---
id: KB-TZ-004
url: https://app.codecontract.io/help/traceability-and-compliance/proving-you-gave-notice-in-time
idioma: en
categoria: trazabilidad
audiencia: usuario
nivel: intermedio
actualizado: 2026-08-13
tambienEn: [es]
relacionados: [KB-TZ-002, KB-GL-014]
citadoPor: [KB-LE-002, KB-TZ-012]
---

# Proving you gave notice in time

_The commonest argument, and the easiest to close if the notice went out through here._

**Responde a:** prove i sent a notice · the client says we never told them · proof of sending and reading · email delivery receipt

"You never told us" is the sentence that starts more commercial disputes than any other. And it is one of the few that can be closed with a fact instead of a conversation.

## The three levels of proof

| Level | What it proves | Strength |
| --- | --- | --- |
| It was sent | That it left here, to that address, that day | Medium: does not prove arrival |
| It was delivered | That the recipient's server accepted it | High |
| It was opened | That someone opened it, and when | Very high |

The jump from the first to the third is what changes the conversation. "I sent it to you" invites a reply; "it was opened on the 4th at 10:12" does not.

> [!IMPORTANT]
> Being opened does not prove it was read or understood. It is a strong fact, not proof of agreement: for that you need a reply or a signature.

## When to ask for a signature instead of giving notice

If what you are communicating has consequences — a change of terms, a cost overrun, a deadline — a notice is not enough. Send it for signature: the difference between "I told you" and "you accepted" is everything.

> [!WARNING]
> An email from your personal inbox leaves none of this trail. If the notice matters, send it through the case.

> [!NOTE]
> In a dispute, what carries most weight is usually the dullest thing: the open record on a notice, not the thirty-page contract.

**Do I know who opened it with several recipients?**

It is recorded per recipient.

**What if they opened it and say it was not them?**

That is where having asked for a signature with a phone code helps.

**How long is that record kept?**

According to your retention policy.

## Ejemplos

**A client disputes a cost overrun claiming they were never told.**

- The notice record is retrieved
- It shows the notice was opened the day after sending

→ The claim is withdrawn; next time that kind of communication is sent for signature, not as a notice.

**A warning was given by phone and there is no record.**

- Sends the warning through a channel that leaves a trail

→ The warning stops depending on two memories.

**The other side says the warning never arrived.**

- Checks the date and delivery status

→ It is on record when it was communicated.

**A warning goes out and later there is a dispute over what was said.**

- Keeps the exact text of the warning

→ What was communicated is demonstrable.

**It must be proved that warning was given before a date.**

- Checks the send log

→ The warning's date is beyond dispute.

**The warning goes to the wrong recipient.**

- Checks the recipient before sending

→ The warning proves something useful.