topic Re: Contact Deleted, can't find record of deletion in Data Hub

Contact Deleted, can't find record of deletion

topps-hops — Fri, 16 Feb 2024 22:18:55 GMT

I'm having what could be a major issue. I went to log an email on a contact, and there was no contact. I checked my "restore records" went through every deletion record, and could not find it. I know they had an account, as I have made notes on it before. I am sure I have not deleted it, as it takes confirmation to do so. What may be the issue here?

Re: Contact Deleted, can't find record of deletion

Jnix284 — Sat, 17 Feb 2024 00:05:56 GMT

@topps-hops any possibility the contact was merged with another record?

Search by their email address if you can remember it - if they were merged it should still pull the record up.

If they were actually deleted, they would show in the recycle bin for 90 days, if it's been longer that's why you wouldn't find them.

Re: Contact Deleted, can't find record of deletion

karstenkoehler — Sat, 17 Feb 2024 05:49:23 GMT

Hi @topps-hops,

If you're not seeing a contact record anymore, there are a few possible reasons:

If your user permissions are restricted to team or owned contacts only, then someone else re-assigning the contact might make it look like it was deleted. (This might not have to be a manual edit but could also be due to an import or an integration.) You can verify this by asking a super admin whether they can still find the record. Alternatively, try adding the contact again and HubSpot would tell you it already exists.
If the contact was deleted in compliance with GPDR, it would not appear in the bin anymore: https://knowledge.hubspot.com/privacy-and-consent/how-do-i-perform-a-gdpr-delete-in-hubspot - this can be checked by trying to add the contact again; HubSpot would warn you that this contact cannot be re-added then

Best regards!

Re: Contact Deleted, can't find record of deletion

topps-hops — Tue, 20 Feb 2024 17:08:50 GMT

I have full control over the program - unfortunately they don't come up in search, there is no deletion record, they havn't merged, and when I attempted to re-add the contact, it wouldn't allow me, which is what led me to check the deletion records in the first place. If I can re-add the contact, and I can't find the deletion record to restore the contact, what am I supposed to do? I'm not sure what kind of glitch we have going on but it driving me crazy!

Re: Contact Deleted, can't find record of deletion

karstenkoehler — Tue, 20 Feb 2024 17:14:00 GMT

@topps-hops the fact that you're not able to re-add the contact is a crucial piece of information. This means that the contact was very likely GDPR deleted then - as this is the only path that leads to not being able to add a contact: https://knowledge.hubspot.com/privacy-and-consent/how-do-i-perform-a-gdpr-delete-in-hubspot

"In HubSpot, permanent deletion includes a blocklist functionality, which means that once a contact is permanently deleted, you will not be able to add their email (primary or additional) back to your account in the future. This functionality is supported by anonymized data. If a permanently deleted contact chooses to fill out a form on your website or if they send an email to a connected inbox, they will be added back to your account."

You or another user either intentionally or accidentally performed this GDPR delete.

Best regards!

Re: Contact Deleted, can't find record of deletion

topps-hops — Tue, 20 Feb 2024 17:22:11 GMT

Okay, so the only way to re-add the contact would be with permission or contact with a connected inbox - makes sense.

Any ideas on how to ensure this doesn't happen again? I don't see how it could've been done accidentally, as I would've been the one who did it, and you have to confirm deletion.

Thank you for all your help getting to the bottom of this.

Re: Contact Deleted, can't find record of deletion

karstenkoehler — Tue, 20 Feb 2024 17:24:06 GMT

@topps-hops to avoid this, always pause at this screen:

Typically, unless the contact requested it, a regular delete is perfectly fine. If you do go with the GDPR delete, send the confirmation email - this would be a way for you to trace back previous deletion activity.

Best regards!

Re: Contact Deleted, can't find record of deletion

hohmann — Sun, 22 Sep 2024 03:03:54 GMT

I had that happen once in the past. A friend of my client filled out a form on my client's computer. The cookie matched it to my client's contact record and overwrote his information. I only found it by accident because the notes didn't match the person's name. I asked Hubspot at the time, and they had no way of searching for contacts that have been changed like that. I started going through all form submissions just to be sure. It was a huge pain.