.com
The mail server could not deliver mail to address******.com. The account or domain may not exist, they may be blacklisted, or missing the proper dns entries.

Here is a snapshot from the Email Trace option from Cpanel.

Because it is an automated Weather Alert, Andrew, the server may or may not consider this an automated script email and automatically filter it simply as a precautionary measure, treating it as thwarting a bot email spoof or hack attempt. This is especially true when sending from a domain whose site is Flash (www.roundhillvawx.com), as such pages are still not in 'compliance' with the SE's since they have not the minimum metrics to evaluate and thus tend to downgrade the 'Sender' Domain's Trust rating.

It is recommended to remove such auto-emails from any domain associated with your VodaHost server to prevent your hosted IP from being inaccurately labeled as a source of Spam, which would then have dramatic negative results for any domain (Primary, Add-On, etc.) on that account, possibly permanent (such as results from blacklisting by reporting sites, to which Google [Gmail] is quick to make regular entries to based on frequency and consistency from non-compliant Sending Domains).

Set up your desired weather Alerts instead to be delivered from the originating service (www.weather-display.com) directly to your [Gmail] email recipients, bypassing the VodaHost server and IP (and any domain function, i.e. 'scripted' email disbursements from www.roundhillvawx.com) altogether. I realize you are using this software to create your own weather station on/as an Add-On hosted by VodaHost, but nonetheless, "forwarding" or automated sending of emails generated by this title being sent out from a VH server (and under your Domain) are having a negative effect on the status of your assigned IP and your Domain. You would be better off finding a second source for "local' weather that will send out alerts via their server and IP instead, with your site simply referenced ...


* Be aware of VodaHost's Terms of Service regarding email, limits, and automated server functions and/or scripts.


Were it me, I would likely prefer to use a more effective method to not only reach individual "subscribers" but get better real-time penetration of my information, such as SMS Messaging (aka "Text Messaging" via cell phones), which is far more "engaging" and very little cost -- you would send one text to a "Group" -- or if using a separate Service Provider recommended with your own cell provider (free, if you find a software title that you can learn to use and that integrates your cell service with the deliverable platform). If you really only need to communicate a limited dataset (Current Temp, Wind Direction and Speed, Dewpoint, etc.), Twitter too, might be an effective "free" alternative despite their limit on characters allowed: simply abbreviate (i.e. "ROUNDHILL NOW - T:86, W:nw12, DP:53, H:65, SR:7.01a SS:6.59p - 4 resv open:1-9, 3-18 call 555-1234")!
There's a reason all the successful VIP Concierges in Vegas, Real Estate Reps, Brokers, Stylists, and so many more use SMS and Twitter, yes? Do you want to know why SMS is the better tool? Not every cell phone is a 'SmartPhone' and not every User has an online Data plan to get emails, but nearly every cell phone has talk and text, and nearly everyone has their cell with them at all times, making SMS the most penetrating delivery method on the planet at this time.
And, if you have a Social Media presence and following, you can interface directly to FB via a cell App or Twitter to post a status also, rather than come across clumsy with a mass non-compliant email that may or may not be even read, let alone prove to be ultimately detrimental to your domain ...

I would never have thought sending a minimum of 4 and perhaps a max of 10 messages (when there is a severe wether) to only two different gmail addresses from a domain would get you blacklisted.

I do have an open ticket with Google about this. The main site has been changed from Flash to php. Hopefully when the GoogleBot hits the domain again it will change things on their end and perhaps not blacklist mail coming from it.

All of the mail alerts are generated from app running not on a VodaHost server but rather than a local machine. The app just uses the mail server (mail.roundhillvawx.com)to deliver the message.

Still, the scripted email is being filtered due to format (if nothing else) and is endangering the reputation of your Domain (which is suffering the devaluation and preventing you from normal and universally allowed reputation-based function). It only takes a single email or fault to result in a penalty that often lasts far longer than imagined, if ever resolved.

Again, I would re-think the logic and business effort overall (and eschew the automated functionality that is rudimentary at best) and seriously consider some of the suggestions mentioned above for free (or low cost) administration that inherently has greater usability and impact.

Although it is not what I wanted to do I decided I created a Google Apps account and use my domain to use with Gmail. So now gmail handles all mail for mail.roundhillvawx.com rather than Vodahost.

This kind of defeats the purpose of paying for web hosting with mail but since it seems to be the only solution this is what I have gone with.

Your challenges and issues are in no way the result of any fault of your hosting provider whatsoever, but rather the fault of improperly placed assumptions and ill-confidences applied without recalling why our motto's wisdom is so simple and yet sincere:

"Plan Your Work, Work Your Plan"