Why are my emails bouncing with T-Online when sent via Klaviyo and what can I do?

Summary

Emails bouncing from T-Online when sent via Klaviyo can be due to a combination of factors including shared IP reputation issues, strict T-Online policies, DNS configuration, email list hygiene, content quality, and sender authentication. Shared IPs on Klaviyo may be negatively impacted by other users, leading to deliverability problems. T-Online has stringent policies and can block emails based on spam complaints and content filters. Proper DNS records (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) are crucial for authentication. Maintaining a good sender reputation, cleaning email lists, avoiding spam trigger words, monitoring bounce rates, and obtaining explicit consent from subscribers are also important. Analyzing bounce messages and email headers can help diagnose specific issues. It is also crucial to have correct contact information on your webpage and avoid excluding T-Online subscribers during IP warm-up.

Key findings

  • Shared IP Impact: Shared IP addresses on Klaviyo can affect deliverability due to the actions of other users.
  • Strict Policies: T-Online has rigorous email policies and filtering mechanisms.
  • DNS Authentication: Proper DNS configuration (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) is essential for email authentication.
  • Sender Reputation: Maintaining a good sender reputation is vital for successful email delivery.
  • Data Quality: Email list hygiene and obtaining explicit consent from subscribers are important.
  • Content Quality: Email content and design quality impact deliverability.
  • Bounce Analysis: Analyzing bounce messages and email headers provides insights into delivery issues.

Key considerations

  • Contact Klaviyo: Reach out to Klaviyo support to investigate shared IP reputation issues and explore alternative solutions.
  • Review T-Online Policies: Familiarize yourself with T-Online's email policies and guidelines.
  • Implement DNS Records: Set up and verify SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records for your sending domain.
  • Monitor Sender Score: Track your sender score and take proactive steps to maintain a positive reputation.
  • Clean Email Lists: Regularly clean your email lists to remove invalid and inactive addresses.
  • Optimize Email Content: Avoid spam trigger words and ensure your emails are properly designed and coded.
  • Monitor Bounce Rates: Keep a close eye on your email bounce rates and investigate any spikes.
  • Obtain Consent: Ensure that you have explicit consent from all subscribers to receive your emails.
  • Analyze Bounce Messages: Carefully review bounce messages and email headers to identify the cause of delivery failures.
  • Check Contact Information: Make sure that the contact information on your website is correct.
  • IP Warm Up: If using a dedicated IP, gradually increase sending volume to establish a positive sending reputation.

What email marketers say
10Marketer opinions

Emails bouncing from T-Online via Klaviyo can stem from various issues. T-Online has strict policies, and problems may arise from spam complaints, content filters, or a poor sender reputation due to Klaviyo's shared IPs. Transitioning to a dedicated IP requires a careful warmup strategy. Maintaining a good sender reputation is critical, involving monitoring sender scores, low complaint rates, and targeted content. Clean email lists regularly, ensure proper email design and content, monitor bounce rates, obtain explicit consent, and check contact info on your webpage. Blocklist status can also affect deliverability.

Key opinions

  • Strict Policies: T-Online has stringent email policies that can lead to blocks.
  • Shared IP Issues: Klaviyo's shared IPs can suffer from reputation issues affecting deliverability.
  • Importance of Sender Reputation: Maintaining a good sender reputation is vital for email deliverability to T-Online.
  • Email List Hygiene: Regular cleaning of email lists helps prevent bounces and improve deliverability.
  • Content and Design: Email design, code, and content influence deliverability.
  • Contact Information: Correct contact information on your web page is important to T-Online.
  • Permission: Only email those who have explicitly consented to receive email from you.

Key considerations

  • Check T-Online Policies: Review T-Online's specific email policies and guidelines.
  • Dedicated IP: Consider switching to a dedicated IP address and implement a gradual warmup.
  • Sender Score Monitoring: Monitor sender scores and take steps to reduce spam complaints.
  • List Segmentation: Segment email lists to ensure targeted and relevant content.
  • List Verification: Use a list verification service to remove invalid addresses.
  • Spam Triggers: Avoid spam trigger words and ensure clean HTML code.
  • Bounce Monitoring: Keep your bounce rate below 2% or 3%.
  • Blocklist Checks: Regularly check if your IP or domain is on any blocklists.
Marketer view

Email marketer from MailChimp Community Forums explains that T-Online often has strict policies and can block emails due to various reasons including spam complaints or content filters. Suggests checking MailChimp's deliverability tips and contacting T-Online support.

April 2022 - MailChimp Community Forums
Marketer view

Email marketer from Email Geeks shares that being on a blocklist can cause deliverability problems. Suggests checking if the sending IP address or domain is on any major blocklists and taking steps to get delisted if necessary.

January 2023 - Email Geeks
Marketer view

Email marketer from Reddit shares that when using Klaviyo, bounces could be a result of the shared IP's reputation being negatively affected by other senders. Suggests considering a dedicated IP address for better control over sender reputation, but highlights the need for a proper warmup strategy.

August 2023 - Reddit
Marketer view

Email marketer from SuperOffice shares information about how important it is to only email those who have explicitly consented to receive email from you.

February 2024 - SuperOffice
Marketer view

Email marketer from StackExchange explains that a gradual IP warmup is necessary when switching to a dedicated IP address. Suggests slowly increasing sending volume over time to build a positive sender reputation with ISPs like T-Online.

August 2021 - StackExchange
Marketer view

Email marketer from SendGrid explains the importance of regularly cleaning email lists to remove inactive or invalid email addresses. Suggests using a list verification service to identify and remove problematic addresses.

April 2024 - SendGrid
Marketer view

Email marketer from Email Vendor Guide shares that maintaining a good sender reputation is key to email deliverability. Suggests monitoring sender score, keeping complaint rates low, and segmenting lists to send targeted and relevant content.

July 2023 - Email Vendor Guide
Marketer view

Email marketer from Gmass shares information about how important it is to monitor your bounces, and try to keep your bounce rate below 2% or 3%.

January 2025 - Gmass
Marketer view

Email marketer from Email Geeks explains that T-Online is fussy about the contact information on your webpage.

September 2022 - Email Geeks
Marketer view

Email marketer from Litmus explains the importance of email design and content in deliverability. Suggests avoiding spam trigger words, using a clean HTML code, and ensuring emails are mobile-friendly.

June 2024 - Litmus

What the experts say
5Expert opinions

T-Online bounce issues when using Klaviyo may stem from shared IP reputation problems caused by other users. Contacting Klaviyo and potentially switching IP pools is advised. It's generally not recommended to exclude T-Online subscribers during IP warmup. Wait for bounces on a dedicated IP before contacting T-Online, as they have strict DNS requirements. Analyzing bounce messages is crucial. A good sender reputation is paramount for deliverability.

Key opinions

  • Shared IP Problems: Shared Klaviyo IPs may have a poor reputation due to other users' actions.
  • DNS Sensitivity: T-Online is particular about DNS configuration.
  • Bounce Analysis: Understanding bounce messages is key to diagnosing the root cause.
  • Reputation Matters: A good sender reputation is essential for deliverability with T-Online.

Key considerations

  • Contact Klaviyo: Reach out to Klaviyo support for assistance and potentially a different IP pool.
  • Avoid Exclusion: Don't exclude T-Online subscribers during IP warmup.
  • Monitor Dedicated IP: Wait for bounces on a dedicated IP before contacting T-Online.
  • Analyze Bounce Messages: Carefully analyze bounce messages to determine the specific reason for the rejection.
  • Improve Reputation: Take steps to improve and maintain a good sender reputation.
Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks advises against excluding T-Online subscribers during IP warmup.

November 2022 - Email Geeks
Expert view

Expert from Spam Resource explains that understanding bounce messages is crucial for diagnosing deliverability issues, including those with T-Online. Suggests carefully analyzing the bounce codes and messages provided by T-Online to identify the specific reasons for the rejections.

December 2024 - Spam Resource
Expert view

Expert from Word to the Wise shares information about the importance of sender reputation, and ensuring that you have a good email reputation.

March 2024 - Word to the Wise
Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks explains that given the shared Klaviyo IP, the T-Online bounces might not be a direct issue with Vytas, but rather someone else on the platform causing the IP block. Klaviyo needs to address this with T-Mobile. Laura suggests reaching out to Klaviyo tech support and requesting a move to a different IP pool.

June 2022 - Email Geeks
Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks suggests waiting until a T-Online bounce occurs on the dedicated IP before reaching out to them. They note T-Online can be particular about DNS configuration.

January 2022 - Email Geeks

What the documentation says
6Technical articles

Email bounces from T-Online when sending via Klaviyo can be attributed to various factors. Klaviyo highlights invalid addresses, full inboxes, and server issues as potential causes, distinguishing between temporary (soft) and permanent (hard) bounces and recommending list cleaning. SparkPost emphasizes the importance of proper DNS records (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) for authentication. DMARC.org advocates for implementing a DMARC policy to combat spoofing. RFC documentation provides a deeper understanding of SMTP. Google's Postmaster Tools offer domain-level insights (though not T-Online specific). MXToolbox suggests analyzing email headers to pinpoint bounce reasons like blocklisting or authentication failures.

Key findings

  • Bounce Types: Bounces are either soft (temporary) or hard (permanent).
  • DNS Importance: Properly configured SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records are crucial for deliverability.
  • DMARC Protection: A DMARC policy protects against email spoofing and phishing.
  • Email Header Analysis: Email headers contain valuable information for diagnosing bounce reasons.

Key considerations

  • Monitor Bounce Rates: Regularly monitor email bounce rates to identify deliverability issues.
  • Clean Email Lists: Remove invalid and inactive email addresses from your lists.
  • Verify DNS Records: Ensure that your SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records are correctly configured.
  • Implement DMARC: Set up a DMARC policy to protect your domain from spoofing.
  • Analyze Email Headers: Use email header analysis tools to understand the specific reasons for bounces.
Technical article

Documentation from Klaviyo explains that bounces can occur due to invalid email addresses, full inboxes, or server issues. Soft bounces are temporary problems, while hard bounces indicate permanent delivery failures. Suggests monitoring bounce rates and cleaning email lists regularly.

December 2022 - Klaviyo
Technical article

Documentation from Mxtoolbox suggests analyzing the email headers to determine the exact reason for bounces, including potential blocklist hits or authentication failures. They have specific instructions on how to decode the headers.

July 2022 - Mxtoolbox
Technical article

Documentation from SparkPost explains that proper DNS records (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) are essential for email authentication and improving deliverability. Suggests verifying that these records are correctly configured for the sending domain and that they align with Klaviyo's requirements.

April 2024 - SparkPost
Technical article

Documentation from RFC explains SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol). Suggests checking the RFC documentation to get a better understanding of how email is sent.

June 2022 - RFC
Technical article

Documentation from DMARC.org explains that implementing a DMARC policy can help protect against email spoofing and phishing attacks. Suggests setting up a DMARC policy with a 'p=reject' or 'p=quarantine' policy to instruct receiving mail servers on how to handle emails that fail authentication checks.

October 2023 - DMARC.org
Technical article

Documentation from Google explains that they have Postmaster Tools which allow you to analyze data on a domain level, and gives insight into things like reputation, spam, feedback loops, etc. They don't specifically mention T-Online.

October 2022 - Google