How to setup an autoresponder and deal with spam issues?

[Stuart Hunter]

Currently we have a product registration page that we would like to add an auto responder to so clients feel the submission has actually worked as opposed to the sceptical thank you page!

The problem we have is that we really really want to avoid spammers and assume as soon as a simple PHP auto-responder is implemented (even with Captcha) we'll be stuck with a constant concern over it's vulnerability.

The form currently requires the user to enter their email address amongst other information which is then sent directly to us, from us in terms of the email address (i.e. if we are info@test.com, we have set it so we receive the email from info@test.com).

My question - is there a way to auto-respond to form submissions using our mail server, so essentially the mail must hit us first (so we can check the validity of form submissions better than a PHP log) and if so, is there a way of responding to an email address submitted in the form which will be in the email body?

Any advice or point in the right direction would be a great help thank you.

Stu

[Niheel]

A good solution would be to have it the form submit the information to a database. Then you can through another interface/page for the site owner accept and decline the information. If you accept email gets sent out, if you decline the information gets deleted out of the DB.

This way you also have a db copy of the information like name and email later if you need it for any marketing, administrative reasons.

[Stuart Hunter]

Thank you for your response Niheel.

We do currently have it setup so the submitted info is pushed through to a database where it is stored along with the product details that we later confirm / decline - automated through Outlook and Access. We then contact the user on success / failure but unfortunately we don't get to check the DB as often as we'd like due to man power, we advise users it could take up to 48 hours for confirmation due to the amount of responses we get.

Because of this we want to make this auto-responder a quick, simple and concern free (spam wise) process that is a lot more automated, just so the user know's we're doing something with their submission and that they got through to us.

I've been looking Outlook addons i.e. http://www.emailaddressmanager.com/o...uto-reply.html and Tectites autoresponder http://www.emailaddressmanager.com/o...uto-reply.html which even they publicitise concerns with spam (and I believe it is add supported which isn't what we want). But each has it's benefits and drawbacks.

[Stuart Hunter]

Could there not be a way of sending a pre-formatted email, one that doesn't pass any of the form elements. This way no spammer information would get through and only the email address submitted would be contacted?

Although it would be nice to have the email greet the person by the name they submit.

[Niheel]

Won't the email look odd when you send it to your email address first and then setup a rule to auto forward it?

And also the plugin must have the feature to somehow figure out who it needs to be sent to after it receives it?

The easiest way to minimize spam could be to have the user authorize the email. When they submit they get an email sent to them, then they click on authorize and then they'll get the email sent to them. This way spam emails don't end up in your db. But even that seems overkill unless you do lots of daily volume.

Sorry can't be of much help on this situation.

[Niheel]

Yes there could be a very simplified email. But that's all on your side. You just have to write up the email so that there is no information being delivered, just the first and last name and then you're email copy/text.

[Stuart Hunter]

After further research I've found that there is an autoresponder in CPanel, only problem here is that because the email comes from ourselves it would reply to ourselves >.<

I don't suppose there is a way, in CPanel Mail, to email back to the email posted in mail body or even mail subject (as email is set to appear here as well)?

[JKing]

First off never assume anything.

Do you currently have an issue with being spammed?

The form currently requires the user to enter their email address amongst other information which is then sent directly to us, from us in terms of the email address (i.e. if we are info@test.com, we have set it so we receive the email from info@test.com).

Let me get this straight, your current system takes a form submission then emails the details to you to validate it?

My question - is there a way to auto-respond to form submissions using our mail server, so essentially the mail must hit us first (so we can check the validity of form submissions better than a PHP log) and if so, is there a way of responding to an email address submitted in the form which will be in the email body?

Now you want a new system that auto-responds but you still want to check the validity of emails manually? If so that manual check kind of takes away from the idea of auto-responding.

[Stuart Hunter]

Hi JKing, thanks for your response.

No we currently don't have an issue with being spammed, however as soon as the autorespond code is activate and able to be trawled we don't want to play the waiting game with this type of thing.

The form, once submitted, comes through to us which we then process and confirm with the client within 48 hours whether their product details are genuine and are then registered in our db.

Between the moment they process the form and us validating their license details (up to 48 hours) we would like a simple confirmation email sent to the user to say we have received their information and will be in touch soon, mainly because we receive multiple submissions despite a thank you page.

An outlook autoresponder isn't sufficient enough as we receive the email from ourselves, so we would essentially be replying to ourselves. Unless there is a macro to take the email address they submitted out of the subject or body of the email? We just want to avoid any web form autoresponder where possible and utilise CPanel, Outlook or any other recommendations folks have to avoid spammers.

[JKing]

The form, once submitted, comes through to us which we then process and confirm with the client within 48 hours whether their product details are genuine and are then registered in our db.

How does it come through to you?
By email?
If so how is that email being sent you?

[Stuart Hunter]

Yes through a formmailer, from our mailer server, to ourselves.

[JKing]

The "formmailer " you speak of, is it some sort of php script?

What I am getting at here is that you already have some sort of "auto-responder" in place. If users are submitting information to you and you automatically receive an email then you have an auto-responder but it only sends to you. If you are not getting spammed using your current system I don't see where the fear of being spammed is coming from.