gmail sudddenly rejects thunderbird emails

[kjello]

After years of connecting to gmail without a problem, any email from my thunderbird account to any gmail address is now returned with: “This is an automatically generated Delivery Status Notification. Delivery to the following recipients failed permanently: [email address]
Reason: A message that you sent to the following recipient could not be delivered due to a permanent error. ** The remote server ?? responded with: ** ??: [email address]?? This message was created automatically by mail delivery software on the server ."

I have checked the faq “Using thunderbird with gmail” here but the topic doesn’t seem to be covered.

Emails sent from my webmail accounts to gmail addresses get through. An email sent from my gmail account to my gmail account gets through. The problem seems to be solely between thunderbird and gmail and of recent appearance. Any enlightenment appreciated. Thanks.

[DanRaisch]

You are trying to compare apples to oranges. When sending messages using webmail you are not using the SMTP servers that Thunderbird and all other email clients must use when sending.

Do your outgoing messages on that account include any images or HTML formatted signatures? Do messages sent from Thunderbird still fail if they only consist of plain text?
See this thread -- http://forums.mozillazine.org/viewtopic ... #p14923112

[kjello]

Thanks, Dan, for the reply.
I forgot to mention that I have also sent test emails from my Tb account to four other web-based accounts and they all get through. Only gmail returns them.
I checked the link you gave and then checked my settings and neither plain text or html is selected. Instead a category, “automatic”, is selected. I don’t use formatted signatures or images either.
Should I still try your suggestions, for which thanks again, or is something else indicated?

ps which is the right coast?

[DanRaisch]

Who is the email provider you are using when Google rejects those messages?

The "right" coast is the one on the right (East) as you look at a mercator projection map of the US.

[kjello]

cooptel.net (Windows 10 by the way, 64 bit)

Ah, the geographical right, not the value judgement right! Or maybe both?

[DanRaisch]

Ah, the geographical right, not the value judgement right! Or maybe both?

Good question.

cooptel.net (Windows 10 by the way, 64 bit)

Do you have any accounts from other providers set up in Thunderbird or just that one?

[kjello]

Does this count? Outgoing server SMTP j..........n@waitrose.com smtp.mail.waitrose.com default

cooptel.net is the address that messages get sent out under and that replies come to. I don't download replies to Tb, just send emails from Tb

[DanRaisch]

I notice that you identify the email provider is cooptel.net but you identify the outgoing server as smtp.mail.waitrose.com. Does that mean you are using the outgoing server of a different provider than cooptel.net?

[kjello]

Yes. My ISP, John Lewis Broadband, told us to get a new ISP and email provider because they are discontinuing the service.

My new ISP is Plusnet, but it doesn't have an email service, so my email provider is differrent, ie the Phone Coop. I was advised that I did not need to change my server settings, just the account name..
Since Plusnet provides the service to John Lewis I am presuming that their server is accepting the original instructions, ie smtp waitrose . Sorry about the complicated explanation but blame John Lewis for ditching their customers unceremoniously.

However I'm beginning to wonder if the glitch might be at gmail's end since it didn't coincide with the ISP and email changeovers.

Thanks for bearing with this saga.

[DanRaisch]

But it might be that Google is seeing the messages as suspicious because they are coming to their servers with a different domain name (the bit after the @ symbol) from the server name.
As a suggestion (for testing if not longer term) try creating a new, free email account with Google or Hotmail and try sending messages from your existing account and that new account to the same address at (about) the same time. That will help you determine what's going on.

[kjello]

Thanks, Dan. You have identified the problem. The solution is less apparent, but this is purely up to me.
I reinstated the original email address ( …..@waitrose.com) in the Tb settings and gmail let a test email through.
It really is only gmail that has a problem. All other providers accept the new address (… @cooptel.net) in Tb settings. Even when I tried a cunning trick – main addressee yahoo, cc gmail - both were returned undeliverable! So gmail even stopped it going to the main addressee even though yahoo is quite happy to accept it. How does gmail manage that, I wonder!
As for the solution, retaining the original in Tb settings would be tail wagging dog, so for now any gmail messages will be sent from a webmail account if I remember, and I’ll use Tb for everything else.
Thanks again. An excellent piece of detective work.

[kjello]

If Dan Raisch sees this please would you advise: If I go to Account settings > Edit Smtp server … > Server name, and replace the present details (Smtpmail.waitrose.com) with the new provider domain (Smtpmail.cooptel.net) would that get TB to link with my new email provider rather than the old one? Thanks.

[DanRaisch]

You would have to adjust all SMTP settings to match whatever cooptel requires, not just the server name. Also confirm the port number, authentication method, etc.