Seeing your domains flagged on a blacklist can feel like the end of the road — but in practice it almost never is. A blacklist flag is not a verdict: in most cases it either has no real effect on your deliverability at all, or it's something our team can fix or work around. This article explains how we handle blacklist reports, what information we'll ask you for, and where refunds fit into the picture.
A blacklist flag is not a verdict
Blacklist checkers and sequencer warnings look scary, but they very often reflect rotating IPs or noisy URL-reputation lists rather than real damage to your domains. Most "blacklisted" reports fall into one of these buckets:
SURBL (and similar URL lists like SpamRATS): these have no measurable impact on inbox placement at Gmail and Outlook. Nothing needs fixing and campaigns should simply continue. See SURBL Listings and Deliverability Impact.
A flagged rotating IP: we rotate sending IPs automatically, so a checker may flag an IP that isn't even carrying your mail anymore. See One of my sending IPs shows as blacklisted.
A "burned" label in Smartlead/Instantly: usually reflects that tool's own warmup pool, not your Maildoso domains. See My mailboxes show as "burned", "blacklisted", or low reputation.
A real deliverability issue (actual Google rejections, 0% inbox placement, a measured spam rate on your own sends): this is the case our deliverability specialists dig into — and even here there are fixes, from warmup recovery (a burned mailbox typically recovers in 2–4 weeks) to delisting requests and replacement domains where warranted.
Send us the details first — even if you're thinking about cancelling
In the large majority of blacklist cases we can help, but we can't tell which bucket you're in without the specifics. So the first thing we'll do is look at your case, and for that we need:
The email address on your account and the affected domains or mailboxes.
Which blacklist or tool flagged them (SURBL, MXToolbox, a sequencer warning, an audit report — a screenshot helps a lot).
Whether you're seeing actual bounces, rejections or spam placement — if so, the full headers of one rejected email or your placement-test result.
Your current warmup settings and how long the mailboxes have been warming (warmup volume that's too low is the most common real cause we find).
Even if your first instinct is to stop using the product or ask for a refund, please send us these details first. Very often the "blacklisting" turns out to have no real impact (as with SURBL), or it's fixable within days — and you keep your domains, your warmup progress, and your campaigns.
What we can do for you
Confirm whether there's any real impact — checking your actual placement and reputation rather than a third-party flag.
Fix what's fixable — recovery plans for burned mailboxes, delisting requests where a listing actually matters, and configuration review.
Replace domains where a domain is genuinely compromised (for example a registrar suspension) — see Domain replacement.
Run a Deliverability Audit with our specialists: log in, click the Deliverability Audit button in the top-right of your dashboard, and pick a time. This is the fastest route for anything beyond a simple flag.
Where refunds fit in
A refund is the last resort, not the starting point. It only comes into the conversation after we've reviewed your situation and genuinely couldn't help — and eligibility then follows our standard policy (the 30-day new-customer guarantee and its exclusions), described in Refunds and cancellations. A blacklist flag by itself — especially a SURBL listing, which doesn't affect delivery — is not a reason to refund or abandon your setup, because it's not a problem we can't solve. Give us the chance to look at your case first: that's the fastest route to your campaigns performing again.