---
id: KB-TZ-010
url: https://app.codecontract.io/help/traceability-and-compliance/what-to-do-if-someone-denies-receiving-something
idioma: en
categoria: trazabilidad
audiencia: usuario
nivel: basico
actualizado: 2026-08-13
tambienEn: [es]
relacionados: [KB-TZ-005, KB-TZ-002]
citadoPor: [KB-TZ-012, KB-TZ-015]
---

# "I never received that"

_The most repeated sentence in a dispute, and what answers it._

**Responde a:** the client says they did not receive the document · prove i sent something · they deny receiving the notice · proof of sending and receipt

It appears in any dispute and nearly always in good faith: the person genuinely does not remember, or it reached someone who has left, or it landed in spam. What decides the conversation is not who is right, but what can be shown.

## The four levels of answer

| What you can prove | How strong it is |
| --- | --- |
| That you sent it | Medium: proves it left, not that it arrived |
| That it was delivered | High: the recipient's server accepted it |
| That it was opened | Very high, with date and time |
| That they signed it | Decisive: no longer receipt, but acceptance |

> [!IMPORTANT]
> The jump from the first to the third changes the conversation. "I sent it to you" invites a reply; "it is recorded as opened on the 4th at 10:12" does not, and usually ends the discussion without anyone losing face.

## How to show it without it looking like an attack

Delivery matters. "It must have gone astray — our record shows it was opened on the 4th; I am resending it" achieves the same as an accusation without damaging the relationship. Evidence exists to close a doubt, not to win an argument.

**En corto**

- Show the fact, not the conclusion.
- Offer to resend it in the same sentence.
- And if the record says it was never opened, say that too: sometimes they are right.

> [!WARNING]
> If the record shows a bounce or that it was never opened, the problem is yours and it pays to admit it fast. Insisting it was sent when the log says it never arrived destroys the credibility of all your other records.

## When it repeats with the same person

It stops being a dispute and becomes data: that address does not work, or that person is not the right one. Fix the contact instead of repeating the conversation every quarter.

> [!NOTE]
> For anything with consequences, proving arrival is not enough: send it for signature. The gap between "I told you" and "you accepted" is everything.

**How long is that record kept?**

According to your retention policy.

**Does it hold before a third party?**

It is the kind of evidence submitted; its weight is assessed by whoever decides.

**What if someone else at their company opened it?**

The record shows it was opened from that recipient; no system says who was at the screen.

## Ejemplos

**A client denies receiving notice of a cost overrun and the relationship is a long one.**

- Shows them the open record and offers to resend it

→ The doubt closes without anyone losing face, and the client stays a client.

**The other side says they never received it.**

- Checks the date and delivery status

→ It is on record when it was delivered.

**It was emailed and there is no record.**

- Uses a channel that leaves a trail for what matters

→ Delivery is demonstrable.

**It shows as delivered and they still deny it.**

- Provides the record with its date and recipient

→ The dispute closes on data.

**It is resent without checking the first send.**

- Checks first what is on record

→ Duplication and confusion are avoided.

**The right recipient was somebody else.**

- Checks the recorded address

→ The error is located rather than argued.