Contact form not sending email? Check where it stops

Three different outcomes to keep separate

A success message on a website, a saved record, and an email in your inbox are separate events. JavaScript might display thanks before the server responds. The server might accept a request while a notification waits for address verification or gets filtered by the mailbox.

Follow the path in order: browser request, saved submission, then notification channel. Send one recognizable test submission from the published website so you can identify the same message at each stage.

The steps below are specific to Formgong. The approach also applies to other services, but check their documentation for their error codes and settings.

1. Check whether the website sends a request

Open your browser's developer tools, select Network, and submit the form. Find the POST to https://formgong.com/submit. Check its URL, access_key, submitted fields, and response.

If there is no request, investigate the submit handler or button: a thank-you state does not send data. If the URL differs, confirm which service is actually handling the form. For plain HTML, inspect action and method; for JavaScript, inspect the fetch URL.

For a JSON response, send Accept: application/json. A native HTML form receives a redirect after acceptance, not JSON. Do not handle those two modes as if they were the same response.

2. Check the response before showing success

For JavaScript, check the HTTP status and result.success === true. A completed fetch can still return an error response. This function is for your form's submit handler; replace the key and wrap the call in try/catch.

// Call from your form's submit handler inside try/catch.
// Keep the entered fields when the request fails.
async function sendContactForm(form) {
  const response = await fetch("https://formgong.com/submit", {
    method: "POST",
    headers: {
      "Content-Type": "application/json",
      Accept: "application/json",
    },
    body: JSON.stringify({
      ...Object.fromEntries(new FormData(form)),
      access_key: "fk_your_access_key",
    }),
  });
  const result = await response.json();
  if (!response.ok || result.success !== true) {
    throw new Error(result.message || "Submission failed");
  }
  // Accepted by Formgong; this is not email-delivery confirmation.
  return result.id;
}

Error codes to look for

unknown_access_key

The key does not match a form. Copy it again from Connect website.

origin_not_allowed

The domain does not match the configured allow list. Check both the real and preview domains.

turnstile_missing / turnstile_failed

The Turnstile token is absent or unacceptable. Update the widget code and obtain a fresh token.

rate_limited / limit_exceeded

A short-term request limit or monthly allowance was exceeded. Repeated rapid retries do not fix it.

Keep the fields filled and display an understandable message when submission fails. Disable the button while the request is pending, then enable it again when the attempt finishes.

3. Check the saved record and spam status

Open the relevant form's Submissions in Formgong and find your test message. Check Spam too. If you accidentally filled the hidden botcheck field, the request can look successful while the message is classified as spam and not delivered.

Confirm that the site's key belongs to the form you opened. If AI scoring with spam holding is enabled, check that status too. Request acceptance does not promise notification delivery for every message regardless of protection.

4. Check verification, notifications, and recipients

1. Verify the account owner's email. Normal submissions may be held before verification.
2. Check that email notifications are enabled for this form.
3. Check the intended recipient's address and its verification. An added but unverified address is not yet a delivery destination.
4. Check spam, all-mail folders, mailbox filters, and forwarding rules.

A submission appearing in the inbox and Telegram helps narrow the investigation to the email channel. It does not prove that an email reached the recipient's mailbox. An automatic reply to the visitor is also a separate message with its own settings.

If the problem began after enabling Turnstile

Your form must send cf-turnstile-response, and the service must validate it. The widget alone is insufficient. Turnstile tokens expire and are single-use; a retry may require refreshing the widget.

Copy the current example from Connect website after changing protection settings. Test the published domain. Keep the Turnstile secret out of the browser; frontend code uses the site key.

What to collect if the cause remains unclear

Keep the form page URL, test time, HTTP status, and response error code. If the response includes a submission ID, keep it too. Do not publish real customer details, tokens, or secret keys in a support request.

For another channel, follow the Telegram guide. If the form is not connected yet, start with the working HTML example or Lovable setup. After the fix, repeat the test and check the entire path through to the notification.