James Freer wrote:
... while talking to greyhoundhomer.org.uk.:
>>> >>> RCPT To:<sally@greyhoundhomer.org.uk>
<<< 550-Callback setup failed while verifying <jessejazza@aim.com>
<<< 550-Called: 64.12.138.120
<<< 550-Sent: initial connection
<<< 550-Response: 554- (RTR:CH)
<<< 550-554 Connecting IP: 65.98.59.114
The server handling greyhoundhomer.org.uk is performing some tests
against your email address. I assume it testing whether or not your
address is valid (presumably jessejazza@aim.com is your address?) and so
looked up the mail server which handles your email and connected to it,
or rather tried to.
That server (belonging to AOL) rejected the connection, and so the
assumption was made that your address was invalid and your email not
accepted.
For whatever reason (based on
http://postmaster.info.aol.com/errors/554rtrch.html confirms) the
address in question (that of greyhoundhomer.org.uk) has been
blacklisted, perhaps because spam has been sent from that address in the
past.
Now the IP address in question (Connecting IP: 65.98.59.114) belongs to
FortressITX in the US (according to "whois 65.98.59.114" , so I assume
this is some 3rd party email server, not one belonging to
greyhoundhomer.org.uk (unless its some cheap US hosting package).
According to MXToolbox (www.mxtoolbox.com/blacklists.aspx) the IP is not
listed in any of the 120+ blacklists it checks. Therefore it may be that
the problem is resolved, unless AOL has its own lists.
To cut a long story short: AOL (and similar free addresses) are not
reliable for anything these days; they are heavily targetted by spammers
(both for sending from and to), and the varied, changeable, and largely
random methods used to stop spam tend to cause at least as many problems
as they solve. I would not advise anyone use them for anything!
PS: Also: What Ted said!
Thanks Ted, Mark, MJ Ray for your help.