Consistent delays to email delivery for some emails

Question

In another thread it has been noted that emails delivered from Western Digital and Lebara suffer from a delay in processing by VM. This thread is to capture these and any other cases of delays which last longer than 5 minutes.

In some cases companies will implement a short expiry time for one time codes/pins/passwords. WD implement a 5 minute timeout.

Consistently the emails from WD are delayed by 5 minutes. Other emails to the same account do not suffer from this problem.

Email headers seem to be OK apart from UCEPROTECT3. VM have stated this should not matter.

Anyone else seeing similar issues? From which sender (IP address if known)?

@Virginmedia - please check and advise what causes an almost exactly 5 minute delay

Deepak_S · Answer

Hi again bmo!&nbsp;
&nbsp;
We’re really sorry for the issues you’re seeing with delayed emails, we appreciate how frustrating it is, especially when one‑time codes expire so quickly.
From what you’ve described, the behaviour you’re seeing is very similar to greylisting. This is where a receiving mail server temporarily rejects the first delivery attempt with a soft fail, which then prompts the sender to retry a few minutes later. It’s a standard anti‑spam measure, and the delay is often around the 5‑minute mark.
If the sending service — like Western Digital or Lebara — isn’t already fully ‘trusted’ or consistently using the same IPs, their messages can be delayed on that first pass, while other emails from more familiar or whitelisted senders arrive instantly.
&nbsp;
We hope this information helps!😃

Steven_L · Answer

Thanks for coming back to us, Boyd. We'll get this looked into and find the best way to help you out with this.
Kind Regards,
Steven_L

bmo · Answer

Hi Deepak,I’d say it’s informative but isn’t helping :)I - and likely other customers - need to understand how we can then get these senders whitelisted.thanksboyd

bmo · Answer

Hi Steven, or someone from the team,any updates?I have a phone with no backups because emails are delayed.boyd

Muhammod_I · Answer

Thanks for reaching out again boyd.
Can we ask you to try these steps and see how you get on. If this doesn't prevent the delay, please let us know.

Add to Contacts: Open an email from the sender, hover over their name or address, and select the option to add them to your contacts list. This often automatically flags them as a trusted sender.
 Mark as Not Spam: If the email landed in your Junk or Spam folder, move it to your Inbox and select the "Not Spam" or "Mark as Not Junk" option. This teaches the system to trust the sender in the future.&nbsp;
 Create a Filter:
 Navigate to your email settings (usually a gear icon).
 Find the Filters or Junk email section.
 Add the sender's email address or entire domain (e.g., *@example.com or example.com) to the Safe Senders list or create a rule to ensure mail from that address is never sent to spam.&nbsp;

Forum Discussion

Consistent delays to email delivery for some emails

6 Replies

Related Content

HUB Delivery delays

Delivery Delays, Headaches + Feeling in the Dark

Delayed Install Credit

Delayed Install

Internet speeds- never consistent, help