Troubleshooting
Was it sent or not?
If it shows in the file with a timestamp, it was sent. What you do not yet know is whether it arrived, which is a different question.
**If the send is recorded in the file with its date and time, it was sent.** That line is the answer: it does not depend on your having seen an on-screen confirmation, on your receiving a copy, or on anyone's memory.
Three different things that get muddled
| Word | What it actually means |
|---|---|
| **Sent** | It left here. The time is on record |
| **Delivered** | The recipient's server accepted it |
| **Opened** | Someone looked at it. Hardest to know and least important |
Important
**Do not hit send again «just in case».** It is the natural reaction and it almost always makes things worse: the recipient gets two identical emails, does not know which to act on, and if you later have to show when something was requested, you have two dates instead of one. Before resending, look at the file: the answer is there.
If nothing shows at all
- 1
Refresh the screen before anything else
Half of all cases: it was sent and you were looking at a minute-old screen.
- 2
Check the contact has an address
A contact with no email, or a mistyped one, generates no send.
- 3
And look for an error notice on the send itself
A failure is recorded: it does not go quiet.
Watch out
The most confusing case: **it was sent and no copy reached you**. That says nothing about the send — only that you were not copied. The reverse happens too: a copy reaching you does not guarantee it reached the recipient, because your own mail is the shortest path and theirs may have filters, full mailboxes or addresses that no longer exist.
›Can I see the exact time?
Yes: that is what is recorded, and what counts if it has to be proven.
›I sent it twice — is that a problem?
Nothing serious. Tell the recipient which one to act on.
›What if the send failed?
The failure is on record. Fix the address and send again.
A real case
The situation
You hit send, see no confirmation, and send it again.
What you do
- Checks the file's record first, where the send time is logged
What you get
The duplicate is avoided, and with it the «which of the two do I act on?» conversation.
The situation
A send appears nowhere and the contact has no email address.
What you do
- Completes the contact's address and sends again
What you get
The message goes out and stops looking like a system failure.
The situation
It is resent just in case without checking the file.
What you do
- Checks whether it shows as sent, and at what time
What you get
Sending the same thing twice is avoided.
The situation
It shows as sent and the recipient does not see it.
What you do
- Checks which address it went to
What you get
The error is located without resending blind.
The situation
You want to know whether it also arrived.
What you do
- Checks the delivery status
What you get
Sent is told apart from delivered.
The situation
The send queued because of a momentary problem.
What you do
- Checks whether anything is pending dispatch
What you get
The delay is explained rather than assumed.
This article answers
- not sure if the email was sent
- i clicked send and nothing happened
- how to know if the request went out
- did it get sent twice