An interesting chat session with HostGator Support

Oct 03, 2008

I recently shifted a few of my websites from DreamHost to HostGator and was having some email issues with the new host. Here’s a chat session I just had with one of their support persons.

Gary A.: Welcome to HostGator, My name is Gary. What can I assist you with today?
Amrit: hello Gary.

Amrit: it’s an email related question

Amrit: my contact form, that used to work at dreamhost, is not working now from hostgator and it has a peculiar problem

Amrit: http://amrithallan.com/contact.php

Amrit: it goes to every email accept for amrit AT amrithallan DOT com

Amrit: would you know why?

Amrit: i’m using google as my email server (changed the MX records), but i don’t think that makes a difference

Amrit: are you there?

Gary A.: Well, if it sends elsewhere, but not to the email that you have hosted at google.

Gary A.: Then It would be a gmail issue.

Amrit: yes, but it goes to other gmail accounts

Amrit: and when i forward the message from other emails, then it goes to amrit AT amrithallanDOTcom

Amrit: i mean, emails are coming from other email accounts, but not from the contact form, but the contact form is working with every other email

Amrit: i hope i’m not confusing you

Gary A.: I understand, but that’s not our server that’s having the problem them, it’s googles, considering that it sends fine elsewhere. That email acocunt might need to whitelist the one that’ it’s being sent from

Amrit: but this problem started only when i switched to your server

Amrit: from dreamhost it was working fine

Amrit: i transferred the files as it is

Amrit: dreamhost is another hosting provider

Amrit: since the only thing that has changed is the server, there must be some issue in this fact

Gary A.: If that were the case though, why would it only be that one email address that’s not hosted with us not receive the email?

Amrit: i know

Amrit: i’m puzzled too. could it be that an email cannot be sent from the same domain? something like that?

Amrit: i mean, i’m trying to send an email from http://amrithallan.com/contact.php to amrit AT amrithallan DOT com. could that be the issue?

Amrit: same domain?

Amrit: as i said, the problem was not there with the previous host

Gary A.: Well, as I said, it’s working at other emails, since mail isn’t hosted on our server and the scripti is sending, it’s not the server not sending the message

Gary A.: IT’s the mail server not accepting.

Amrit: can this thing be resolved somehow? is it your IP address that the google server doesn’t like?

Gary A.: Why would it send to other mail accounts at google then? It’s sending the mail, it’s that email address that it’s sending to that has the problem.

Amrit: yes, but the point is, the problem only began when i switched to your host, so THAT must be factoring somewhere

Amrit: found this: http://unix.derkeiler.com/Mailing-Lists/
FreeBSD/questions/2008-06/msg01728.html

Amrit: sorry, it got posted twice

Amrit: got it!

Amrit: the solution is in your control panel where you change the MX records

Amrit: i think you should check that out in case another customer has the same problem

Amrit: this box should be left unchecked: "Always accept mail locally even if the primary mx does not point to this server."

Amrit: I was checking it

Amrit: see…the problem was not with the google mail

Gary A.: Then why did you tell me it sends to other emails accounts configured to the same MX records?

Amrit: i didn’t. i said it was going to other gmail accounts…please check above what i said.

Gary A.: Is there anything else I can help you with?

Amrit: no, thanks

Chat session has been terminated by the site operator.

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3 Responses to “An interesting chat session with HostGator Support”

Cahura
October 7th, 2008 at 6:54 am
LOL, this calls to mind something someone once said to me in a similar incident, that was a “sophisticated assault” attempted at you!

You cannot go wrong being pragmatic in these situations, but also, highlighting the incident in something like your blog.

Foolproof steps you’ve taken here.
Danny Whatmough
October 22nd, 2008 at 4:55 pm
What are the MX record changes necessary for Hostgator? Google doesnt include them in their guide to setting it up and HG wont answer my emails!
Amrit
October 22nd, 2008 at 6:40 pm
Hello Danny.

After logging into your control panel (right now it can be accessed through your home page otherwise you can do it at http://dfwhatmough.co.uk/cpanel) go in the Mail section and click “MX entry”. On the proceeding screen you can change the MX records. If you’re hosting multiple domains select the domain from the drop-down for which you want to change the mx entry. I added MX records as follows:

ASPMX.L.GOOGLE.COM as priority 1
ALT2.ASPMX.L.GOOGLE.COM as priority 5
ASPMX2.GOOGLEMAIL.COM as priority 10

I guess this should work.