Summary
French ISPs like Orange, SFR, and La Poste often present unique challenges for email deliverability, frequently manifesting as sudden, unclassified bounce spikes. These issues are often attributed to specific ISP filtering policies, rather than solely to list quality. Understanding the underlying causes requires a deep dive into raw bounce data, as standard ESP categorizations can be misleading.
Key findings
- Unclassified bounces: ESPs may label bounces as 'unclassified' even when specific SMTP replies contain detailed reasons for rejection. This abstraction can hinder effective troubleshooting.
- Shared IP impact: Sending from shared IPs can introduce complexity, as the sending reputation of other users on the same IP can significantly influence your deliverability to French providers.
- ISP-specific filters: French ISPs often employ advanced filtering systems, such as those from Vade Secure, which can be particularly sensitive to sender reputation, volume, and content.
- Periodic nature: Regular spikes, for instance every two weeks, suggest a recurring trigger, potentially tied to automated reputation reviews or specific volume thresholds.
Key considerations
- Raw bounce data: Obtaining and analyzing raw SMTP bounce messages is critical for precise troubleshooting. This data often reveals the exact reason for the bounce.
- ESP limitations: Be aware that your ESP's categorization of bounces may not provide the granular detail needed for a full diagnosis. For more on this, see what causes unclassified soft bounces from Orange.fr.
- Vade Secure: Investigate whether Vade Secure's filters are impacting your delivery to these French providers, as they are widely used in the region.
- Sender reputation: Maintain a robust sender reputation through consistent good sending practices. This can help mitigate issues, even when using shared IP addresses.
- Authentication standards: Ensure your email authentication, including SPF, DKIM, and DMARC, is correctly configured and aligned to meet ISP requirements. Read SFR bounce codes explained for more details.
What email marketers say
Email marketers often face significant challenges with French ISPs, frequently expressing frustration over vague bounce reports and the difficulty in pinpointing specific issues. Their collective experience highlights a clear need for greater transparency and more actionable data from their email service providers.
Key opinions
- Vague bounce types: Marketers frequently receive generic 'unclassified' bounce types from their ESPs, which provide little to no specific diagnostic information.
- Need for raw data: There is a strong consensus among marketers that access to raw SMTP replies is essential for understanding the specific reasons behind email rejections.
- ISP-specific behavior: French ISPs, including Orange, SFR, and La Poste, are often perceived as having particularly strict or unique filtering behaviors compared to other global providers.
- Support limitations: Some marketers find that their ESP's support teams may not possess the specific knowledge or access to the detailed raw data needed to troubleshoot complex deliverability issues with these ISPs.
Key considerations
- Demand raw logs: Marketers should persistently request raw SMTP bounce logs from their ESPs, as these contain the precise rejection messages necessary for root cause analysis.
- Understand ESP categorization: Recognize that ESP bounce categories are internal classifications and may obscure the true technical reason for a bounce. Delays and errors from Orange.fr are common, as detailed in this article on OFR_999 errors.
- Monitor specific ISPs: Pay close attention to deliverability trends specifically for French providers, as their filtering rules can differ.
- Leverage community insights: Shared experiences in marketing communities often provide valuable insights and reveal common patterns or solutions for tricky ISP behaviors. For instance, many users on Survive France have discussed ongoing service issues.
Marketer view
Email marketer from Email Geeks observes consistent, periodic bounce spikes on French ISPs such as Orange, SFR, and La Poste. They note that the issue does not appear to stem from list quality, but rather seems to be an ISP-specific problem. This is particularly challenging given their use of a shared IP address.
Marketer view
Email marketer from Email Geeks reported a huge number of bounced emails without a clear reason. This lack of transparency makes it difficult to diagnose the underlying cause and implement effective solutions.
What the experts say
Deliverability experts underscore the critical importance of low-level data analysis and a comprehensive understanding of ISP filtering mechanisms when addressing bounce spikes from French providers. They consistently point out the often misleading nature of high-level bounce categorizations provided by many email service providers.
Key opinions
- Categorization is abstract: Experts confirm that ESP bounce categorizations are internal interpretations, and the true rejection message is always found in the raw SMTP reply.
- Vade Secure impact: The widespread adoption of Vade Secure by French ISPs means that their filtering decisions can significantly influence deliverability across multiple email providers in the region.
- SMTP replies are key: Understanding the specific SMTP codes and messages within bounce logs is the sole reliable method to accurately diagnose the precise reasons for email rejections.
- Platform-dependent access: Accessing raw bounce data can vary considerably depending on the specific email sending platform or service being utilized.
Key considerations
- Drill down to SMTP logs: Always prioritize seeking out the raw SMTP logs to uncover the precise reason for email rejections, as this provides the most actionable insight.
- Investigate common filters: If multiple ISPs are affected, thoroughly research common anti-spam filters employed by those providers, such as Vade Secure, as a block on one can ripple across others.
- Consult external resources: Utilize authoritative resources like the SMTP Field Manual to interpret complex and non-obvious bounce codes.
- Engage platform support: Insist that your ESP or sending platform provide the raw bounce details necessary for effective troubleshooting, as they are ultimately responsible for log access.
- Address throttling: If bounces are tied to volume, consider how to resolve Orange.fr throttling to ensure consistent delivery.
Expert view
Expert from Email Geeks advises that simply seeing an 'unclassified' bounce from an ESP does not mean there is no underlying reason. They explain that the ESP often abstracts the actual SMTP reply, which is precisely where the real diagnostic information is located and should be investigated.
Expert view
Expert from Email Geeks emphasizes that identifying the precise SMTP bounce code is absolutely critical for effective troubleshooting. These codes often contain specific error messages or even links to ISP documentation that can thoroughly explain the rejection reason.
What the documentation says
Technical documentation and postmaster guidelines from ISPs and anti-spam vendors serve as critical resources for understanding email deliverability challenges. These documents often provide explicit details regarding specific bounce codes, filtering criteria, and the best practices for maintaining a healthy sending reputation, forming the foundation for effective troubleshooting.
Key findings
- Specific bounce codes: Documentation from ISPs frequently defines specific bounce codes, such as SFR's GU_EIB_02, which explicitly indicates list hygiene issues related to a high threshold of invalid addresses.
- Filtering criteria: Technical documentation commonly outlines the various criteria used by filters, including reputation metrics, content analysis, and thresholds for acceptable volumes or invalid addresses.
- Sender tools: Some security vendors, like Vade Secure, provide dedicated sender tools designed for direct engagement. These tools allow senders to gain specific insights into their filtering decisions and, in some cases, request delisting or provide further information.
- Standard SMTP replies: The core of bounce messages adheres to SMTP standards (RFCs), with 4xx codes indicating temporary failures and 5xx codes signifying permanent, unrecoverable failures.
Key considerations
- Reference official sources: Always consult official postmaster pages and documentation from the specific ISPs, such as Orange.fr's postmaster updates, for their unique requirements and bounce explanations.
- Understand filter logic: Familiarize yourself with the logic of common anti-spam solutions, particularly those prevalent in the region, to anticipate and address potential filtering issues.
- Leverage sender tools: Utilize any available sender tools or contact forms provided by filter vendors for direct inquiry and resolution of deliverability blockages.
- Adhere to RFC standards: Ensure your email sending infrastructure and practices strictly comply with established email RFCs. This fundamental adherence helps avoid basic rejections.
- Analyze reports: Review DMARC reports for insights into authentication failures, which can contribute to bounces. Learn more in understanding DMARC reports.
Technical article
Documentation from Deliverability.guru states that the SMTP code GU_EIB_02, commonly encountered with SFR, is a clear indicator of a list hygiene issue. This specific bounce code is typically returned when the threshold of invalid addresses on a sender's mailing list becomes excessively high.
Technical article
Documentation from MXToolbox explains that SMTP tests can sometimes result in timeout messages. These timeouts typically indicate underlying network issues or a lack of responsiveness from the mail server during the diagnostic process, hindering a full connection attempt.
Related resources
4 resources
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