Freeform Pro: Notifying Any Email Except Domain Email

Question

I've tried searching the the forums for an answer, but this one's got me buggered.

I set up Freeform Pro the same way I've always done. I originally tested it using my email address, and everything worked fine.

But when I changed the "admin_notify" email to the client's email, they don't get the message. I confirmed that it's not going in their spam folder.

I had them give me an alternate email. They gave me a personal Hotmail email, submitted the form, and they got the form submission.

So it seems like any email other than their domain email will go through. Sounds like a server/email issue, but any thoughts?

Here's my Freeform Pro code just in case I'm missing something.

        {exp:freeform:form
        form_id="3" 
        form:class="required" 
        notify_admin="yes" 
        user_email_field="email" 
        admin_notification_template="contact_notify" 
        admin_notify="[email protected]" 
        return="contact/thank-you" 
        }

Answer 1

A few things to look at here;

Do they route their email through a different server to the web traffic? i.e. Do they have an MX record set up for their domain. If so, does that same MX record exist for the server currently hosting the site?

I see this from time to time with some sites I host where the client has their email handled elsewhere (say by a mail filtering service or to an exchange server). Because I have configured the hosting account to serve the website for somedomain.com it assumes that it also handles the email. So when email is generated by the site (ie within it's own network) it tries to deliver it within its own network. The solution is to add the MX record to the server so it sends mail to the right place.

Some mail servers will blackhole email that appears to come from the same domain sending it but has originated elsewhere or mail which doesn't have a sender name and email information. So check that you are including a sending name and email and, if the sender's email is the same domain as the recipient check that an actual mailbox/account exists for the sender.

To put it more simply, if your form appears to come from [email protected] then ensure there is actually an account for [email protected]