* * * * *
                                        
                                   Email woes
                                        
Bunny signed up for my Obligatory Email Notification, and she reported that
some of the notifications haven't gotten through. I check, and lo', there are
some bounced emails sitting in my inbox:

> From: MAILER-DAEMON@conman.org (Mail Delivery System)
> To: sean@conman.org
> Subject: Undelivered Mail Returned to Sender
> Date: Fri, 20 Jul 2007 01:59:42 -0400 (EDT)
> 
> This is the Postfix program at host brevard.conman.org.
> 
> I'm sorry to have to inform you that your message could not be delivered to
> one or more recipients. It's attached below.
> 
> For further assistance, please send mail to <postmaster>
> 
> If you do so, please include this problem report. You can delete your own
> text from the attached returned message.
> 
> The Postfix program
> 
> <XXXXXXXX@bellsouth.net>: host gateway-f1.isp.att.net[204.127.217.16] 
>     said: 550 [PERMFAIL] bellsouth.net requires valid sender 
>     domain {need mx} (in reply to RCPT TO command)
> 

Hmmm … what's this? More bounced emails? To someone else who uses The
Monopolistic Phone Company?

> <XXXXXXXX@bellsouth.net>: host gateway-f1.isp.att.net[204.127.217.16] 
>     said: 550 [PERMFAIL] bellsouth.net requires valid sender 
>     domain {need mx} (in reply to RCPT TO command)
> 

Hmmm … same host. Let's see what I get when I toss that host into Google [1]:

> Re: RR (RunRyder) Notification Bounce
> 
> I think RR sent you an email notification (not a member).
> 
> bellsouth.net is having issues with reading RR's DNS (Domain Name Service).
> I do not know how to contact them. Maybe you could try. Their error message
> is shown below. No other ISP (Internet Service Provider) is having this
> problem with RR.
> 
> RR sent you an email notification. Bellsouth replied back with the
> following:
> 
> <XXXXXXXX@bellsouth.net>: host gateway-f1.isp.att.net[204.127.217.16] 
>     said: 550 [PERMFAIL] bellsouth.net requires valid sender 
>     domain {need mx} (in reply to RCPT TO command)
> 
> * * * * *
> 
> Bellsouth had this same kind of problem a while back with Yahoo mail
> accounts. It took them a while to find and correct the problem but they
> finally did. It had something to do with a change made to the mail header
> by Bellsouth's server. If you are a Bellsouth customer, call and make a
> complaint. Until customers start complaining, they are not likely to work
> on the problem.
> 

“bellsouth.net bounced RR e-mail [2]”

Well … how about that? I'm not the only one having problems with The
Monopolistic Phone Company.

[1] http://www.google.com/
[2] http://www.runryder.com/helicopter/t359364p1/

Email Sean Conner at sean@conman.org

.