"Bounced as Non-existent" contact opened the email

[JillN]

Our engagement info shows that a contact opened an email one minute after it "bounced as non-existent." Is this possible? 

The contact is from a very specific industry, and the subject matter of the "opened" email (much different from our usual material) just so happens to pertain to that same niche industry. This makes me question whether this actually happened or if it was a Constant Contact glitch.

[William_A · Accepted solution]

Hello @JillN ,

For some bounce types, the receiving system will send us an automated code indicating a specific bounce type, but will still allow the email through for delivery. This can especially occur with particularly stringent IT firewalls, where the IT may then manually release the email for delivery from their system's quarantine.

This can also occur with other bounce types, such as non-deliverable or other, where our system will attempt to resend the email after awhile in case the issue was throttling from traffic. For more info on how bounces occur and how to manage them, make sure to check out our main article on the topic. 

Following this, I'd recommend checking the contact's other reporting in the email. It's possible that if their system initially prevented delivery before allowing it through, then it would result in the contact being bounced, but then later opening the email. However, if the same contact that both bounced and opened the email also clicked every single link within the same 1-min timespan, it might indicate they're using a system that downloads images and clicks links to scan for malware.

[JillN]

Thank you for your reply. This makes sense, and the link is very helpful.