Troubleshooting Email Delivery Failure When Using Ecenica Free Email Forwarding

You may encounter an error message similar to the below example when attempting to forward an email using our Free Email Forwarding service:

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:

email@gmail.com
(ultimately generated from email@example.com)
Domain mydomain.com has exceeded the max defers and failures per hour (10/10 (100%)) allowed. Message discarded.

Cause of the Issue

The error message indicates that the domain example.com has reached its limit of 10 defers and failures allowed per hour through Ecenica Free Email Forwarding service. As a result, any additional emails forwarded from this domain during this period are automatically discarded to prevent further issues and potential blacklisting.

In email forwarding, a defer is a temporary failure in delivering an email, which can be caused by several factors, such as the recipient’s server being temporarily unavailable or the email being flagged by spam filters.

What is a ‘Defer’ in Email Forwarding?

A defer in the context of email forwarding refers to a situation where an email server temporarily rejects an email. This doesn’t mean the email will never be delivered; instead, the forwarding server may attempt to deliver the email again later. Reasons for defers can include:

  • The recipient’s email server is temporarily down or busy.
  • The recipient’s inbox is full.
  • The email was flagged by spam filters but not outright rejected.

When too many defers occur in one hour, it can indicate a problem with the sender’s domain or email practices, leading to limits being enforced to protect email server integrity and prevent spam.

Example Scenario

You have used our Free Email Forwarding service to forward email@example.com to email@gmail.com. When an email arrives at email@example.com, our system attempts to forward the email, but Gmail’s server temporarily rejects it, causing a defer. Our system tries to resend the email multiple times, but each attempt results in another defer. After 10 defers within an hour, the forwarding limit is reached, and any further attempts to forward emails from example.com are automatically stopped to prevent overload and potential blacklisting.

Suggested Fix

To resolve this issue and prevent it from recurring, follow these steps:

  1. Wait and Let the Issue Resolve Itself
    • The defer limit is enforced on an hourly basis. If you have reached the maximum number of defers, you can wait for an hour to pass. Once the hour is over, the defer count will reset, allowing you to forward emails again. During this time, review your email practices to ensure they comply with best practices to avoid hitting the limit again.
  2. Upgrade to a Paid Plan:
    • Our paid plans offer higher defer limits, allowing for more emails to be forwarded without hitting the defer cap.
    • Upgrading to a paid plan can provide the necessary flexibility for higher volume email forwarding and reduce the chances of encountering this issue.
  3. Monitor Email Forwarding Practices:
    • Ensure the email addresses you are forwarding to are valid and active. Remove invalid or inactive email addresses from your forwarding list.
    • Avoid forwarding emails to addresses that frequently defer or fail. Use email validation tools to verify addresses before forwarding.
  4. Improve Email Content:
    • Ensure the forwarded emails comply with spam regulations and best practices to avoid being flagged by spam filters.
    • Include clear subject lines and relevant content to reduce the chances of the forwarded email being marked as spam.
    • Try to ensure your email addresses are not openly published on the web where they can be used by spammers.
  5. Reduce Forwarding Frequency Temporarily:
    • If you are conducting activaties which may result in forwarding a high volume of emails, consider reducing the frequency to stay within the defer limits or upgrading to one of our paid email plans which include higher defer limits.
  6. Check Domain Reputation:
    • Use tools to check your domain’s reputation. A poor reputation can lead to more defers and failures. Take steps to improve your domain’s standing if needed.
  7. Contact Support:
    • Contact the support team of the destination email provider and ask them to check why they’re rejecting emails. For example if you’re forwarding email to example@gmail.com, reach out to Gmail support.
    • If the issue persists, contact our support team. We maybe able to provide more specific information about the defers and help adjust settings to prevent future occurrences.

By following these steps, you can reduce the likelihood of encountering this issue in the future and ensure your emails are forwarded successfully. If you need further assistance, don’t hesitate to reach out to our support team for help.