What causes unclassified soft bounces from Orange.fr in Klaviyo, and how can they be resolved?

Summary

Unclassified soft bounces from Orange.fr in Klaviyo are complex, involving factors ranging from connection-level issues and SMTP errors to Orange.fr's specific policies and Klaviyo's infrastructure. Key causes include connection limits, IP reputation problems leading to rate limiting, temporary server issues (overload, greylisting), and potentially a blocked Klaviyo IP. Experts emphasize obtaining the actual SMTP error codes instead of relying on generic classifications from Klaviyo. Because Klaviyo is a shared IP platform, these problems often require Klaviyo's direct intervention. Best practices include analyzing SMTP error codes, warming up IPs, segmenting email lists, and maintaining good list hygiene. Proper DKIM setup and A/B testing are also important. Direct contact with Orange.fr is generally not recommended; focus on escalating the issue to higher-tier Klaviyo support, emphasizing that the problem occurs at connection time and is likely an IP-based block.

Key findings

  • Connection-Level Issues: Many problems occur during the SMTP connection handshake (greeting failure), indicating network or server-level issues rather than content-related ones.
  • Reliance on SMTP Codes: Generic bounce classifications from ESPs are insufficient; the actual SMTP error code is essential for proper diagnosis.
  • Klaviyo Infrastructure: Problems frequently relate to Klaviyo's shared IP infrastructure and require their direct intervention.
  • Orange.fr Policies: Orange.fr has specific policies (connection limits, spam filters) that can trigger soft bounces.
  • Shared IP Concerns: The shared nature of Klaviyo's IP environment means deliverability can be impacted by other users, requiring a proactive IP warmup and reputation management

Key considerations

  • Obtain SMTP Error Codes: Always request the full SMTP error code from Klaviyo to understand the specific reason for the bounce.
  • Escalate to Klaviyo Support: Escalate issues to Klaviyo's higher-tier support, framing the problem as a connection-level or IP-based issue.
  • IP Warmup & Segmentation: Implement a strategy for IP warmup and segment your lists to improve sending reputation.
  • Check for DKIM Setup: Ensure DKIM is properly configured for your sending domain in Klaviyo.
  • Monitor Orange.fr Codes: Consult Orange.fr's postmaster resources and Postmastery for specific error code meanings.
  • Avoid Direct Contact with Orange: Unless specifically instructed, refrain from contacting Orange.fr directly, as the resolution primarily depends on Klaviyo.

What email marketers say
12Marketer opinions

Unclassified soft bounces from Orange.fr in Klaviyo can stem from various factors, often related to temporary issues or Orange.fr's specific policies. Common causes include: too many simultaneous SMTP connections, IP reputation issues leading to rate limiting or temporary suspension, server overload, greylisting, and strict spam filters. Resolutions involve: analyzing bounce messages for SMTP error codes, contacting Orange.fr support when IP suspension is suspected, warming up sending IPs, segmenting email lists for targeted campaigns, maintaining good list hygiene, and addressing potential problems with sending practices. Additionally, Klaviyo's shared IP infrastructure can amplify these issues, making proper DKIM setup crucial. Finally, due to potentially misleading ESP bounce classifications, it's important to look directly at the SMTP error code.

Key opinions

  • Connection/Reputation: Too many simultaneous connections or IP reputation issues can lead to rate limiting by Orange.fr.
  • Orange.fr Policies: Orange.fr has strict spam filters and connection limits, which can cause soft bounces.
  • Temporary Issues: Server overload and greylisting can result in temporary rejection errors.
  • DKIM Importance: Proper DKIM setup in Klaviyo is crucial due to its shared IP infrastructure.
  • Misleading Bounce Classifications: ESPs frequently oversimplify bounce classifications and can be misleading. Analyze SMTP error codes instead of relying on bounce messages alone

Key considerations

  • Analyze SMTP Codes: Thoroughly analyze SMTP error codes in bounce messages to identify specific causes.
  • Contact Orange.fr Support: Reach out to Orange.fr support if IP suspension is suspected (e.g., OFR_999 error).
  • Warm-up IPs: Warm up sending IPs gradually, especially on shared IP addresses like Klaviyo's.
  • Segment Lists: Segment email lists to send targeted campaigns and improve engagement.
  • List Hygiene: Maintain good list hygiene by removing inactive or problematic addresses.
  • Review Sending Practices: Assess sending practices to avoid triggering spam filters or connection limits.
Marketer view

Email marketer from EmailGeek shares that monitoring bounce rates and analyzing bounce reasons is crucial for maintaining healthy email deliverability. High bounce rates can signal potential problems with your sending practices or list quality.

April 2024 - EmailGeek
Marketer view

Email marketer from Email Geeks refers to Postmastery's page and explains that OFR_999 refers to the IP being suspended for a while, likely based on complaints. Recommends reaching out to Orange if this results in mail getting undelivered.

October 2021 - Email Geeks
Marketer view

Email marketer from Stack Overflow responds that temporary rejection errors from a mail server like Orange.fr can occur due to server overload or greylisting. Retrying the email after a delay might result in successful delivery.

February 2024 - Stack Overflow
Marketer view

Email marketer from Litmus shares segmenting email lists and sending targeted campaigns improves engagement and reduces bounces. Sending relevant content reduces the chance of inactive or uninterested recipients, and therefore bounces.

August 2022 - Litmus
Marketer view

Email marketer from Mailjet explains that soft bounces can occur when the recipient's mailbox is full, the server is temporarily unavailable, or the message is too large. These are often temporary issues that resolve themselves over time.

February 2025 - Mailjet
Marketer view

Email marketer from Email Geeks says if the word free is being blamed to DM him the ticket ID and/or the rep who ~helped~ assisted you. I will gladly throw a stink internally.

November 2022 - Email Geeks
Marketer view

Email marketer from Email on Acid shares A/B testing is important when testing sending emails, which allows email marketers to test new content and optimize for soft bounces when they occur with email providers.

September 2022 - Email on Acid
Marketer view

Email marketer from Reddit explains that Orange.fr is known to have strict spam filters and connection limits. Soft bounces might be related to these policies and suggests contacting Orange.fr support or adjusting sending practices.

August 2023 - Reddit
Marketer view

Email marketer from GMass shares warming up your sending IPs is important especially when using shared IP addresses as is the case on Klaviyo. Over time it warms up your sending reputation which can impact soft bounce occurrences.

May 2023 - GMass
Marketer view

Email marketer from Neil Patel shares that high bounce rates, including soft bounces, can negatively impact sender reputation and deliverability. Regularly cleaning your email list to remove inactive or problematic addresses is essential.

January 2022 - Neil Patel
Marketer view

Email marketer from Email Geeks explains that the bounce message is usually returned due to too many simultaneous SMTP connections or reputation issues with Orange. It's called transient/deferral error.

June 2021 - Email Geeks
Marketer view

Email marketer from Email Geeks shares the Orange postmaster site details error codes, and 99X error codes refer to rate limiting due to bad behavior. Suggests checking if emails are eventually delivered or delayed.

May 2021 - Email Geeks

What the experts say
10Expert opinions

Unclassified soft bounces from Orange.fr within Klaviyo are primarily attributed to issues at the connection level rather than content or recipient-related problems. Experts emphasize the need to obtain the actual SMTP error code from Klaviyo, as their initial bounce classifications can be oversimplified and misleading. Common causes revolve around Klaviyo's infrastructure, such as too many connections per IP, a misconfigured EHLO string, overloaded Orange.fr servers, or a blocked Klaviyo IP. As Klaviyo is a shared IP platform, resolving the issue typically falls on their higher-tier support. Correct DKIM setup is also a key component to avoiding deliverability issues. Furthermore, if a 'greeting failure' occurs, it signals a problem before content is transmitted.

Key opinions

  • Connection Issue: The problem arises during the connection phase (greeting failure) and is not related to content or recipient.
  • Need Real SMTP Code: Klaviyo's bounce classifications are often too simple, need to get the actual SMTP error code.
  • Klaviyo's Responsibility: The issue is with Klaviyo's infrastructure and requires their intervention, particularly on shared IPs.
  • DKIM Setup: Proper DKIM setup is essential for deliverability within Klaviyo.
  • IP Based Block: The underlying cause is often an IP-based block, which requires Klaviyo to resolve.

Key considerations

  • Request SMTP Code: Always request the actual SMTP error code from Klaviyo support.
  • Escalate to Klaviyo: Escalate the issue to higher-tier Klaviyo support if initial responses are inadequate.
  • Check EHLO String: Verify that the EHLO string is correctly configured.
  • DKIM Configuration: Ensure that DKIM is properly configured within Klaviyo.
  • Avoid Contacting Orange.fr: Do not directly contact Orange.fr; Klaviyo needs to address the issue.
  • Shared IP Concerns: Be aware that the shared IP environment in Klaviyo can amplify deliverability problems.
Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks shares the connection problems could be the orange.fr machine is overloaded, or the Klaviyo IP address did something very bad. The issue is not related to the recipient, content, or authentication. It’s before Klaviyo had a chance to tell them anything at all about the mail, not even who it was from.

September 2021 - Email Geeks
Expert view

Expert from Spam Resource explains the importance of setting up DKIM when using Klaviyo due to the shared nature of their platform. Incomplete or missing authentication could lead to deliverability issues with Orange.fr and other ISPs.

April 2023 - Spam Resource
Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks advises against reaching out to orange.fr directly. Recommends waiting for higher-tier support at Klaviyo to understand and resolve the issue.

May 2021 - Email Geeks
Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks shares that the actual rejection message will start with a three-digit number, and if the ESP is not showing that, it's not the real reason. Asks to get the real message. It’s a Klaviyo thing to resolve, especially if it’s part of a shared IP pool.

September 2024 - Email Geeks
Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks advises to tell Klaviyo: "It is not our template, as the failure happened at connection time." Seriously, all you need to do is say "this is an IP based block".

November 2022 - Email Geeks
Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks explains that a greeting failure means the MTA successfully connected to the Orange.fr MX, but something happened when trying to send the greeting to start the SMTP conversation. Suggests the issue could be too many connections per IP or something wrong with the EHLO string. This is a Klaviyo problem.

February 2024 - Email Geeks
Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks states this is a Klaviyo problem and they have to fix it. If Anne-Sophie is right, this is an IP-based block.

October 2024 - Email Geeks
Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks explains that the actual bounce message is needed to help diagnose the issue. Without it, the knowledge is limited to the 'unclassified' status. Ask for the exact bounce message from Klaviyo.

November 2022 - Email Geeks
Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks responds that Klaviyo suggesting the template or the word 'FREE' is the problem is a bad response, and it's likely what support is told to say.

January 2022 - Email Geeks
Expert view

Expert from Word to the Wise explains that bounce classifications provided by ESPs are often oversimplified and can be misleading. A deeper look at the actual SMTP error code is necessary to properly diagnose the issue with Orange.fr.

May 2023 - Word to the Wise

What the documentation says
4Technical articles

Documentation from various sources explains that soft bounces indicate temporary delivery issues. Klaviyo identifies reasons like full inboxes or server problems. Twilio SendGrid emphasizes the importance of SMTP error codes for diagnosing failures with Orange.fr. The RFC Editor confirms the SMTP protocol's handling of temporary failures resulting in soft bounces. Orange's documentation highlights specific error codes related to IP suspension or connection limits, stressing their importance for troubleshooting.

Key findings

  • Temporary Issues: Soft bounces generally indicate temporary delivery issues.
  • SMTP Codes: SMTP error codes provide crucial details about delivery failures.
  • Protocol Support: The SMTP protocol includes mechanisms for reporting temporary failures.
  • Orange Specifics: Orange provides specific error codes for issues like IP suspension and connection limits.

Key considerations

  • Monitor SMTP Codes: Carefully monitor and analyze SMTP error codes.
  • Troubleshoot Errors: Use specific error codes to troubleshoot and identify the root cause of the soft bounces.
  • Address Temporary Issues: Recognize that some issues are temporary and may resolve themselves.
  • Refer to Documentation: Consult documentation from Klaviyo, Twilio SendGrid, Orange, and the RFC Editor for detailed information on error codes and troubleshooting.
Technical article

Documentation from Twilio SendGrid explains that SMTP error codes in bounce messages can provide valuable clues about the reason for delivery failures. Reviewing these codes can help identify specific issues with Orange.fr's servers.

July 2023 - Twilio SendGrid
Technical article

Documentation from Orange explains that specific error codes indicate reasons such as temporary IP suspension due to complaint rates, or exceeding connection limits. Understanding these codes is important for troubleshooting.

January 2023 - Orange
Technical article

Documentation from RFC Editor explains that the SMTP protocol includes mechanisms for reporting temporary delivery failures, which can result in soft bounces. These failures often indicate transient issues that may be resolved later.

February 2023 - RFC Editor
Technical article

Documentation from Klaviyo Help Center explains that a soft bounce indicates a temporary delivery issue, such as a full inbox or server problems. These emails may be delivered later if the issue is resolved.

September 2024 - Klaviyo Help Center