Verification Email Not Delivered or Delayed

Problem description #

Users do not receive the first verification email; the plugin reports “code sent” but no email arrives until a manual resend.

Symptoms:

• “No verification email received” on first attempt; resend works.
  
• Email lands in Spam/junk folder.
  
• Large numbers of failed email entries in plugin reports.
  

Typical causes:

• WordPress mail configuration (wp_mail) issues, default PHP mail sometimes blocked or rate-limited.
  
• Email deliverability problems (mail server, SPF/DKIM/DMARC misconfiguration).
  
• Plugin behavior: checkout verification feature may be intended only for guests (logged-in users behave differently). WordPress.org
  

Solution (step-by-step)

1. Confirm plugin settings and feature scope:
   
   1. In WordPress admin go to WooCommerce → Email Verification and confirm whether the checkout verification is enabled and whether it applies to guest vs logged-in users. The plugin author noted the PRO checkout verification is designed for guest users only. WordPress.org
2. Check Spam/Junk folder: Ask the user to search Spam and Promotions tabs.
   
3. Install and configure SMTP plugin: Install WP Mail SMTP or similar:
   
   1. Plugins → Add New → search “WP Mail SMTP” → Install & Activate.
      
   2. Open WP Mail SMTP settings and configure with your SMTP provider (Gmail/Google Workspace, SendGrid, Mailgun, Amazon SES, or your host’s SMTP).
      
   3. Send a test email from WP Mail SMTP: confirm delivery.
      
4. Test verification after SMTP setup. Perform the registration/checkout flow to ensure the first verification email is delivered.
   
5. Check server mail logs (host): If SMTP not used, request raw mail logs from hosting support to see if there are delivery attempts or bounces.
   
6. If resend works but first send doesn’t and SMTP is configured: Check for JavaScript or AJAX timing issues (see KB article: “Verification popup taking too long / not showing”). Also check for race conditions if the user is logged in vs guest.

Prerequisites

• Access to plugin settings and server/SMTP configuration.

Additional notes

• Ensure domain has proper SPF/DKIM/DMARC records, these improve deliverability.
  
• If emails are marked as failed in plugin logs, capture a screenshot and provide to support.