AOL DMARC policy and using an e-mail address from a form as the "From" value.

We've noticed that some enquiries aren't arriving via our contact forms. We have our contact forms set to use the e-mail address submitted by the user as the From address so that we can simply click "Reply" in our e-mail software in order to respond.

As I understand it though, AOL for example have changed a policy (http://blog.mailchimp.com/aol-changes-dmarc-policy/) on this (DMARC?).
Will we have to change ALL forms that are set up like this?

Thank you.
NJ

Yes.

you should use a valid email address for your domain as the from address.

if you click the from button in UE to access the advanced from settings, you can use the dynamic email address for the reply to address.

For the reply address, should it be set to:
<?php echo(WA_getSavedFormValue("contactFORM","Email")) ?>

Where contactFORM is the name of our form and Email is the email address field?

Thank you.
NJ

Is that the dynamic value you use for the from address currently?

basically, whatever the code you have for the from address currently, it should be used for the reply to address. then change the from address to a static address that is a valid email for your domain.

I have just tried it as that (for the dynamic reply address) and now the form isn't even arriving.
I had already changed the From address to an address from our domain.
Why isn't it sending?

https://www.ledwarehouseuk.com/contact-led-warehouse.php

Hope you can help. There seems to be serious problems with Universal E-mail.
Thank you.
NJ

EDIT: Just tried it with this:
<?php echo (isset($_POST['Name'])?$_POST['Name']:""); ?> <<?php echo (isset($_POST['Email'])?$_POST['Email']:""); ?>>

...and it also doesn't work. Have exhausted all possibilities here.

the reply to address should not contain the name, it should only contain the email field:

<?php echo (isset($_POST['Email'])?$_POST['Email']:""); ?>

to troubleshoot the email sending, add the following code on the success page to write the session contents:

<pre><?php @session_start(); var_dump($_SESSION); ?></pre>

this will contain the status of passing the email to the SMTP server.

What does that status say?

If it says the status is success, then you will need to contact the host to determine why the SMTP server is not relaying the email.

Universal Email compiles the email message and passes it to the SMTP server. it is then up to the SMTP server to relay the email message, If the SMTP server is not relaying the email, you need to work with the host to determine why.

I'm not convinced, because of previous problems with this, that changing anything in the UE behaviour is affecting the corresponding waue_contact-led-warehouse-confirm_1.php file.

I've attached that, for your inspection.

Here's the dump output...

array(10) {
["PrevUrl"]=>
string(24) "/ledADMIN/vieworders.php"
["waue_contact-led-warehouse-confirm_1_Status"]=>
string(7) "Success"
["waue_contact-led-warehouse-confirm_1_Index"]=>
int(1)
["waue_contact-led-warehouse-confirm_1_From"]=>
string(24) "sales@ledwarehouseuk.com"
["waue_contact-led-warehouse-confirm_1_To"]=>
string(24) "sales@ledwarehouseuk.com"
["waue_contact-led-warehouse-confirm_1_Subject"]=>
string(43) "Customer Service Enquiry - LED Warehouse UK"
["waue_contact-led-warehouse-confirm_1_Body"]=>
string(5235) "
--WAMULTIBREAKWA
Content-Type: text/plain
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit

Customer service enquiry for LED Warehouse UK
We have successfully received your enquiry via the contact form on the
LED Warehouse UK website.

Date Submitted: 12-Jun-2014 | 7:16 PM
Name: Joe Bloggs 2
Telephone: 12345
Email: joebloggs@aol.com
Order Reference: 12345
Enquiry: Testing AOL 1.

© LED Warehouse Ltd | 11 Lewis Street | Stranraer | Scotland |
DG9 7AB
Customer Services: 0800 772 0886
Mon-Fri: 8am-7pm / Sat: 9am-5pm
--WAMULTIBREAKWA
Content-Type: text/html

looking at the var dump in fo, it says the from address is:
["waue_contact-led-warehouse-confirm_1_From"]=>
string(24) "sales@ledwarehouseuk.com"


and in the status it is says it is sending to the same address:
["waue_contact-led-warehouse-confirm_1_Log"]=>
string(53) "Sending To: sales@ledwarehouseuk.com... Success


most SMTP servers will refuse to really a message that uses the same address for the from address and the to address.


The From and To addresses should be unique.

I've changed, via the UE behaviour, the From address to admin@ledwarehouseuk.com but when I open waue_contact-led-warehouse-confirm_1.php I can see no mention of the To address, sales@ledwarehouseuk.com. I attach it again, with admin@ledwarehouseuk.com added.

Something is definitely not working between the behaviour window and updating the corresponding waue_ file.

If I remove the dynamic reply address altogether then the forms sends so I'm really not convinced that this is a server issue.

Hope you can help
NJ

  but when I open waue_contact-led-warehouse-confirm_1.php I can see no mention of the To address, sales@ledwarehouseuk.com.  

the too address is not set in the waue_contact-led-warehouse-confirm_1.php file. it is set on the page that the UE behavior is applied to.

  If I remove the dynamic reply address altogether then the forms sends so I'm really not convinced that this is a server issue.  

Well, actually, that does point to the server as the issue.

What that says to me is:
the SMTP server is not relaying emails where the replay and from addresses aren't the same for some reason.