topic Re: Recurring problem with Gmail not reaching TalkTalk in Email

Recurring problem with Gmail not reaching TalkTalk

silvergirl — Mon, 31 Jul 2023 08:49:46 GMT

Here we go again - TalkTalk is blocking Gmail yet again. I only know this when my contact thinks I have gone away and then I find I can't send myself something from Gmail to my TalkTalk account.

Can someone please unblock my account, or at least explain why on earth it keeps happening? Also, why it doesn't even tell me the messages have failed?

Silvergirl

Re: Recurring problem with Gmail not reaching TalkTalk

Ady-TalkTalk — Mon, 31 Jul 2023 10:19:18 GMT

I've asked the team to check for us. I'll let you know what I get back.

Ady

Re: Recurring problem with Gmail not reaching TalkTalk

Gondola — Mon, 31 Jul 2023 10:28:25 GMT

There is no network block on Gmail reaching talktalk.net accounts as I've just sent from a Gmail account to a TalkTalk Mail account and the message arrived without delay.

I am seeing some inbound emails to the TalkTalk Mail platform subject to delay although that delay is currently no more than 10 minutes.

Just check via a desktop browser and webmail Settings that you have no Filter rules defined for your mailbox.

Re: Recurring problem with Gmail not reaching TalkTalk

silvergirl — Mon, 31 Jul 2023 11:29:02 GMT

I haven't set any filters on Webmail - I don't even know how to check if there are any, please explain how I should do that.

I don't think it is that anyway because I have regular email conversations with my contact which are fine for ages and then suddenly stop getting through. If I got a message saying the emails had failed, then I would know something was wrong - it is very frustrating to find that several emails have literally just disappeared for no apparent reason. My Gmail account does not create any problems with any other server, just TalkTalk.

Re: Recurring problem with Gmail not reaching TalkTalk

Gondola — Mon, 31 Jul 2023 11:38:58 GMT

Select here: Sign in to TalkTalk Mail

Enter your email address and password, select Sign in.

Select the Main Settings menu icon  triple line icon top right on the blue header
(Mobile browser? use the desktop version)
Select Settings from the top of the menu
Select the inward facing arrowhead by Mail (or Email) in the left side panel
Select Filter Rules
The following options are offered:
Edit a rule including changing the Rule name, changing its Conditions and Actions
Disabling or Enabling a rule or Reordering the activation sequence of Filter rules
To edit an existing Filter rule, select Edit for the Filter rule
update and Save changes or select Cancel to leave the rule unchanged
To disable an active Filter rule, select Disable for the Filter rule
To enable an inactive Filter rule, select Enable for the Filter rule
To reorder the activation sequence of Filter rules
Select and hold the Move icon  bars for a Filter rule
to drag the rule either up or down and drop in a reordered activation sequence of Filter rules
(Note: the Move icon is not shown for a single rule)
To delete a Filter rule, select the Dustbin icon  to the right of the Filter rule
The icon background will turn red 
Confirm you really want to delete this Filter rule
Select the blue Delete button

Ideally, when you select Filter rules you should see a screen indicating that there are no filter rules defined. Let us know exactly what you see.

And, this is the next important bit...

silvergirl wrote:...My Gmail account does not create any problems with any other server, just TalkTalk.

Please explain what you mean by "My Gmail account". Are you auto-forwarding mail to or from your Gmail account into TalkTalk and expecting all auto-forwards to work?

Re: Recurring problem with Gmail not reaching TalkTalk

silvergirl — Mon, 31 Jul 2023 11:50:54 GMT

Thank you, now I know where the filter rules are and this is what I see:

By "my Gmail account" I mean that if I send any emails using Gmail they all arrive at their destination on any server other than TalkTalk where they sometimes just do not arrive. I am not auto-forwarding anything.

Re: Recurring problem with Gmail not reaching TalkTalk

Gondola — Mon, 31 Jul 2023 12:13:02 GMT

OK, you have a Blocked Senders Filter Rule that's active. Highly likely to be the culprit.

Select the Dustbin icon  to the right of the Filter rule
The icon background will turn red 
Confirm you really want to delete this Filter rule
Select the blue Delete button

Then retry sending from Gmail.

Re: Recurring problem with Gmail not reaching TalkTalk

silvergirl — Mon, 31 Jul 2023 13:18:25 GMT

I feel this is a little strange. I looked at the rule and there is just one address that is blocked. If I delete the rule altogether then what happens if I want to block someone at a later date? It has nothing to do with either Gmail or my contact on TalkTalk's address so it shouldn't be affecting anything.

Re: Recurring problem with Gmail not reaching TalkTalk

Gondola — Mon, 31 Jul 2023 13:28:36 GMT

Delete the Filter rule.

The Blocked Senders filter rule was inherited from the former TalkTalk Mail platform so it's already 5 or more years out of date. You can set up new Filter rules at any time. Clearly in the last 5 years you have had no need to do so.

Let me know when you have deleted the filter rule and retested sending from your Gmail address.

Re: Recurring problem with Gmail not reaching TalkTalk

silvergirl — Mon, 31 Jul 2023 13:43:15 GMT

OK, I have deleted that rule and tested on the PC and also from my phone, and neither email from Gmail has appeared in my TalkTalk inbox.

Re: Recurring problem with Gmail not reaching TalkTalk

Gondola — Mon, 31 Jul 2023 14:08:08 GMT

Excellent. I've retested here also and can report that Gmail arrived in one mailbox after an 8 minute delay and another mailbox (different email sent) after a 6 minute delay.

So, give it, say 15 minutes, and recheck the TalkTalk Inbox.

Good to know you now have no filter rules defined as TalkTalk email admins will refuse to check any mailbox unless there are no filter rules.

Let us know if your email does arrive. Just in case, do check the Inbox first and then check Spam and Trash folders for mail messages that may have been diverted from the Inbox.

Re: Recurring problem with Gmail not reaching TalkTalk

silvergirl — Mon, 31 Jul 2023 14:47:45 GMT

Absolutely nothing in any folder

Re: Recurring problem with Gmail not reaching TalkTalk

Gondola — Mon, 31 Jul 2023 15:07:24 GMT

OK, I'll be interested to see what the TalkTalk email admins say as I can receive Gmail into two different TalkTalk mailboxes that proves there's no network blocking by TalkTalk.

As you've deleted the Filter rule there should be nothing stopping receipt of any mail messages into the Inbox. I assume you do see other mail messages in the Inbox?

Select here: Sign in to TalkTalk Mail

Enter your full TalkTalk Mail email address and password, select Sign in.

Just check by doing a self-test to make sure that you can send and receive mail into the Inbox.

Compose and self-send the same mailbox a mail message. Check that the message sends without error, is copied into the Sent objects folder and arrives and stays in the Inbox.

Collecting mail messages with a POP3 mail account or mail collection service, like Gmail, may be deleting messages from the online Inbox.

Re: Recurring problem with Gmail not reaching TalkTalk

silvergirl — Mon, 31 Jul 2023 15:35:12 GMT

I sent myself an email as instructed above and it arrived instantly. I keep saying it is emails from Gmail that get lost in the ether - but only from time to time - for weeks on end all can be hunky-dory, then it suddenly starts happening again.

I also sent a test email from Gmail to my contact's TalkTalk address and I have had no acknowledgement so I rather think that is lost as well.

Re: Recurring problem with Gmail not reaching TalkTalk

Gondola — Mon, 31 Jul 2023 15:45:32 GMT

As there's no obvious network block on Gmail I'm wondering if one of your contacts has inadvertently marked your Gmail address as Spam? A block on your Gmail email address is the only common factor in not getting Gmail to two different TalkTalk Mail mailboxes. Marking as spam would not always result in a bounceback error and the spam block may be relaxed after two weeks if there are no further reports of spam.

The way to troubleshoot this is to create a new Gmail account and to send mail using that new address and see if mail arrives.

Re: Recurring problem with Gmail not reaching TalkTalk

silvergirl — Mon, 31 Jul 2023 16:17:21 GMT

I really think you have not grasped what I have been saying. This is about emails with mainly one contact, and if that person had blocked my emails or marked them as spam we would not have sent and received successful emails for months and months in between. There is no obvious reason that this happens at all, always out of the blue. My Gmail account can send to hundreds of people with none doing a disappearing act, it only occurs with emails addressed to TalkTalk.

Re: Recurring problem with Gmail not reaching TalkTalk

Gondola — Mon, 31 Jul 2023 16:36:19 GMT

Or have you not grasped what I've been trying to help you understand? My Gmail isn't blocked. TalkTalk are not blocking my Gmail address.

So, to prove that TalkTalk are transiently blocking your Gmail address you simply create a new email address that by definition will not be blocked and see if you can receive that.

If you're not going to bother then I'm done.

Re: Recurring problem with Gmail not reaching TalkTalk

silvergirl — Mon, 31 Jul 2023 16:41:53 GMT

Can you please explain why all my other contacts with non-TalkTalk addresses receive and reply to my emails and it is only TalkTalk contacts who don't get them?

I will try that option if I must but not until tomorrow probably as I have spent an inordinate amount of time today trying to sort this out.

Re: Recurring problem with Gmail not reaching TalkTalk

Gondola — Mon, 31 Jul 2023 18:15:33 GMT

I explained here. Any of your TalkTalk contacts may have marked your mail as spam... So TalkTalk may have applied a spam block. These are either on the email address or the sending IP address if using the Gmail email app via your home wi-fi.

It'll take less than 5 minutes to create and test a new Gmail address. Why wouldn't you want to carry out that troubleshooting asap? I've already proven that Gmail incoming to TalkTalk isn't blocked at the network level. If a brand new email address doesn't work then that will lead to a conclusion that your home IP address may have been previously used for sending spam and it's an IP address being blocked rather than the Gmail email address. If the new Gmail address does work then that confirms TalkTalk are not operating a blanket block of Gmail and your IP address is not blocked but your original Gmail address is transiently blocked.

The last time this happened you stopped before all troubleshooting had been completed and I concluded that it was probably an IP address block that was transiently applied to sending emails via your home wi-fi and TalkTalk broadband connection. So just to fully complete the troubleshooting you may wish to check your IP address make a note of the 4 sets of numbers with dots in between and then switch off the home router / hub for 30 minutes and repower to see if a new IP address is issued.

I've concluded my advice on troubleshooting. No doubt TalkTalk will come back and tell you what they see from their side.

Re: Recurring problem with Gmail not reaching TalkTalk

silvergirl — Mon, 31 Jul 2023 18:57:09 GMT

OK, you win! I created another Google account, much as I didn't want to as I already have enough other email addresses. Anyway, I emailed my TalkTalk address - and it arrived. So now what? How do I resolve the original problem? I still don't think there has been any spam block on my Gmails because in all my contacts there are only 2 people who have TalkTalk addresses and neither of them has done that.

I will try the IP address thing and that may work on my main Gmail but I will have to see if it happens again in the future. I can't face having to tell all my contacts to use the new Gmail address rather than the old one. Conversely, I can't keep a separate Gmail account just for my 2 TalkTalk contacts.