Hotmail has blocked all email from Bartertown to Hotmail address. As Hotmail is owned by Microsoft, this also likely applies to any email addresses ending in @live, @outlook, etc.
It's unclear how long this will take to resolve, but while it's happening, you won't get any emails for PM notifications, password resets, etc.
Sorry for the inconvenience. We don't like this either. We're working on it (see the long version explanation below), and we will update here when we get this resolved. For now, there is a (relatively) simple workaround:
Workaround:
If you can, I suggest switching your account here to a different email. GMail is doing fine, as are most other providers like Comcast, AT&T, etc.
NOTE: Updating the email on your account will cause your account to be automatically deactivated. This is intentional. It is a safety measure to shut down someone who might hack your account and switch the email so you can't get the password reset emails. Once you've changed your account's email, send an email to the admin email (from your account's new email address) and we'll get you reactivated ASAP - usually the same day.
Steps:
- Log in to your account
- Click on your username in the upper-right, and select "User Control Panel"
- Select the Profile Tab
- Select "Edit Account Settings" on the menu on the left
- Change your account email to your new one (e.g.: james.bond @ gmail.com)
- Your account will now be deactivated automatically
- Send an email from the new email to admin@bartertown.com asking for your account to be reactivated
- We'll get you reactivated in less than 24 hours
Spoiler
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Normally this happens every few years as the email providers dislike how many emails we send out (remember, we send a notification email to most users every time they get a PM, or a reply to a post, so ... it's a lot of emails). Usually, this is easily solved by contacting support teams or filling out a simple form to request our site to be unblocked.
However, Hotmail (and all Microsoft systems) have a much, much more involved process, and this is the first time they've taken action. .. And their process just broke.
As I was setting up a special Microsoft account in order to gain access to their site reputation data (which, among other things, would tell me why they're blocking us), their account confirmation system failed to recognize its own confirmation link (much like those links you click to verify your email address when you create a new account on a website), and I'm not sure how long this will take to get resolved.
We do keep an eye on the site's reputation, through tools like mxtoolbox.com, etc. We do our best to keep our nose clean, so to speak. However, MSFT has their own internal systems they use, and we just hit a roadblock trying to get access to that data which is going to make it very difficult to resolve any issues quickly.
However, Hotmail (and all Microsoft systems) have a much, much more involved process, and this is the first time they've taken action. .. And their process just broke.
As I was setting up a special Microsoft account in order to gain access to their site reputation data (which, among other things, would tell me why they're blocking us), their account confirmation system failed to recognize its own confirmation link (much like those links you click to verify your email address when you create a new account on a website), and I'm not sure how long this will take to get resolved.
We do keep an eye on the site's reputation, through tools like mxtoolbox.com, etc. We do our best to keep our nose clean, so to speak. However, MSFT has their own internal systems they use, and we just hit a roadblock trying to get access to that data which is going to make it very difficult to resolve any issues quickly.
Cheers,
Plarz
Bartertown Technomage
