Chykalophia Docs

What to do when contact forms, inquiry forms, or order forms on your website are failing or showing errors.

A broken form means you could be missing inquiries from customers. Let's fix it quickly. This guide covers contact forms, inquiry forms, and any other form on your site that isn't submitting properly.

Quick summary

Test the form yourself first. Note any error message, which form it is, and which page it's on. The most common causes are email delivery problems, a plugin conflict, or a spam-protection setting that's too aggressive. Contact us with these details and we'll diagnose it.

Step 1 — Test the form yourself

Go to the page with the broken form.

Fill in all required fields and submit a test entry. Use a real email address you control.

Note what happens. Does it show an error message? Does it appear to submit but nothing happens? Does the page reload with no confirmation?

Write down the exact error message if one appears. Take a screenshot.

Step 2 — Check if submissions are being recorded

Many form plugins store submissions in your WordPress dashboard even if the email notification fails.

Log in to your WordPress dashboard.

Look for your form plugin in the left menu. Common plugins: Contact Form 7, WPForms, Gravity Forms, Ninja Forms.

Check the "Entries" or "Submissions" section. If your test submission appears there, the form itself is working — the problem is with email notifications, not the form. See I'm not getting form notification emails.

An empty list isn't proof the form failed. Some plugins never store submissions: Contact Form 7 doesn't keep them unless the separate Flamingo plugin is installed, and WPForms doesn't store entries without a paid license, though its Lite Connect option can back them up off-site. If yours is one of those, the email notification may be the only record.

Not sure which form plugin you have?

Step 3 — Check for a spam filter blocking submissions

Many forms have spam protection on them. It may be something you interact with, like the "I'm not a robot" checkbox, or an invisible check with nothing to click — Google's reCAPTCHA comes in both kinds. Sometimes these settings become too strict and block real submissions.

Try submitting the form in a different browser and on a different network (e.g., your phone on mobile data).

If the form shows a checkbox or a puzzle, complete it fully before clicking submit.

If you see a "spam detected" or "verification failed" message, contact us — the spam settings may need adjusting.

Step 4 — Check for a recent plugin or theme update

A form plugin that updated recently may have a conflict.

Think back: when did the form last work? Did anything else change around the same time?

Do not deactivate or roll back plugins yourself — this can cause other problems. Contact us with the timeline and we'll handle it safely.

WooCommerce checkout or payment forms

If a checkout or payment form is broken, that's a different (more urgent) problem. See Payments aren't working on my store.

What to send us

Before contacting us, gather:

The URL of the page with the broken form
The name of the form (if you know it)
The exact error message shown (or "no message, just nothing happens")
Whether submissions are showing in the dashboard entries (Step 2)
When it last worked correctly
A screenshot of the form showing the error

If you're stuck, email support@chykalophia.com and we'll help. Include your website address and a screenshot if you can.

My forms aren't working

Step 1 — Test the form yourself

Step 2 — Check if submissions are being recorded

Step 3 — Check for a spam filter blocking submissions

Step 4 — Check for a recent plugin or theme update

What to send us

Common questions

The form appears to submit but I never receive an email notification.

The form shows a success message but submissions aren't stored anywhere.

The form was working yesterday but broke today.

The submit button does nothing when I click it.

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