DIAGNOSTIC PLAYBOOK
Email was never sent because the address is suppressed
A suppression rule can stop submission before a receiving server is contacted. No new bounce will exist for that skipped attempt, so inspect the sending platform's suppression and event state.
HealthCheck Email editorial team · · Examples are illustrative
How to investigate
- Find the intended message or job and check for a skipped, suppressed or blocked event.
- Identify the original reason, such as an unsubscribe, complaint or prior permanent failure.
- Resolve the cause through the appropriate consent or address-verification process before considering reactivation.
What this looks like
ILLUSTRATIVE EXAMPLE
A customer corrects an address in one system, but another platform retains suppression for the original contact record. The expected email never enters SMTP.
A mistake to avoid
Do not clear complaint or unsubscribe suppression just to force delivery. A transport investigation does not override recipient preferences.
Keep the result in context
A successful handoff, a delivered event and an inbox placement are different observations. Record the receiving provider, send time, SMTP response and affected stream before comparing results. DNS fixes address authentication or routing; they cannot establish consent or guarantee placement.
Take the next step
Use the related check to gather evidence, then compare it with the affected message or service. Keep the result and time with your notes so a later change can be distinguished from the original problem.
Sources and further reading
The protocol references below explain the underlying behavior. Your sending or DNS provider supplies the account-specific settings for its service.