"This email address already belongs to a contact in your database"

Smart CRM & Sales Hub CRM
1

I have repeatedly encountered a problem where Hubspot incorrectly insists I’m trying to add the same e-mail address to 2 contacts.

Here is the situation:

Let’s say there’s a guy named Bob who has two e-mail addresses… 1@bob.com and 2@bob.com. I set up a Contact for Bob, and enter a single e-mail address: 1@bob.com.

I receive an e-mail from 2@bob.com. I log my response to the CRM. Later, I realize HubSpot created a duplicate “Bob” entry because the e-mail address was different.

At this point, I have no way of combining the two “Bob” contacts. I have tried the following, and I always end up with the error “This email address already belongs to a contact in your database”:

1 - Delete the auto-created Contact and try to add 2@bob.com to the correct “Bob” contact. The system will not allow me to add 2@bob.com.

2 - Go into the auto-created Contact. HubSpot doesn’t allow me to delete the e-mail address, so I change it to something fake (e.g. a@b.com). Then, I go into the correct “Bob” and try to add 2@bob.com as a secondary e-mail address. The system won’t let me.

How can I get past this error and combine the contacts?

2

Hi @karl_y,

You can merge contacts within your portal which should resolve the issue you are experiencing.

Thank you,
Jenny

3

I had the same problem. When I tried to send an email to a list, the old contact had a problem with their email address. I tried to edit the email address and got the error that the new address was already in use. I merged the contacts but the old one is still on the recipient’s list. How do I reissue the email to the merged contact?

4

Hello @ian_cview

My recommendation would be deleting the old email that has the problem, this way you will ensure to have a clean list with valid email addresses.

You can remove the email by going to the contact record and clicking in the “pencil icon” to edit and remove the additional email. ( Please see my screenshot below for example) :

29579iA23505DFB16B0BB0.png
29579iA23505DFB16B0BB0.png860×346 33.2 KB

edit email address

Also, this article here explains more in how to edit additional emails.

Kindly,

Pam

5

Hello. I can’t edit or even view the existing contact to change or remove the email address. I tried to merge but the"merge" button is greyed out.

6

Hi Jenny, I received the ‘This email address already belongs to a contact in your database’. I checked online and everyone is saying to merge (similar to your post). Problem is when I go to ALL CONTACTS, I dont even see that contact at all in the first place so I cant merge what I cant select or see..