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Troubleshooting WooCommerce Cart Abandonment Recovery Email Issues

20 threads Sep 9, 2025 Plugin → Woocommerce cart abandonment recovery

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If you're using the WooCommerce Cart Abandonment Recovery plugin and experiencing problems with email delivery, you're not alone. This is one of the most common issues reported by users. Emails might not send at all, might send duplicates, or might go to the wrong recipients. This guide will help you understand why these problems occur and walk you through the most effective solutions.

Why Do Email Problems Happen?

Based on common support threads, email issues with this plugin typically stem from a few key areas:

  • Cron Job Configuration: The plugin relies on WordPress cron jobs to schedule and send emails. If your site has disabled the default WP-Cron or if it's not configured correctly, emails will not be sent.
  • SMTP Setup: The plugin itself does not send emails; it depends on your site's email functionality. Without a proper SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) plugin, emails may be treated as spam or fail to send entirely.
  • Plugin Conflicts: Other plugins, especially those affecting WooCommerce, carts, or email, can sometimes interfere with the abandonment plugin's functionality.
  • Outdated Plugin Version: Older versions of the plugin contained bugs that caused duplicate emails or fatal errors during sending. Keeping the plugin updated is crucial.

Step-by-Step Troubleshooting Guide

1. Verify and Configure Your Cron Jobs

This is often the most critical step. The plugin uses scheduled actions to send emails.

  • Check Cron Status: Install and activate the free WP Crontrol plugin. Once active, go to Tools » Cron Events and search for events named cartflows_ca_ (e.g., cartflows_ca_update_order_status_action). If they are missing, your cron may not be working.
  • Set Up a Server Cron: If you have disabled WordPress's built-in cron (define('DISABLE_WP_CRON', true); in your wp-config.php file), you must set up a real server cron job. The command typically looks like this:
    wget -q -O - http://yourdomain.com/wp-cron.php?doing_wp_cron >/dev/null 2>&1
    You need to add this command to run every 5-15 minutes in your web hosting control panel (e.g., cPanel).

2. Install and Configure an SMTP Plugin

Never rely on your web host's default PHP mail function for transactional emails like cart recovery. It is notoriously unreliable.

  • Install a dedicated SMTP plugin like WP Mail SMTP.
  • Configure it to use a proper email service (like your Gmail/Outlook account, your domain's email, or a third-party service like Sendinblue or SendGrid).
  • Always send a test email from the SMTP plugin's settings to confirm everything is working before testing the Cart Abandonment plugin.

3. Perform a Conflict Test

To rule out conflicts with other plugins or your theme:

  1. Temporarily switch your WordPress theme to a default theme like Twenty Twenty-Four.
  2. Deactivate all plugins except WooCommerce and WooCommerce Cart Abandonment Recovery.
  3. Test if the abandonment emails now send correctly.
  4. If they work, reactivate your plugins one by one, testing after each activation, until you find the one causing the conflict.

4. Ensure the Plugin is Updated

Many past issues, such as emails sending after a cart was already recovered or fatal errors on specific lines (e.g., line 1867), have been fixed in subsequent updates. Always ensure you are running the latest version of the plugin.

5. Check for Specific Error Messages

If you see errors in your logs or on-screen, they can provide a direct clue:

  • Fatal Error: Call to a member function get_id() on bool: This is a known bug that was addressed in an update. Updating the plugin should resolve it.
  • Could not instantiate mail function: This strongly indicates an SMTP problem. Refer to Step 2.
  • 500 Error on admin-ajax.php when sending a test: This often points to a conflict or a server resource limit. The conflict test (Step 3) is the best first step here.

What If Emails Send to the Wrong People?

Some users report emails being sent for completed orders or $0 value carts. The plugin's team has stated that by default, there is no built-in setting to exclude $0 carts. For excluding emails for completed orders, ensure the "Exclude email sending for" setting in the plugin includes both Processing and Completed order statuses.

Conclusion

Most email issues with the WooCommerce Cart Abandonment Recovery plugin can be resolved by methodically working through these steps. The solution almost always involves properly configuring SMTP and cron jobs. By ensuring these two core WordPress functions are working correctly on your site, you can get your recovery emails back on track and start recovering lost sales.

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