The program says sent, the customer got nothing: finding SMTP e-mails in the Email Center log

E-mail·· 5 views· 3 min read

The short answer: when the program says «sent», it means SMTP Relay accepted the e-mail, not that it arrived. The rest of the journey is in the Email Center log: every e-mail sent over SMTP shows up there with its status (sent, delivered, bounced, marked as spam, failed). It is the first place to look when a customer says they got nothing.

What each status means

Status Means What to do
Sent It left for the recipient server. Wait a moment: delivery usually follows straight after.
Delivered The recipient server accepted it. If the customer cannot see it, it is in spam or filtered on their side. Ask them to look there.
Bounced The recipient server refused it. Check the address with the customer. If the bounce is permanent, the address goes on the blocked list.
Complained The recipient marked it as spam. The address goes on the blocked list. Ask yourself whether that e-mail was expected by whoever got it.
Failed It never left. Read the reason in the log and fix it before trying again.

Finding an e-mail

1 Ask the customer for the exact address it should have gone to, and the approximate time.
2 Open the log in the Email Center and search by that recipient and the date.
3 Not there? Then the relay never received it: the problem is in the program (an error, a stuck queue, a revoked credential). See SMTP Relay not sending.
4 There? Read the status and follow the table above.

The blocked list

Addresses with permanent bounces or complaints go on the blocked list and do not receive your e-mails again, whether they come over SMTP or through the API. This protects your domain reputation: insisting on an address that does not exist, or on someone who called you spam, is the fastest way to send all your e-mail to spam. If a customer has fixed their mailbox and wants to receive again, the address can be taken off the list.

E-mail content is not kept forever. The text of each e-mail is stored for 30 days; after that only the record of the send remains, with its status. If you need proof of content, keep a copy in your own program.
Delivered, but in spam? Look at the header of an e-mail that arrived: did SPF, DKIM and DMARC pass?.

The log does not explain what happened? Open a ticket with the recipient and the time of the send.

Open a support ticket

SEE ALSO

SMTP Relay not sending: connection, TLS, login, sender and recipient problems, one by one

Reading an e-mail header: did SPF, DKIM and DMARC pass?

Bounce message 550: user unknown, relay denied and rejected, what each one means

Using SMTP Relay and the e-mail API together: the same domains, log and blocked list

SMTP credential password lost or leaked: revoke it, create a new one and update the program

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