my live.co.uk email address is not receiving emails from a certain online retailer

James Lamb 0 Reputation points
2026-06-17T17:26:00.7333333+00:00

I made a purchase form an online retailer, i received the goods a few days later but strangely never received any order confirmation or dispatch emails etc - i wanted to return some of the items and made a return request through the website return portal. Again, no response but logged back in to notice return was approved and to wait for instructions and label via email. No email. I contacted them through their online customer enquiry form and also sent them an email requesting they send the returns info as i was unable to do anything without this info. Again, no responses. 2 weeks went by and 11 more emails sent, 5 more customer enquiry messages, 5 instagram messages and still not one response.. then the return period expired and the online account cancelled my return and i am now left with the goods.

I raised a claim with American Express and sent them evidence of all my attempts to contact them to organise the return. The online merchant has responded with copies of all the responses they apparently made to each of my enquiries.

American express has sided with the retailer and informed me that i have to keep the goods as they have demonstrated they have replied but i have still not had oine response to the email, online messages or instagram messages. They have reinstated the cost onto my card and i am now £200 out of pocket with a box of clothes that i did nit want to keep.

How do i get my "Live.co.uk" email provider to investigate and look into why my email account does not received these messages from them?

Windows for home | Other | Email and communications
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  1. AI answer

    2026-06-17T17:26:22.6966667+00:00

    For a live.co.uk address (Outlook.com/Microsoft consumer email), the most effective approach is to systematically check for filtering, blocking, rules, and account issues, then escalate via Outlook.com support if needed.

    1. Check filters and other folders
    • Sign in to Outlook.com with the live.co.uk address.
    • In the Inbox, select Filter above the message list and change it to All so no messages are hidden by filtering.
    • Check Junk Email, Archive, and any custom folders in case messages from the retailer were moved automatically.
    1. Check rules and forwarding
    • Go to Outlook.com Rules settings and review all rules:
      • Remove or edit any rule that might move or delete messages from that retailer or from unknown senders.
    • Check any forwarding settings to ensure messages are not being forwarded to another address where they might be lost.
    1. Check blocked senders and safe senders
    • In Outlook.com, open Settings > Mail > Blocked senders or Block and allow.
    • Look for the retailer’s email address or their domain (for example, @retailer.com). If present, remove it from Blocked senders.
    • Optionally, add the retailer’s address/domain to Safe senders so future messages are less likely to be treated as junk.
    1. Check mailbox and cloud storage limits
    • If Microsoft cloud storage or mailbox is full, Outlook.com will not receive new mail and messages can bounce back to the sender and be unrecoverable.
    • Check mailbox and cloud storage usage via the Outlook.com storage options and free up space if needed.
    1. Check recent sign-in activity and account health
    • Visit the Recent activity page for the Microsoft account to confirm there is no unusual sign-in or compromise that might have led to rules or forwarding being added without knowledge.
    • If there are signs of compromise, secure the account (change password, review security info) and then re-check rules, forwarding, and blocked senders.
    1. Ask the retailer what they see on their side
    • Request that the retailer’s IT or support team confirm:
      • Whether their system shows the messages as successfully delivered, bounced, or marked as spam.
      • Any bounce or error codes they see when sending to the live.co.uk address.
    • If they are seeing bounces or blocks specifically from Outlook.com/Microsoft, they (not the account holder) should use Microsoft’s sender support channel for Outlook.com deliverability issues to investigate and remediate.
    1. Use Outlook.com support for the mailbox
    • If all of the above checks are clear and messages still do not arrive, use Outlook.com’s built-in support:
      • Sign in to Outlook.com.
      • Select Help on the menu bar, describe that messages from a specific retailer never arrive, and follow the self-help steps.
      • If the issue persists, scroll to Still need help? and choose Yes to contact support.
    • If sign-in is not possible, use the dedicated Outlook.com help link for signed-out users.
    1. For Microsoft 365/Exchange Online (if this is a work/school account)
    • If the live.co.uk address is actually behind an Exchange Online tenant, an admin can run a message trace to see exactly what happened to messages from the retailer (spam, quarantine, rejection, rule, moderation, or delivery failure) and act accordingly.

    These steps are what Microsoft support will expect to be completed before or during an investigation. For the dispute with the card issuer and retailer, only the retailer (as the sender) can open a deliverability case with Microsoft if Outlook.com is rejecting or filtering their mail at the service edge.

    References:

    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

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