This topic

Email address problem

keitht8351 — Thu, 16 Nov 2023 15:28:31 GMT

I have a weird e-mail problem which I can't get my head around. My wife is able to use an email address which we don't appear to 'own'. The address doesn't show on my list of addresses, but if I try to create it as a new address it fails, saying the address is in use. Call the address missus@btinternet.com. She can send e-mail using that address but very few replies don't get to her.

She has been complaining for a while that replies aren't being received but it was only yesterday when she forwarded something to me that I spotted this address. Any thoughts on how to resolve this would be greatly appreciated.

Re: Email address problem

licquorice — Thu, 16 Nov 2023 15:39:43 GMT

Ignoring the first part as you obviously do 'own' the address as she knows its password.

Make sure she hasn't inadvertently blocked senders and/or domains in the blocked senders list in settings.

Re: Email address problem

keitht8351 — Thu, 16 Nov 2023 20:14:35 GMT

I have actually been in communication with the lady who uses the email address on a daily basis. It's been her default email for over 25 years. It makes absolutely no sense at all as to how what is happening, is happening. To add to the confusion, my wife has a second e-mail address (also btinternet) and messages to that second e-mail are delivered successfully to her but on this address. The lady who 'owns' the address confirmed that she occasionally receives e-mail which mean nothing to her but she deletes them immediately.

I'll remove the address from my wife's email client and reinstall.

Re: Email address problem

gg30340 — Thu, 16 Nov 2023 19:33:33 GMT

If the email "belongs" to somebody else how did your wife get the email password in order to access the account.

It is more likely that the two email addresses are similar, perhaps with one digit being different.

When people are sending to the other lady's email address or to your wife the email address it is being incorrectly entered by the sender and as such is ending up at the "wrong" email address.

Re: Email address problem

keitht8351 — Fri, 17 Nov 2023 09:02:27 GMT

I agree it makes no sense, but I checked the e-mail address and it is definitely identical to the one my wife has been using. I actually sent a message to the e-mail address and it went to this other person, and they replied using that e-mail address. Simplest 'solution' is going to be to stop using it and just use the other address my wife has.

Thanks for the input. Glad I'm not the only person who can't work out how it can happen.

Re: Email address problem

NeilO — Fri, 17 Nov 2023 09:06:29 GMT

Hi @keitht8351 thanks for the posts, I really can't see how this can happen! I'll send you a private message so you can get in touch with the moderation team and we'll figure out what's going on.

Thanks

Neil

Re: Email address problem

northshields — Fri, 17 Nov 2023 09:43:38 GMT

Keith,

Is it possible that the email address has been set up correctly so that you can send emails, but the "reply to" entry in your email client has just one character wrong?

Re: Email address problem

keitht8351 — Fri, 17 Nov 2023 18:17:02 GMT

Thanks NeilO, that would be appreciated.

Re: Email address problem

keitht8351 — Fri, 17 Nov 2023 18:18:45 GMT

I will check again, but the address used to send from is owned by somebody else. As has been said, the whole situation makes absolutely no sense.

Re: Email address problem

Andy_N — Fri, 17 Nov 2023 19:54:31 GMT

@keitht8351wrote:
I have a weird e-mail problem which I can't get my head around. My wife is able to use an email address which we don't appear to 'own'. The address doesn't show on my list of addresses, but if I try to create it as a new address it fails, saying the address is in use. Call the address missus@btinternet.com. She can send e-mail using that address but very few replies don't get to her.
She has been complaining for a while that replies aren't being received but it was only yesterday when she forwarded something to me that I spotted this address. Any thoughts on how to resolve this would be greatly appreciated.

Hi.

I've read through this topic thread, and your bit above " She can send e-mail using that address but very few replies don't get to her" doesn't make sense. I assume you mean that you don't get any replies to that address at all.

In your email client, which you said you used (what is that client?), it's possible that she has set the from address as this odd address by a simple mouse press/key press in the email address field of the client? This may not affect the actual email address in the server setting - which could be your actual address.

OR visa versa.

It's hard to explain, but easier to see. However the email address, if set this way, may fail to send.

Does your wife actually see the emails your contact gets? If not, then this implies that you do in fact have the wrong email address.

Re: Email address problem

keitht8351 — Sat, 18 Nov 2023 14:45:46 GMT

Thanks Andy. After speaking to my wife again she confirms that she doesn't receive any replies to e-mails she initiates with this 'rogue' address, but they are delivered to correct recipient. If the recipient uses 'Reply' they don't get to my wife. If they use Forward and send that to my wife's other address they do get through OK.

I obviously don't want do disclose the actual email addresses but the situation is that her 'normal' e-mail is say fred at whoever.com and the 'rogue' is frederick at whoever.com. Frederick.... is the e-mail address shown in Properties, but only email address to fred at.... gets through. When she composes an email Frederick appears in the 'From' field.

The email address must have been input manually at some stage but doesn't explain why she receives emails to 'fred' when the e-mail address is Frederick?

Any thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated.

BT Support have asked me for a load of info and I will send that to them too. If I get anything back from them I will keep people informed.

Re: Email address problem

PaddyB — Sat, 18 Nov 2023 15:43:22 GMT

Hi @keitht8351,

If you reply to the Private Massage NeilO sent you we'll be able to get this investigated.

Thanks,

Paddy

Re: Email address problem

keitht8351 — Sat, 18 Nov 2023 20:08:11 GMT

I have now replied to Neil's PM. Hopefully you guys can work out what has happened.

Re: Email address problem

licquorice — Sat, 18 Nov 2023 20:16:31 GMT

It will be a user error from one party or another.

Email addresses are unique in the world, however, anyone with the password can access any email address. The idea that 2 people would use the same password for an email address that they each think is theirs is beyond ridiculous.

Without knowing exactly what each party is doing, it will be difficult to resolve the problem.

Re: Email address problem

keitht8351 — Wed, 22 Nov 2023 21:27:52 GMT

I had a call from one of the BT techies earlier and the problem has been resolved. Basically, the e-mail address associated with the server had been changed. How, when and why are all a mystery but changing that back to the correct value has sorted the problem. Replies to e-mails sent from that account are now appearing in the Inbox.

My greatful thanks to BT tech's for all their assistance in resolving hthis problem.

Re: Email address problem

NeilO — Thu, 23 Nov 2023 09:22:09 GMT

Hi @keitht8351 Thanks for updating the thread, I'm glad it's been sorted. As the community members suspected the incorrect email address had been added to the email client settings at some point.

Cheers

Neil