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My contacts are receiving an error message when emailing me, but I am still receiving all emails

  • 11 replies
  • 2 have this problem
  • 1 view
  • Last reply by Toad-Hall

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This is the error message they receive (and I receive it when I email myself):

This Message was undeliverable due to the following reason:

Each of the following recipients was rejected by a remote mail server. The reasons given by the server are included to help you determine why each recipient was rejected.

   Recipient: <burrup13@outlook.com>
   Reason:    Requested action not taken: mailbox unavailable


Please reply to <Postmaster@mx.bigpond.com> if you feel this message to be in error.

The outlook address is not the address they are sending to. It is so long ago that I set up with Thunderbird, I can't recall the process, but I assume that my mail is somehow being routed through the outlook address before it gets to Thunderbird??? Please help!

This is the error message they receive (and I receive it when I email myself): This Message was undeliverable due to the following reason: Each of the following recipients was rejected by a remote mail server. The reasons given by the server are included to help you determine why each recipient was rejected. Recipient: <burrup13@outlook.com> Reason: Requested action not taken: mailbox unavailable Please reply to <Postmaster@mx.bigpond.com> if you feel this message to be in error. The outlook address is not the address they are sending to. It is so long ago that I set up with Thunderbird, I can't recall the process, but I assume that my mail is somehow being routed through the outlook address before it gets to Thunderbird??? Please help!

All Replies (11)

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The help is to Ring bigpond technical support and ask them what the issue with your address is. My personal experiences with their support are not good. Trained Monkeys could probably do a better job, but that is what they provide.

I do know that Telstra contracted their email for new accounts to Microsoft, before the outlook.com release. So perhaps they have also contracted their existing mail now.

For help with Telstra Bigpond outside of the appalling support Bigpond offer I suggest the whirlpool forums. http://whirlpool.net.au/

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I have spoken to Telstra numerous times about this now. They keep coming back to it being some problem with Thunderbird that I need to check with them. Grrrrrr

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Please post info just to check your current settings in thunderbird.

In Thunderbird Help > Troubeshooting Information Do not check 'Include account names' click on 'Copy text to clipboard' In this question, in forum, right click in a 'Post a Reply' and select paste.

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Application Basics

   Name: Thunderbird
   Version: 38.1.0
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re: My contacts are receiving an error message when emailing me, but I am still receiving all emails.....The outlook address is not the address they are sending to

This sounds like they are sending an email to correct email address, hence why you can receive the email. But it sounds as if a copy of the email or email is also forwarded to the @outlook.com email address, at which point the error message occurs.

Logon to bigpond/telstra webmail account. Info on forwarding at link: http://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/Bigpond-Email-Inc-Windows-Live/How-to-Set-up-Email-Forwarding/ta-p/326081 Is there any mention of forwarding to email address's that are outlook.com? if you do not need to forward anything, select 'Don't forward' and click on 'Save'.


re : OUTGOING: mail.bigpond.com:25, plain, passwordCleartext, true

Check and confirm your Outgoing Server (SMTP) is correct. I notice you are sending using port 25. Bigpond recommend differently. Also check the username.

'Tools' > 'Account Settings' or right click on mail account name in Folder Pane and select 'Settings'.

On left side, scroll down and click on 'Outgoing server (SMTP). Assuming you only have the one outgoing server. select the outgoing server and click on 'Edit' button.

Description: You choose a name eg: Personal or Business or Telstra Server name: mail.bigpond.com Port: 465 Username: your full correct bigpond email address Authentication Method: Normal Password Connection Security: SSL/TLS

Note: Username Enter your full email address (ending in '@bigpond.com' or '@bigpond.net.au') It should not say <burrup13@outlook.com>.

click on 'OK'

Then make sure the mail account name is using that outgoing server. click on mail account name in left pane. Bottom right shows 'Outgoing Server (SMP). Click on drop down and make sure the correct edited outgoing server has been selected.

Click on OK.

Apart from the port changes, did you discover the wrong username entered?

Please Confirm all is correct.


I also notice that the link below mentions that Telstra/bigpond also have configurations to setup Telstra email on the Outlook.com platform: https://support.telstra.com.au/t5/Set-Up/IMAP-POP-and-SMTP-information-for-manual-email-setup/ta-p/398464

You are not using those servers because you are set up to use bigpond not smtp-mail.outlook.com.

So Thunderbird is not connecting to anything other than bigpond server.

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Thank you 'Toad Hall'. That first link you posted about setting up email forwarding assumes the use of the Outlook platform. I cannot see that Bigpond allow you to forward email any other way. This seems to be the source of the problems, somehow, though being totally un-techie, I am just muddling my way through your detailed response. I don't think I can really go any further with any of your suggestions, given the above assumption re' use of Outlook platform? Or have I missed something obvious?

I have tried to follow your recommendations for changing ports in Thunderbird, but cannot find an 'Edit' button for the selected (and only) Outgoing Server. have not come across the outlook address anywhere in the Settings, however. Only the bigpond one.

Modified by sallyamber

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This is some extra info - managed to find via Telstra crowd support: Your mailbox has not yet been updated to Outlook.com.

Bigpond/Telstra Service (i.e. ADSL, HFC, Mobile Broadband)

   Incoming POP server: mail.bigpond.com
   Incoming POP mail: port 995
   Outgoing SMTP server: mail.bigpond.com
   Outgoing SMTP: 587 or 465 (with TLS [preferred] or SSL Encryption depending on your e mail app)
   Incoming uses SSL: On (this is required)
   Outgoing uses SSL: On (this is required)
   Authentication Outgoing server (SMTP) authentication: Same as incoming mail server
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The first link was for you to logon to your webmail account and make sure that nothing was selected to forward to an email address accidentally or otherwise. It may be under some options for forwarding, it may be under the outlook.com platform or as a standard forwarding. The point is that something is forwarding to your outlook.com old email address. So, confirm that nothing is entered, nothing is set to forward, even if you do not use nor want to use the Outlook platform. You still need to make sure nothing is forwarding to another email address.

RE changing the outgoing server - cannot find an 'Edit' button for the selected (and only) Outgoing Server. 'Tools' > 'Account Settings' or right click on mail account name in Folder Pane and select 'Settings'.

On left side, scroll down and click on 'Outgoing server (SMTP). Assuming you only have the one outgoing server. select the outgoing server and click on 'Edit' button. There is an 'Add' and an 'Edit' button on the right side adjacent to the selected outgoing server.

See image below.

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Please also check: 'Tools' > 'Account Settings' > 'Server Settings' for mail account Make sure there is nothing in the 'Reply-to Address' field.

then select 'Copies & Folders' for the mail account make sure you do not have that outlook.com in: 'Cc these email addresses' 'Bcc these email addresses' click on 'OK'

If all of these fields are empty then you are not sending that outlook.com email address out with any emails, so it must be a forwarding action being performed by the server. Hence why I suggest you check on the webmail server account that there is no forwarding occuring.

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Thank you for your patience, ToadHall. So I've changed the port now but couldn't find the right place to check on this as you suggested: "Then make sure the mail account name is using that outgoing server. click on mail account name in left pane. Bottom right shows 'Outgoing Server (SMP). Click on drop down and make sure the correct edited outgoing server has been selected." Couldn't seem to find anything in the bottom right about Outgoing Server (SMP)? Also, your other suggestion to check Server Settings - I couldn't find any 'Reply-to Address field. But The Copies and Folders was all clear - no outlook.com to be seen. But I've checked the webmail account directly and doesn't appear to have any forwarding set up there. So I am bamboozled. I did check with Telstra crowd support and was told that there's no way to set up Thunderbird with Telstra/bigpond email without using an outlook account. Also then checked whether I had been fully migrated over to the Outlook platform and found that no, I haven't been. Also was told that Telstra stopped the migration because whole accounts were disappearing in the process! So maybe it's something to do with that??? I dunno!!! Thanks again. I am beginning to think I may just have to disable Thunderbird and see if it still happens. Or is there a way to check that without doing that? Hmmm.

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The fact is this, according to your account settings, you are not sending out using the outlook.com in any 'Reply-to' or 'Cc' or 'Bc'c field. Also, you are not sending using the outlook.com smtp server. You are sending via bigpond server.

So, you are not including that email address in anything you send.

Therefore, the fact that your friends send you an email to your bigpond email address and discover they get a bounce back from an entirely different email address means that the server is doing it.

RE: Couldn't seem to find anything in the bottom right about Outgoing Server (SMP)? AND - I couldn't find any 'Reply-to Address field. see image below as an aid. It shows you the Account Settings for a selected mail account name. It shows where the 'Reply-to' field appears:

  • Your Name: This should show your name
  • Email address: This should show your email address
  • Reply-to Address: This should be empty.

At the bottom it should say 'Outgoing server (SMTP)' and it should point to the bigpond smtp server.

As a Test: Logon to webmail server and and use webmail to send an email to yourself. This does not use the smtp server as it is being sent from the webmail server. Wait a few moments to allow time for processes to be done.

Do you receive your sent test email? Do you get a bounce back into Webmail account and therefore in thunderbird mail acount?

Then in Thunderbird use 'Get Messages' to get the emails in thunderbird. Report back on results.