AOL rejects emails

[mickalo]

Hello,

we've noticed in the last couple of days, that AOL is rejecting emails sent from our server. I've checked our rDNS setup and it seems to be fine, and has been for quiet sometime, this just seemed to start up recently. We are running the lastest Exim, updated over the weekend. Here is one of the communications while sending out an email:

Connecting to mailin-02.mx.aol.com [205.188.156.249]:25 ... connected
  SMTP<< 220-rly-yd05.mx.aol.com ESMTP mail_relay_in-yd5.8; Thu, 08 Jul 2004 12:00:07 -0400
         220-America Online (AOL) and its affiliated companies do not
         220-     authorize the use of its proprietary computers and computer
         220-     networks to accept, transmit, or distribute unsolicited bulk
         220-     e-mail sent from the internet.  Effective immediately:  AOL
         220-     may no longer accept connections from IP addresses which
         220      have no reverse-DNS (PTR record) assigned.
  SMTP>> EHLO justlightening.justlightening.net
  SMTP<< 250-rly-yd05.mx.aol.com rs-64-246-58-87.ev1.net
         250 HELP
  SMTP>> MAIL FROM:<optionpr@justlightening.justlightening.net>
  SMTP<< 250 OK
  SMTP>> RCPT TO:<GandLBartels@AOL.com>
  SMTP<< 250 OK
  SMTP>> DATA
  SMTP<< 354 START MAIL INPUT, END WITH "." ON A LINE BY ITSELF
  SMTP>> writing message and terminating "."
  SMTP<< 421-:  (SDI:T1) http://postmaster.info.aol.com/errors/421sdit1.html
         421 SERVICE NOT AVAILABLE
LOG: MAIN
  SMTP error from remote mailer after end of data: host mailin-02.mx.aol.com [205.188.156.249]: 421-:  (SDI:T1) http://postmaster.info.aol.com/error...dit1.html\n421 SERVICE NOT AVAILABLE
  SMTP>> QUIT

Again this just started in the last day or two.... has something suddenly changed that I may not be aware of, some addition changes in the exim.conf needed, ???

We don't Use MailScanner either.

Any suggestion or help much appreciated.

Mickalo

[knipper]

Chances are your IP has been blocked by AOL for users reporting your IP with the "report spam" link in AOL mail. You may need to create a feedback loop with AOL.

Follow the link in the header you posted for more information.

In my other life as a webmaster of a sporting goods company we now use a third party e-mail service for our list management. Partly because of this.

We mail 30K subscribers once a month (with about 6K AOL addresses), and I generally get about 40 - 60 monthly people from AOL reporting as spam. Some of these people have been on my list for 3 years. They automatically get removed from my list.

The new AOL "feature" for it's users is great for them... but now people can click the report as spam on any email they want, and if your IP, or DOMAIN gets reported enoughto AOL they will block you.

[mickalo]

thx's knipper, that's what I'm in the process of doing today, adding our IP's to their "whitelist" feedback loop request.

It seems we go through this hassle about 2 twice a year with AOL!

thx's again.
Mickalo