Email Address Already Exists when Adding or Editing Contacts

[IvanR]

I had two contacts that were same person but different email addresses  I deleted one to combine them.  Then your system would not let me change the email on the remaining contact to the correct email of the deleted contact, saying it still existed (even though I had deleted that record).  A search proved it didn't exist.

So now I am screwed.  Your system has a bug.  FIX IT so I can get my data correct.

I founded a software firm in 1981 that still exists today.  Do you test your software before releasing it on an unsuspecting user?

[IvanR]

Hi all. In order for us to fully investigate the issue, please comment on the post with the following information
 

• If you search for the previously deleted contact, do they appear as a result?
• If they do appear, can you update the contact's email/information?
• Are you able to add these contacts through the workaround of importing the contact from a file or by typing/pasting the contact for import? 

[PMAA]

Why is it so complicated to edit contacts with new email addresses? I am having the exact same issue as all of the people listed above with several contacts in our database and the workaround is to forward individual emails to those I cannot change- which is a workaround that creates more work. 

For your engineering team:

1. Does the contact you're seeing the error with also does not come up when searching for it in your account? Correct: the email that the error message says already exists doesn't show up anywhere, in any search.

2. Are you able to add these contacts through the workaround of Importing the contact from a file or by typing/pasting the contact for import? No, I am not. 

Please please please fix this. We are a non-profit and depend on outreach to connect with our audiences. We don't have the time or resources to spend  hunting down individuals when we're paying for a database. 

[ChamberCom]

We have had this same issue with multiple contacts over the last couple months.

For us,

1) the email/contact does not show up anywhere in the account despite the system saying the email already exists, and

2) yes, we have been able to type in the email to add it to the database.

Please fix this.  It is a pain to completely re-enter the contact's whole information when we should have the ability to just update the email address.  Not to mention losing the contact's history as well.

[TN_SDC]

Similar issue. We don't want to loose the contact's history but don't see a way around that.

[Frankie_P]

Hi @TN_SDC

Are you still unable to re-add this address through a file? As mentioned previously in this thread, importing your contact(s) through a file instead is the workaround we recommend.

[TN_SDC]

Here was my chain of events and resolution

1.  Added new contact with new email address

2.  Thought - wait I should just edit their existing contact (duh!)

3.  Deleted new contact created in step 1

4.  Tried to edit existing contact to their new address but couldn't because the "email address already exists"

I ended up deleting the original contact (and their history) and imported the new contact via the spreadsheet. I should have edited in the first place but ultimately had to sacrifice the history to get the contact back onto a list.

Should I have left the original contact in place? Could I have merged them somehow or was the software ultimately going to require me to delete the original contact?

[Frankie_P]

Hi @TN_SDC

If you can please email us at social_support(at)constantcontact(dot)com with examples of email addresses you're having this experience with, your username, and a reference to this post we would be happy to take a closer look. In the meantime, thanks for following up with us and letting us know our workaround of uploading these contacts by file does help!

[ChrisS000]

I am having this same problem.  I deleted ALL contacts to start fresh since I just took over this account.  I need to change ONE CHARACTER in an email address that was a typo.  When I try to edit the email address, it says the email address already exists.  I cannot find any evidence that the account already exists.  It won't let me edit the email address. 

[Frankie_P]

Hi @ChrisS000

Are you still having this experience when trying the workaround of re-adding this address through a file?

[Robertle]

It looks like this is still an issue - because I'm having this error as well. This thread is the first thing that popped up when I Googled it. 

[TomFR]

Dear ConstantContact support,

Having fallen victim to the same bug as the dozens of people who have reported it here (and the hundreds who didn't even bother to tell you), I'm adding my voice to the list.

Why on earth is it so difficult for ConstantContact to just fix this easy bug?

People have sent others to the moon and soon to Mars, but ConstantContact can't even fix the simplest email.

We on this list are doing you a favor by telling you what's wrong.

Please listen to us!