Hotmail/MSN Problems with SMTP

[lloyd_tennison]

Last Wednesday and finishing on Saturday Hotmail/MSN did some server "upgrades." Now when Sending my emails they are either delaying (irritating) denying for a couple of hours (pain) or just refusing them for 24 hours (IP hold). They state they are doing nothing - that it is all being done by their updated Symantec Brightmail installation and maybe I should not allow anyone to forward emails to a Hotmail or Msn account. (Symantec give no information on blocking except in court - all "proprietary" info.) Well, I have no new installations, no new email lists, no new domains that forward to Hotmail/MSN added in well over a month.

Hotmail's answer is to first try SPF and the Microsoft Sender ID program (which uses SPF) or (the preferred method) to join the BondedSender.com program for whitlelisting. Well, $750 application fee, with $2000 yearly plus $20 for any SPAMCOP complaint is a little rich for my blood. (I have few SPAMCOP - but the other costs are crazy!) Has anyone else come across this or been able to figure out how to use SPF - and repackage emails? SPF states quite clearly that if it is activated and you forward to a site that uses SPF the emails will be refused.

Good old Microsoft does it again! Can anyone help un-do it?