# Please explain this non-UL e-mail... **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 28, 2001, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-this-non-ul-e-mail/52136 "2001-01-28T16:22:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![johnson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d07c76/32.png) [@johnson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnson)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2001, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-this-non-ul-e-mail/52136/1 "2001-01-28T16:22:34Z")
> [@](#): > > List: > Subject: ListBot Warning > > This is an automatically generated message created by the ListBot system. > > This is a warning message to let you know that your mail is bouncing. > If this email reaches you, then please disregard this message. > > Thanks! > > Sincerely, > > The MSN ListBot Team Nevermind the fact that I’d not be able to do anything with this message if it didn’t reach me. I’ve gotten five or six of these over the last three months. What’s the story behind these? ---
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2001, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-this-non-ul-e-mail/52136/2 "2001-01-28T16:25:31Z")
Apparently you have insufficient funds in your email account. ---
**Author:** ![PlanMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/2bfe46/32.png) [@PlanMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlanMan)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2001, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-this-non-ul-e-mail/52136/3 "2001-01-28T16:25:36Z")
Oh those crazies at MS… Sounds kinda like the way we check attendance at some meetings, “Anyone who isn’t here, please raise your hand.” Seriously, I have no idea what your ListBot message could mean. ---
**Author:** ![WillGolfForFood](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/82dd89/32.png) [@WillGolfForFood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WillGolfForFood)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2001, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-this-non-ul-e-mail/52136/4 "2001-01-28T17:08:45Z")
Eternally Bouncing email is a constant problem among mail systems. This is apparently an attempt (one which I’m not familiar with) to detect/prevent it. Imagine the case where “[mickey@mouse.com](mailto:mickey@mouse.com)” sends a message to “[elmer@fudd.com](mailto:elmer@fudd.com)” and receives a bounced email message “no such address” - except that by the time that bounced mail message arrives at [mouse.com](http://mouse.com), mickey has already cancelled his account, so [mouse.com](http://mouse.com) sends a bounced email message back to [fudd.com](http://fudd.com) - which sends a bounced email message back to [mouse.com](http://mouse.com), etc, etc. I’ve also run into eternal bounces caused by the automated “I’m on vacation intil the 13th” email responses being sent back to a sender - who’s also since gone on vacation and turned on **his** automated “I’m on vacation” responder. (The system I’m most familiar with just drops messages o the floor if they look like they’ve bounced back and forth more than fifty times. It’s basic problem is that it’s not always possible to detect the number of cycles an email has gone through.) ---
**Author:** ![WillGolfForFood](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/82dd89/32.png) [@WillGolfForFood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WillGolfForFood)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2001, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-this-non-ul-e-mail/52136/5 "2001-01-28T17:11:17Z")
\*\*It’s basic problem \*\* Oops - make that “Its basic problem”. ---
**Author:** ![johnson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d07c76/32.png) [@johnson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnson)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2001, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-this-non-ul-e-mail/52136/6 "2001-01-28T17:37:34Z")
I could see that that might be the case, but this is sent to my personal e-mail, which is in no way related to MSN, and I’ve not sent e-mails to any MSN or related addresses… ---
**Author:** ![delphica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9a140/32.png) [@delphica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/delphica)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2001, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-this-non-ul-e-mail/52136/7 "2001-01-28T18:07:42Z")
Might you have sent an email to [elmer@fudd.com](mailto:elmer@fudd.com), who has configured his personal account to foward messages to his office account at [elmer@msn.com](mailto:elmer@msn.com)? This could lead into the cycle described by \*\* Mr. ForFood\*\*. With all the email aliases and automatic forwards running around these days, I find I often receive responses to my own emails from addresses that I have never heard of, and sometimes have a tricky time figuring out who they are from.