Summary
The Microsoft bounce message 'technical difficulties and our engineers are working to resolve the issue at the earliest' is a multifaceted issue, often signaling temporary problems on Microsoft's end, like server overloads or DNS issues, as detailed in Microsoft's documentation and RFC standards. However, it can also indicate greylisting or tarpitting techniques used by Microsoft to combat spam, as well as issues related to the sender's IP reputation, authentication records (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), blacklisting, or exceeding sending limits. Users and experts suggest resubmitting tickets, checking service health, waiting and resending, contacting support, and ensuring proper email configuration to address the problem.
Key findings
- Temporary Failures: Microsoft's documentation points to temporary failures like server overloads or DNS issues as a common cause.
- Spam Prevention: The message might indicate Microsoft's greylisting or tarpitting techniques to combat spam.
- Authentication Problems: Incorrect SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records can trigger the message.
- IP Reputation Matters: Poor IP reputation or blacklisting can cause delivery issues and this bounce message.
- Throttling: Exceeding sending limits can lead to temporary blocks and this message.
- Ticket Resubmission: Many users and experts suggest resubmitting support tickets.
Key considerations
- Check Service Health: Monitor Microsoft's service health dashboard for ongoing issues.
- Resubmit Tickets: Consider resubmitting support tickets to ensure your issue is addressed.
- Wait and Resend: Try resending the email after a delay, as temporary issues often resolve themselves.
- Contact Support: Contact Microsoft support if the problem persists.
- Verify Email Configuration: Ensure SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records are correctly configured.
- Monitor IP Reputation: Check your IP's reputation and address any issues.
- Review Sending Volume: Adjust your sending volume to avoid exceeding throttling limits.
What email marketers say
15 marketer opinions
The Microsoft bounce message 'technical difficulties and our engineers are working to resolve the issue at the earliest' generally indicates a temporary problem on Microsoft's end, potentially due to server issues, outages, or greylisting. However, it can also signal problems with the sender's or recipient's account, poor IP reputation, incorrect authentication records (SPF/DKIM/DMARC), blacklisting, high email volume, or spam triggers in email content. Resolving the issue often involves resubmitting the ticket, waiting and resending the email, checking Microsoft's service status, contacting support, ensuring proper authentication, monitoring IP reputation, and reviewing email content.
Key opinions
- Temporary Issue: The message often signals temporary technical difficulties on Microsoft's side, such as server issues or outages.
- Resubmission Required: Many users have found that resubmitting the ticket is necessary after receiving this message.
- Account Problems: The message could indicate problems with the sender's or recipient's account, like exceeding sending limits or a security flag.
- IP Reputation: A poor IP reputation can lead to temporary blocks or throttling, triggering this message.
- Authentication Issues: Incorrect SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records can cause deliverability issues and trigger the message.
- Blacklisting: Being blacklisted can cause deliverability problems and trigger this message.
- Volume Throttling: High outbound email volume, especially from new IPs, can trigger temporary blocks.
- Spam Content: Email content with spam triggers can be flagged as suspicious, leading to delivery delays.
Key considerations
- Check Service Status: Monitor the Microsoft 365 Service health dashboard for ongoing issues.
- Resend Emails: Try resending the email after a short delay, as the issue may resolve itself.
- Contact Support: If the problem persists, contact Microsoft support with detailed information about the bounce message.
- Verify Authentication: Ensure SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records are correctly configured for your sending domain.
- Monitor IP Reputation: Check your sending IP's reputation using online tools and address any issues.
- Review Content: Review your email content for potential spam triggers.
- Adjust Sending Volume: Gradually increase sending volume, especially when using new IPs.
Marketer view
Email marketer from Microsoft Community Forums recommends checking the Microsoft 365 Service health dashboard to see if there are any known ongoing issues that might be causing the bounce message. She mentions that this will give an official update from Microsoft about the problem and its expected resolution time.
23 May 2023 - Microsoft Community Forums
Marketer view
Marketer from Email Geeks explains that in his experience, every time he received that reply (going back months) he had to resubmit the ticket.
10 Dec 2023 - Email Geeks
What the experts say
4 expert opinions
Experts suggest that the Microsoft bounce message indicating 'technical difficulties' may stem from a temporary greylisting strategy employed by Microsoft to filter spam or from Microsoft employing tarpitting techniques to slow down connections. Some experts express distrust in the message itself and recommend resubmitting tickets. There are also some experts dealing with multiple client related issues related to this message.
Key opinions
- Greylisting: The message might indicate temporary greylisting, where Microsoft deliberately delays acceptance of emails from new or untrusted sources.
- Tarpitting: The message may be a side effect of Microsoft using tarpitting techniques to slow down suspicious email connections.
- Distrust in Response: Some experts advise against trusting the response and suggest resubmitting tickets.
- Frequent Issue: Experts dealing with multiple client issues related to the Microsoft message indicates this is not an isolated or rare issue.
Key considerations
- Resubmitting Tickets: Consider resubmitting support tickets to ensure your issue is addressed.
- Greylisting Resolution: Be aware that greylisting issues often resolve themselves automatically after a retry.
- Connection Throttling: Understand that your connection might be intentionally slowed down if your source is deemed suspicious by Microsoft.
Expert view
Expert from Word to the Wise suggests the message often indicates a temporary greylisting situation at Microsoft's end. She explains that Microsoft may be deliberately delaying acceptance of email from new or untrusted sources to combat spam. This often resolves itself automatically upon retry.
27 Sep 2021 - Word to the Wise
Expert view
Expert from Email Geeks shares that she has had 2 calls this week specifically for MS problems and has been dealing with a 3rd client.
29 Sep 2024 - Email Geeks
What the documentation says
4 technical articles
Microsoft's documentation and RFC standards suggest that the 'technical difficulties' bounce message typically indicates a temporary failure, which can be caused by server overloads, network congestion, DNS lookup failures, or exceeding throttling policies in Exchange Online. The system usually retries delivery automatically. However, repeated failures suggest a more persistent issue.
Key findings
- Temporary Failure: The message usually indicates a temporary failure or deferred status.
- Transient Issues: Transient issues such as server overloads or network congestion are common causes.
- DNS Lookup Failure: NDR SMTPSEND.DNS errors, which can trigger this message, often mean a DNS lookup failure.
- Throttling Policies: Exceeding throttling policies in Exchange Online can cause temporary error messages.
- Automatic Retry: The system typically retries delivery automatically.
Key considerations
- Wait for Automatic Retry: The system usually retries delivery automatically, so waiting may resolve the issue.
- Investigate Persistent Failures: Repeated temporary failures suggest a more persistent problem that requires investigation.
- Check DNS Configuration: If the error is DNS-related, check the DNS configuration on both the sender's and receiver's end.
- Review Throttling Limits: If you're exceeding sending limits, review Exchange Online's throttling policies and adjust your sending behavior.
Technical article
Documentation from RFC Standards explains that SMTP error codes in the 4xx range (e.g., 451, 452) typically indicate temporary failures. These suggest that the server is currently unable to process the request, but the client might be able to successfully retry at a later time.
11 Nov 2021 - RFC Standards
Technical article
Documentation from Microsoft Docs details that throttling policies in Exchange Online are designed to prevent abuse and maintain system performance. If a user exceeds sending limits due to these policies, they might receive temporary error messages indicating the system is experiencing technical difficulties. This is to prevent spamming or other harmful behavior.
11 Nov 2024 - Microsoft Docs
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