Possible solution to Constant Contact integration bug

Hello. I posted about this before, but never got a response. So I’m guessing it just dropped off the radar with all the other posts coming.

I may have pinned down an issue with Constant Contact integration. It works, but only the first time an email address submits the form. From that point forward, constant contact won’t add or update anything with the same email address, even if the record is ‘deleted’ from the Constant Contact list group. I reached out to Constant Contact API support, had them test my form, and check out the back-end logs. They reported their findings as follows:

FIRST MESSAGE:

After a review of the information you have provided we have found that the Contact Form 7 application is not making a request to ‘update’ previously existing contacts in the account. Typically applications will first verify if a contact has previously been in the account which will then determine how the submission of the information is handled. If the contact has never been in the account then the system will make a POST request which will create the new contact. If the contact has never been in the account before then the application will want to make a PUT request to update the existing contact profile.

From the logs associated with my test ‘caleb.archer@endurance.com’ we can confirm that the application is only making POST requests which are only capable of creating brand new contacts. This results in the application being capable of initially creating the contact, however since the application isn’t making a PUT request there is no way for it to update pre-existing contacts.

Due to the application having been developed by a third-party developer we are unable to directly influence any changes to the application that would allow for the form to behave in a manner that would allow contacts to ‘update’ their information by re-submitting the form. To resolve this issue we recommend that you pass this information over to the developers of the ‘Contact Form 7’ application. If they have any questions regarding what requests they should be using in order to allow for the contacts to be updated then please be sure to direct them to email us here at ‘webservices@constantcontact.com’ and we would be more than happy to assist.

SECOND MESSAGE:

Once a contact (email address) has been added into the system, even if it is deleted, the contact entry and details still remain on the back end of the system for reporting and compliance purposes.

For example, if a contact unsubscribes from your organization’s mailing list, and you were to delete and then re-add that contact, they would be re-added as unsubscribed rather than as a new contact. This allows us to be compliant with the CAN-SPAM Act, as well as other applicable laws and regulations.

CAN-SPAM Act and how it affects your campaigns https://knowledgebase.constantcontact.com/articles/KnowledgeBase/5825-can-spam-act-and-how-it-affects-your-campaigns

Frequently Asked Questions for Contacts
https://www.constantcontact.com/legal/about-constant-contact-faqs

Essentially, deleting a contact never really deletes them. It just strips their list memberships, moves them into a “deleted” status, and hides them from being visible in the account.

Please have a look and let us know if you have any other questions! Or, if you have questions specific to ur policies or terms of service, please contact us at privacy@endurance.com

It would be really great if there was an option that allowed folks to resubmit the form. This would be especially helpful for testing purposes, but also in case a user enters in the wrong information and wants to update it.

Thanks for considering.

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