Articles on The Very Good Email Company

PHP Vulnerability

Wed, 21 Oct 2026 15:52:42 +0000

We have just been alerted to a serious vulnerability issue on PHP. The full details are not yet known, but will be revealed today at 14:00 UTC, along with an update to fix them. A number of our websites, including Webmail, run using PHP at the back end, so we will be working as quickly as possible to upgrade them, which might involve a short outage or two as we move through the various servers.

IMAP vs POP3

Sun, 27 Sep 2026 13:47:34 +0000

Service Alert: nildram.net MX records

Tue, 30 Jun 2026 08:24:18 +0000

Some legacy Nildram customers with their own domains have, until now, retained the historical nildram.net MX settings for their domains. As of today, it would appear that TalkTalk have allowed this domain to expire, meaning that emails will no longer be routed correctly, and will bounce instead. If this is affecting you, please change your MX records as soon as possible. You can check your domain status via https://mail.verygoodemail.com and if you need to make changes, have a chat with our handy AI agent, Edwin (bottom right of any page on our website), who will guide you through what you need to do.

Domain Renewal Scams

Thu, 04 Jun 2026 14:15:24 +0000

And How To Spot Them…

If you own a domain name for your business, there’s a good chance you’ve received – or will receive – an email that looks like an urgent invoice for your domain renewal.

It knows your company name, your address, your domain.

It looks official.

It asks for money.

It’s a scam.

The DNRS UK Scam: A Recent Example

A well-documented example doing the rounds right now is DNRS UK (operating from dnrsuk.com). They’ve been sending emails to UK businesses requesting £89 for a so-called “domain renewal notification service.” The email is polished, uses real details scraped from public records like WHOIS and Companies House, and even includes a fake invoice with a 5-day deadline.

Service Alert: Zimbra License Issues

Tue, 02 Jun 2026 11:16:00 +0000

We are currently experiencing some licensing issues with our Zimbra servers.

This will affect the Outlook Connector.

The issue has been caused by Zimbra turning off our license, and has been raised with them.

It appears to be a new automated system within Zimbra that, in this case, has gone a bit wrong!

Anyway, apologies if you’re affected - rest assured we’re on the case!

Update 9am - 03/06/26

Latest update is that there is no update.

Too Good to Be Fake

Fri, 29 May 2026 12:52:24 +0000

How AI Is Making Spam and Scams Harder to Spot

For a long time, spam emails and online scams were easy to dismiss. Misspelled words, strange grammar, implausible claims from foreign princes – they had a kind of tell-tale shoddiness that made them simple to ignore.

That era is largely over.

Today, AI is enabling fraudsters to craft messages and schemes that are polished, personalised, and eerily convincing. Understanding what changed – and what to look for – has never been more important.

Email in 2026

Tue, 26 May 2026 14:24:20 +0000

What’s Changed, What’s Broken,

and What You Can Actually Do About It.

Email is older than most of the people using it, and somehow it’s never been more important.

It’s still where your invoices land, where your bank confirms a payment, where a new customer first reaches out, and where the password reset for almost every other service in your life is sent.

Lose access to your email and you lose access to a startling amount of your digital identity.

Partner News: May 2026

Thu, 21 May 2026 08:32:24 +0000

A quick update on what’s been happening here at The Very Good Email Company:

New Website

We’ve been busy in recent weeks working on our new website – it’s an evolution of our old one rather than re-inventing the wheel, but less ‘corporate and, we hope, a little more friendly!

The navigation has been simplified, so it should be quicker to find what you’re looking for.

Customer News: May 2026

Thu, 14 May 2026 14:07:48 +0000

A quick update on what’s been happening here at The Very Good Email Company:

Introduce a Friend – and you both save money!

We’re delighted to be able to launch a new sign-up route for our MailCore Pro service – that includes a way you can save money when you introduce a friend, or colleague, to our service.

Refer someone to us and they will get a 10% discount on their first year and you will get a matching amount of credit on your account!

ICANN Address Verification

Wed, 13 May 2026 16:09:52 +0000

If you are moving or registering a domain with us, you may receive an email that looks a bit like below. Please don’t ignore – it is genuine and you should click on the link to confirm your email address validity.

Dear domain name owner,

*Your action is required to prevent domain suspension*

This verification e-mail is triggered because your e-mail address is used in the owner contact of a domain registration and this e-mail address was not verified before or we have received information that this e-mail address might not be in use anymore.

According to ICANN and domain registry policies, each domain registration must include a valid and working e-mail address.

To verify this requirement, we kindly request you to confirm the accuracy of your e-mail address by clicking the link below:

https://icann-verification.registrar.eu/?email=****************

If you do not confirm the validity of your e-mail address by 2025-10-22 16:10:26, domain name(s) associated with this e-mail address may be suspended and can only be re-activated once the verification is completed.

Thank you very much for your cooperation.

Kind regards,

APM Internet Ltd

Transferring Domains

Wed, 13 May 2026 16:07:32 +0000

In order to transfer your domain to us, you would need to follow the following process:

.uk Domains (including .co.uk, .org.uk etc)

Before proceeding, notify us so we can initiate the transfer. Once we have done this, you need to login to your control panel with the other provider, if available, unlock the domain and set the IPS Tag to REGISTRAR-EU. If you are unable to do this for any reason, then you’ll need to contact their support team and ask them to do it for you.

Why choose MailCore Pro?

Mon, 11 May 2026 16:12:32 +0000

Well, we’re great value and provide more storage as standard, along with Industrial Grade Anti-Virus and Anti-Spam filtering as standard, but what really sets us apart?

Email communication is vital to any business, and a potential source of stress for home users as well. Generally email just works – but what happens when it doesn’t – and you need some help?

Do you end up queuing for ages, in some unfathomable call system?
Do you get to talk to a human that can provide real world help, rather an an anonymous call center?
Do you get an answer that solved your problem?
Do you know where your data is being stored? With us it’s the UK.
Is your current email provider just too big to care?

F2S, Nildram, Gotadsl & Mr Site

Thu, 30 Apr 2026 09:58:57 +0000

Freedom2Surf (F2S), Nildram, Gotadsl and Mr Site were all brands that used our email services as a wholesale product, and have ceased doing so as their parent companies have shut down the related brands.

Therefore, if you’ve landed on this page after a search, here’s what you need to know…

Important Note: If you didn’t transfer your service to us when the previous brand was shut down, then your email address has gone and can’t be resurrected, even temporarily, for security reasons.

Finding Golf Competitions Near You – How I Built Open Golf Events

Thu, 30 Apr 2026 07:45:28 +0000

Running The Very Good Email Company keeps me busy, but I’ve always got at least one other project on the go. Right now, the one I’m most excited about is Open Golf Events — a free, searchable directory of golf competitions open to the public across the UK.

I’ve been playing golf for over 40 years, and I love playing at different courses. Many years ago, I discovered a golf tour that I could play on which, while expensive, gave me lots of opportunities to travel and experience other golf courses. A recent injury sidelined my golfing aspirations for a while, and made me consider how I can help other golfers to find open competitions to play in, maybe with a slightly smaller budget!

Configuring IMAP

Mon, 27 Apr 2026 16:47:17 +0000

Youʼve made a good choice. MessageBunker *loves* IMAP. By using IMAP, you will enable MessageBunker to download all your historic email and archive it in exactly the same folder structure that you currently have on your mail client. This then enables the Time Travel feature within MessageBunker, and the ability to restore your mailbox exactly as it was at any point in time.

To configure the MessageBunker account, log in to MessageBunker using your Administrator login.

MessageBunker with Office 365

Mon, 27 Apr 2026 16:47:04 +0000

MessageBunker is happiest when working with IMAP – this enables you to use the full features of the service including Time Travel.

Fortunately, Office 365 works with IMAP using an authentication mechanism know as Oauth2. Don’t worry – it’s simpler in practice than it sounds.

To add an Office 365 mailbox to your MessageBunker account, simply click on ‘Add Email Archive’, and select ‘Microsoft Office 365’ as the type, as seen below.

Office 365 Journaling Setup

Mon, 27 Apr 2026 16:46:43 +0000

Prerequisites:

MessageBunker Journaling Account configured.
An Office 365 (Enterprise) account.

Setup:
Login to your online Office 365 (Enterprise) account.

Select “Manage” under “Microsoft Office 365” – “Exchange” (screenshot below).

This will take take you to your Organisation Mail settings:

On the next page (Above) select “Mail Control” – “Journaling” – New.

Note: “Non-Delivery Reports (NDRs) for undeliverable journal reports will be sent to:” This
Office 365 function will send an email to a specified email/user if there is an issue with the
journaling. This setting is not specifically required with MessageBunker, but is recommended as it
may detect potential issues.

SMTP Forwarding Setup

Mon, 27 Apr 2026 16:46:31 +0000

From the main MessageBunker Control Panel menu select “Add Mailbox” > “Add Mailbox Manually”. The screen below should appear:

Protocol: Choose SMTP

Email Address: The MessageBunker mailbox name for this feeduser@domain format.

MessageBunker Password: Mailbox password

Click “Add Mailbox”, the box below will appear confirming that the Mailbox has beenconfigured successfully.

132itq3mpydi@feed.messagebunker.com is an example of the randomly generated email address. This has to be configured on your server in order to forward emails to this SMTP feed. Please note that each account will have their own individually generated email address.

Migrating Email with MessageBunker

Mon, 27 Apr 2026 16:46:19 +0000

If you are moving your email account(s) from one system to another, then MessageBunker provides the most seamless way of accomplishing this with no loss of email functionality at any time. Hereʼs how you do it:

Backup your existing email account(s) with MessageBunker.
Set up your email account(s) on your new system, and configure your mail clients to point to the new system in addition to the old, and send their outbound mail using the new system.
Arrange for your MX records to be changed (if necessary) to point to your new system.
Wait 24 hours after stage 3 to ensure that all incoming emails come into the new system.
Make a note of the date & time, and reconfigure MessageBunker to backup from your new system.
Using MessageBunker, Time Travel to the date & time you noted in step 5, and for each email account, restore to your new system.
Remove the configuration in your mail clients for the old system.
Remove the old email system.

This method can be particularly effective when migrating from an in-house Exchange server to a hosted Exchange or Zimbra platform as, due to the limited performance of your broadband connection, stage 1 could take several days, whereas the restore process will only take minutes from MessageBunker to your new system, thereby dramatically reducing any downtime.

Restoring to an external IMAP server

Mon, 27 Apr 2026 16:46:02 +0000

General prerequisites:

MessageBunker account.
Remote email server with IMAP support enabled.

Restoring.

Pause the current backup on the mailboxe(s) you want to restore…

Select the mailbox you want to restore.

If you are restoring to same server as you are currently backing up from skip then next step and proceed to Time Travel instead.

Changing Mailbox Settings

If you are restoring to an external server you will have to change the details under Your Mailbox and Your Mail Server. Adjust the fields accordingly.

Mobile Devices

Mon, 27 Apr 2026 16:45:49 +0000

MessageBunker for Mobile enables users of iPhones and Android phones to access their MessageBunker stores in a suitable iOS-style interface. Users can quickly search their emails, view messages and forward them back to their accounts, or anyone else’s.

Best of all, it supports Apple’s Web App guidelines, so can be added to the iOS Home Screen, where it will act just like a regular iPhone app. Login details are held locally, so the user doesn’t even have to remember their password.

Billing FAQs

Mon, 27 Apr 2026 16:42:55 +0000

I’ve had my subscription renewal reminder and my credit card details have changed. What do I need to do?

Assuming you set up a Continuous Authority, you can either wait and see if it works (if your card was simply replaced with a new one, it’s likely your bank have updated the details for you). If it fails, you’ll know because we’ll start to send you reminders about paying your invoice.

Mailcore Send FAQs

Mon, 27 Apr 2026 16:40:06 +0000

Q: How do I create my first mailing list?
A: Click on “Lists” in the navigation, then click “Add New List”. Give your list a name and click “Create List”. You can then add recipients manually, upload a CSV file, or use our WordPress plugin to automatically add subscribers from your website.

Q: What format should my CSV file be in?
A: Your CSV file should have columns for email, first_name, last_name, and company. The email column is required – other fields are optional. Your file can have headers or not, and we’ll automatically detect it. You can also have multiple email addresses in the first column separated by commas.

Mailcore Pro FAQs

Mon, 27 Apr 2026 14:14:56 +0000

My email isn’t working.

Please login to our webmail at https://mail.verygoodemail.com using your email address as login and usual password. If you have your own domain, click Admin at the top, and then the Domains and click ‘Check All’ to check if the configuration is correct. If you are able to do this, then your email is working fine, but you might need help with correct configuration of your email clients or settings. Please see our Support page for the recommended server settings.

Free Email Services and Hidden Blocking: Why you could miss emails…

Mon, 16 Mar 2026 12:52:58 +0000

The Real Crisis Nobody Expected

You’ve been using Outlook.com for years. It’s free, familiar, and convenient. Then something strange happens: emails from your customers, suppliers, partners, and service providers start disappearing. Orders have gone missing. Invoices don’t arrive. Delivery notifications vanish. Important messages from legitimate businesses simply fail to reach your inbox.

You’re not being hacked. Your account hasn’t been compromised. The emails are being sent. They’re just being silently blocked by your email provider, and you have no way to retrieve them or even know they were blocked.

Why Your Booking Confirmation Ended Up in Spam

Mon, 16 Mar 2026 12:52:29 +0000

(And How to Avoid It)

One of our customers recently had a frustrating experience. They booked tickets through a website, completed their purchase – and then heard nothing. No confirmation, no receipt. It turned out the email had been sent, but it landed straight in their spam folder.

Here’s why that happened, and why it matters.

A Quick Bit of Background: What is SPF?

When a company sends you an email, your inbox provider (Gmail, Outlook, etc.) wants to check: is this email actually from who it claims to be from? One of the main ways it does this is through something called SPF – Sender Policy Framework.

Why use MessageBunker?

Mon, 16 Mar 2026 12:52:04 +0000

Having a separate cloud-based email archive like MessageBunker can be invaluable, even if you already use email services with their own storage…

Independence from Your Primary Email System

Your regular email provider (Gmail, Microsoft, etc.) can experience outages, account lockouts, or service disruptions. A separate archive means you’re not putting all your eggs in one basket – if something goes wrong with your primary account, you still have complete access to your email history elsewhere.

Why It’s Time to Switch from POP3 to IMAP for Your Email

Mon, 16 Mar 2026 12:51:45 +0000

If you haven’t already…

If you’ve been using email for a while, there’s a good chance your account is still set up using something called POP3. It’s been the standard way of collecting email for decades, and it works perfectly well if you only ever check your messages from one computer. But the way we use email has changed rather a lot since the 1990s.

These days, you might check your email on your laptop at home, your phone whilst you’re out, and perhaps a tablet in the evening. With POP3, this becomes a bit of a nightmare. Messages you’ve read on your phone don’t show as read on your computer. Emails you’ve replied to on your laptop appear as unread on your tablet. And if you delete something on one device, it’s still sitting there on all the others.

How to Keep Your Inbox at Zero

Mon, 16 Mar 2026 12:51:25 +0000

Without spending all day on email…

Inbox Zero is a popular email management philosophy, created by Merlin Mann. The goal is to keep your inbox a temporary processing hub and not a permanent storage system or to-do list, freeing your mind from the stress of overflowing messages to work on more important tasks.

But Inbox Zero sounds like a myth, doesn’t it?

Like Bigfoot, or people who genuinely enjoy networking events.

Email Authentication Explained

Mon, 16 Mar 2026 12:50:43 +0000

Your Invisible Shields Against Spam and Scams

Every day, billions of fake emails flood the internet. Some pretend to be from your bank. Others claim to be from trusted companies like Amazon or PayPal. Many appear to come from people you actually know – colleagues, friends, or business partners.

How do email systems know which messages are genuine and which are fraudulent?

The answer lies in three invisible security systems working behind the scenes: SPF, DKIM, and DMARC.

A New Outlook on Email…

Mon, 16 Mar 2026 12:49:27 +0000

Why UK businesses are breaking up with Microsoft.

Or: Why American tech giants shouldn’t trump your data sovereignty

If you’re running a business in the UK, there’s a good chance you’re using Microsoft Outlook.

It’s what everyone uses, right?

Your IT person probably set it up years ago, you’ve grudgingly learned where everything is (even though they keep moving it), and you’re paying Microsoft a monthly subscription that quietly creeps up every year.

Issues with Microsoft Outlook ‘Classic’

Fri, 16 Jan 2026 21:03:52 +0000

We’ve been made aware of possible issues with Microsoft Outlook Classic following a Windows Security update.

If you are currently experiencing issues please take a look here.

Don’t forget, you can also access your email via webmail at: https://mail.verygoodemail.com

Customer News: Sep 2025

Sat, 20 Sep 2025 13:45:06 +0000

A quick update on what’s been happening here at The Very Good Email Company:

Website Hosting

Many of you also have websites that you may not have looked at for years, but know that they need updating. Or you don’t have one, and aren’t quite sure how to get started.

We’re here to help. We now provide web hosting services using WordPress for just £4.99 plus VAT per month (or £49.90 plus VAT per year), and can even rework your website into a modern WordPress setup for you.