Some Children Left Behind

From A School Secretary:

I am trying to e-mail a parent that never answers the phone because they are on the internet. Here is the message I received in response:

Delivery has failed to these recipients or distribution lists:

not.the.real.name@aol.com

An error occurred while trying to deliver this message to the recipient's e-mail address.

Microsoft Exchange will not try to redeliver this message for you. Please try resending this message, or provide the following diagnostic text to your system administrator.

The following organization rejected your message: rly-df01.mx.aol.com.

Do you have any suggestions?

Analysis:

The problem is one of the following:

1. the e-mail address is invalid
2. there is a problem with AOL mail server
3. the parent has been too busy on-line to pay the AOL bill
4. AOL's mail server thinks you're a spammer (your domain has been treated as a spammer in the past)
5. AOL's mail server's filter is rejecting your e-mail because of something in your e-mail's content

Your mail server is sending your message, receiving the reply, and placing the reply in your Inbox - just as it is supposed to do.

#1 is most likely.

Remedial action:

1. Hand-write or compose & print the message
2. Call the child into the office
3. Pin or glue the message to whatever part of the child (or clothes) is most likely to get the parent's attention. I can guarantee that attaching the note to the kid's hair, using chewing gum, will work.

or

Teach the child how to unplug the computer, thus freeing up both the parent and the phone line.