U

Contributor

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25 Messages

Saturday, January 28th, 2023 12:00 AM

Closed

How many calls does it take to get port 25 unblocked and my email server back online?

I have been trying to get port 25 unblocked for incoming connections on my IP address for my residential service.

The various articles on Comcast/XFinity's website and responses from reps here say that this is very possible upon special request, as long as not for client use with comcasts email servers.

My first call to Customer Security Assurance last week ended with me being assured that the block was removed, and it would only take a few hours for it to fully take effect.  Needless to say, the block was not removed.  I am still unsure what if anything was done.

Call 2 to CSA the following day ended with me being assured that this was possible, but it required escalation, and that tier had already left for the day.

Call 3 to CSA involved me being told that it was not possible, the website is out of date, the reps here are wrong / lying, and to use port 587.  I pointed out that the article they keep sending me

https://www.xfinity.com/support/articles/email-port-25-no-longer-supported

is related to clients checking email on comcast servers, not incoming SMTP traffic as is my case, and 587 is not applicable here.  I asked to be escalated to tier 2, and I was denied because my request is impossible.  Frustrated, I asked to be escalated to cancel my contract since if the information on comcasts own website is out of date / incorrect, and the online reps have gone rogue and cant be trusted, this is surely grounds for termination.  At this point I was strangely transferred to tech support (who told me in the very beginning of all this that I needed to talk to CSA), who sent me the same article, and went out of his way to demonstrate he not only fails to grasp the concept of an IP port, but also possesses  impressive lack of knowledge on how email works.  In the end I was told that no way, no how, no matter how hard I try, will the port 25 block be removed because it is insecure and I will be hacked.  [Edited: Language] to be me, stay safe and have a good weekend.

Here is one example of this impossible request being fulfilled.

https://forums.xfinity.com/conversations/email/port-25-unblock-art-of-the-business-as-usual-runaround-and-is-there-anybody-out-there/636861fc92a15b227c29043f

So do I just keep calling until I hit the jackpot with a competent security rep?  Is there a way to shortcut this process so I can spend time repairing the damage done by all my clients emails bouncing, rather than being on the phone with CSA?

This email server being down is a major issue for me and honestly I wouldnt have switched had I known this would be an issue from the beginning.  This has resulted in me being locked out of accounts I use for work and lost emails from clients.  For all my issues with Wave Broadband, at least they didnt screw with my livelihood by blocking my email server. 

Also amusing is email from XFinity is supposed to go to that server as well, so I can not get any of the email related to my internet service either.

Any help is greatly appreciated.  I can not do another week with this server being offline.

Aside from this nightmare I have been quite happy with my service.

Thank you

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Accepted Solution

Official Employee

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1K Messages

2 years ago

Good morning,

Apologies for the misinformation you have received so far, we will review and ensure this is corrected. In the meantime, the port has been opened for you. Few caveats to this being unblocked for you - you are responsible for all traffic over port 25 to/from your network. Abuse of this port(by you directly or not) will result in the loss of the port and remove access to the port going forward. Further specifics for what would lead to the loss of port 25 are listed within the Acceptable Use Policy under "Prohibited Uses and Activities" here: https://www.xfinity.com/corporate/customers/policies/highspeedinternetaup 

Expert

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31.4K Messages

2 years ago

@vjuliano 

What was/were the reason[s] you requested port 25 to be unblocked?

And, FWIW, the customer in the link you provided gave very specific details as to why they needed port 25 unblocked.

(edited)

Contributor

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25 Messages

2 years ago

I have run a personal email server.  For that machine to be able to receive mail, it has to be able to listen on port 25.  This can not be 587 or any other port, for it to work it must be port 25.  Abandoning the server and moving to a different solution is not a viable option at this time, neither is going without it.

That I absolutely must have this server online, and inter-server email operates solely on port 25, so I need it unblocked, is about as specific as I believe it is possible to go.

But if there are any details that I am lacking, I will gladly provide them.

Thank you

Official Employee

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330 Messages

2 years ago

Hello @vjuliano We appreciate you taking the time to reach out to us today. I know how important it is to ensure this gets resolved and we'd be happy to look into this further. Please send me a DM with your name and full address by doing the following: 
 
Ensure you are first signed in, then you will see an icon at the top right of your page.
From there, click the 'New Message' icon. In the 'To' field, type 'Xfinity Support'.
Type your message in the text area that appears at the bottom of the window and hit enter to send. An official employee, such as myself or whoever is first available, will respond.

Contributor

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25 Messages

2 years ago

Thank you for your help.  I can confirm the port is open and the server is receiving as expected.  I gladly accept responsibility for the port traffic.  I cant express how much I appreciate this and how incredibly much this helps me.  Thank you again.

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