How can you make a Noreply email?

[stevensfo]

I understand that in some cases they serve a purpose, but I find those 'noreply@....' type emails very irritating sometimes. Okay, most are fine because they are just to confirm what I already know and usually I have another email for communication, but occasionally I receive one that I'd like to reply to but not sure of the best way to contact the company.

I'm also aware that if I do reply they 'will' receive the email, but it just goes into a 'Noreply' folder and presumably gets deleted.

Is there a simple way to set up my own 'Noreply' email address?

Steve

[supremetwo]

I understand that in some cases they serve a purpose, but I find those 'noreply@....' type emails very irritating sometimes. Okay, most are fine because they are just to confirm what I already know and usually I have another email for communication, but occasionally I receive one that I'd like to reply to but not sure of the best way to contact the company.

I'm also aware that if I do reply they 'will' receive the email, but it just goes into a 'Noreply' folder and presumably gets deleted.

Is there a simple way to set up my own 'Noreply' email address?

Steve

Try sending an email to noreply@your email address and see if it bounces.

[swill453]

Try sending an email to noreply@your email address and see if it bounces.

Like noreply@gmail.com ?

Actually that'd probably be fine.

Scott.

[Infrasonic]

I'm also aware that if I do reply they 'will' receive the email, but it just goes into a 'Noreply' folder and presumably gets deleted.
Steve

Possibly, but not definitely.
They could just 'black hole' all noreply responses, although it is probably not a great idea for a large company to do so (without incurring the wrath of the masses...).

[Infrasonic]

One of the downsides of the bounceback idea is that if you email an address that has an automated out of office/holiday reply set up you could potentially get into a loop scenario...

Set up a no reply address as you would with a normal email address and route responses to a folder (maybe even just the spam) using filters, that you can then empty automatically after a set time, or manually as needed.

If you want to go the black hole route there are guides out there on how to do it.

[UncleEbenezer]

Noreply is fine when mail is solicited: for example, a password reset email, or maybe a service to which you've actively subscribed for announcements or somesuch.

It is utterly abusive in unsolicited mail. All the more when that mail seeks to threaten and bully, and demands a response in its own terms. If it traces back to someone likely to be within the ICO's reach, that presents an option.

Between those lies a grey area. Make your own judgement.

If you use a bogus address yourself to send unreplyable email, your startingpoint must be that every recipient has consented to receive your mail for the purpose of [ .... ], and that you offer a clear means to contact you: for example in an email footer. If you use mailinglist software, that can deal with all such issues for you, including headers that help a subscriber get the most out of its capabilities.

Never leave your users in doubt. If an address is supposed to be undeliverable, don't accept messages there in the first place. If someone tries to email it and gets a non-delivery report, they know where they stand.

[Slarti]

One of the downsides of the bounceback idea is that if you email an address that has an automated out of office/holiday reply set up you could potentially get into a loop scenario...

Set up a no reply address as you would with a normal email address and route responses to a folder (maybe even just the spam) using filters, that you can then empty automatically after a set time, or manually as needed.

If you want to go the black hole route there are guides out there on how to do it.

Most of the companies that I dealt with who had no reply email addresses had rules set up to automatically delete any incoming mail to that address.

Anything to a non existent address usually went into a to be checked folder that somebody junior had the job of checking every so often. Sometimes longer than others.

Slarti

[UncleEbenezer]

Most of the companies that I dealt with who had no reply email addresses had rules set up to automatically delete any incoming mail to that address.

That's a complete no-no. The server should either accept or reject the mail. But not accept then auto-bin it.

Anything to a non existent address usually went into a to be checked folder that somebody junior had the job of checking every so often. Sometimes longer than others.

Slarti

That's not a non-existent address! It's an address that routes to a server, which then accepts it. What you describe sounds more like an ad-hoc arrangement to catch typos.

[Infrasonic]

Email etiquette is one of those things that can really get to people.

The letting agent I have used for the past five years (one of the biggest in the North West) has an infuriating habit of bouncing back emails to ex employees, without letting you know in advance they have left, or auto forwarding the emails to the relevant person now handling the specific job.

The last time they did it I bulk emailed their entire contacts list (about 30 people...) asking who was now dealing with maintenance, and I got a response from a senior manager, who I then ranted at about their woefully inadequate email procedures...

The pending house sale is now being handled by a different local independent EA, who have generic sales/letting email addresses which get looked at and forwarded as needed internally. Only when dealing with the office manager/assistant do I use and get replies from person specific addresses.

And relax...

[swill453]

Most of the companies that I dealt with who had no reply email addresses had rules set up to automatically delete any incoming mail to that address.

That's a complete no-no. The server should either accept or reject the mail. But not accept then auto-bin it.

I don't think I agree with that. I don't run an email service, but that's exactly what I'd expect to happen with anything I send to a noreply address.

(specifically, I wouldn't expect to get a "bounce" reply, but neither would I expect anyone to ever read it).

Scott.

[UncleEbenezer]

Most of the companies that I dealt with who had no reply email addresses had rules set up to automatically delete any incoming mail to that address.

That's a complete no-no. The server should either accept or reject the mail. But not accept then auto-bin it.

I don't think I agree with that. I don't run an email service, but that's exactly what I'd expect to happen with anything I send to a noreply address.

(specifically, I wouldn't expect to get a "bounce" reply, but neither would I expect anyone to ever read it).

Scott.

You're setting a nasty trap for users there.

The key point is, if you feel the need to reply to an email (particularly if it's trying to contact some elusive organisation whose phone line leaves you nostalgic for Vivaldi), you may very well not notice that it claims to be a noreply. So you send your message, and await a response.

If your email is delivered, you have a reasonable expectation of it being dealt with appropriately. If it is undelivered then you know you have to try some other means of contact. Which of those positions is it acceptable to leave your customers in?

[didds]

It would be reasonable trivial to make no-reply a real inbox - one that has an automatic reply to any emails sent to it to respond with something like

"You have sent an email to a no-reply address. Your email will not be read" - or whatever etc.

That inbox could then be regularly nulled on the receiving email server.

didds

[Slarti]

Most of the companies that I dealt with who had no reply email addresses had rules set up to automatically delete any incoming mail to that address.

That's a complete no-no. The server should either accept or reject the mail. But not accept then auto-bin it.


From address = no.reply@tescobank.com
In the body of the message "Please do not reply to this e-mail as the mailbox doesn't accept incoming messages. If you have any questions or need any help, please visit our Online Banking Help "

That is just the first example I looked at, but I know that a number of FTSE100 companies and .gov.uk organisations black hole stuff like that from talking to their techies while onsite.

Anything to a non existent address usually went into a to be checked folder that somebody junior had the job of checking every so often. Sometimes longer than others.

Slarti

That's not a non-existent address! It's an address that routes to a server, which then accepts it. What you describe sounds more like an ad-hoc arrangement to catch typos.

A non existent address like jimsmith @ company, instead of jim.smith @ company.

These come into the domain and are then handled as I described.

Slarti

[Slarti]

If your email is delivered, you have a reasonable expectation of it being dealt with appropriately.

You are forgetting that there is no guarantee of any email being delivered, nor of the timespan within which it will be delivered.


Slarti

[Lanark]

I find that more than 50% of "noreply" addresses do actually go somewhere and get a reply.

In fact the more the company implores you to not reply and log any issues with their fancy web based contact system, the more likely they are to respond to a simple email reply.

So it's always worth trying.

[Infrasonic]

I find that more than 50% of "noreply" addresses do actually go somewhere and get a reply.

In fact the more the company implores you to not reply and log any issues with their fancy web based contact system, the more likely they are to respond to a simple email reply.

So it's always worth trying.

I see a future for the 'definitelynoreplywhatsoeverever' email address...

[swill453]

I find that more than 50% of "noreply" addresses do actually go somewhere and get a reply.

Which bit of the "noreply" address makes you feel you want to, er, reply to it?

Scott.

[superFoolish]

I do a lot of work with transactional emails as part of my job, and have done heaps of research on this topic.

Research indicates that one of the practices most hated by consumer-oriented email recipients is the noreply@ email. Consumers consider it to be downright rude and arrogant; if someone sends you an email that is relevant to you (and transactional email should be, by its very nature), then you should damned-well be able to reply to it.

From a customer-service point of view, there is no legitimate reason to send an email to a opted-in recipient, and then to refuse to receive a reply from them. I suppose a business could say that their 'legitimate' reason is that they don't want customers to email them at all! Or, that their business-model is to have no customer-service for dealing with customer's email enquiries.

For example, I know of a couple of instances where my father has booked flights on-line and has received a confirmation email with a noreply@ address. He has wanted to reply with a query about the booking, but then has to go to the web site to find the address to email the query to.

To me, this level of service is on-par with emailing a plain-text password in response to a 'forgotten password' request. You just shouldn't do it.

As far as setting one up for oneself, if you must, it depends on what your email setup is. If you have your own domain name, it's should be easy, especially if you have a 'catch-all' facility. If I wanted to do it, I would send the email with a reply-address of noreply@mydomain.com (in Gmail, this is configured under 'Send As'), and then set a filter in my Gmail to immediately delete all email sent to that email address.

If you only have a Gmail address (i.e. not your own domain name), you could send the email with a reply address of myusuallgmailaddress+noreply@gmail.com, and then delete all incoming email to that address. However, that would be open to abuse by anyone who took a few seconds to delete the +noreply part!

[Infrasonic]

Many companies will use third parties for marketing or other services (even if the emails appear to come from the parent company), so I think the use of noreply is legitimate, although somewhat abused.

For a small company or sole trader the catch all address facility is pretty much a necessity, imagine how you'd feel if you lost out on a large payday because a potential or current client did a minor typo, didn't get a response and went elsewhere or didn't renew a contract because of the lack of reply....

As I alluded to upthread the EA I used for lettings has lost out on a house sale due to poor email policies and general disorganisation around IT matters, I let them know why as well when they questioned me about using a competitor for the sale. If enough people do it eventually their bottom line is effected and hopefully they change (or go out of business...).

[stevensfo]

I find that more than 50% of "noreply" addresses do actually go somewhere and get a reply.

Which bit of the "noreply" address makes you feel you want to, er, reply to it?

Scott.

Well, a few times I've replied to Noreply emails with questions I have, and have received answers. So they must be read.

Personally I find them rude and irritating. During meetings, I don't think my boss would be too happy if I told him something, then clamped my hands over my ears, muttering "You can't reply to that!"

.... though maybe worth a try.

Steve