# Troubleshooting index
> Recover from common loading, validation, permission, billing, Chat, AI, listing, domain, and localization problems.
Language: en-US. Product guide: https://customer.help/help/troubleshooting/.
Reviewed by Customer Help Product Support on July 23, 2026. Verified for release 2026.07.
## Start here
1. Copy the exact visible status or error and note the portal area.
2. Do not repeat a deletion, payment, message, or publication while its outcome is unknown.
3. Preserve unsaved copy in a safe local draft when possible.
4. Refresh the relevant status once and note whether it is Pending, Enabled, Ready, or Needs attention.
5. Check your role, location access, active business, feature visibility, and billing status.
6. Fix the earliest unmet prerequisite, then retry once.
## Loading and connection problems
### “Ready to load” or “Load …”
Select the load or refresh action once. If it fails, confirm that you are signed in, that the correct business is active, and that your Administrator or Chat role allows access to the area.
### “Unable to perform authentication” or sign-in loops
Sign out, return to the normal sign-in page, and use the verified invited email. Do not reuse an expired recovery or invitation link. If sign-in remains unavailable, [contact support about sign-in](/help/reference.md#reference-support).
### Inbox disconnected or repeatedly reconnecting
Keep your reply draft, confirm normal internet access, select **Refresh** once, and avoid sending the same message again until its status is clear. Note the connection label and approximate time if you need to [contact support](/help/reference.md#reference-support).
### Public brand or location page is not found
Confirm the complete link, including the brand page link, `/locations/`, and the opaque location ID. A removed brand or location is archived and its former URL intentionally returns a real not-found response; removal is the current unpublish action. Use the current link from the Dashboard rather than reconstructing one from a location name.
If the item was just removed, generated sitemaps target removal within five minutes. A search result can remain visible longer until its search engine recrawls the URL. Do not recreate a brand or location merely to clear an old search result.
### Public link redirects somewhere else
- A standard `customer.help` brand or location link redirects to the active primary custom domain when that domain is canonical.
- An old `?lang=` link redirects to `/es/` or `/en/` when that language is not the business primary language; the primary language has no prefix.
- Contact, Directions, Locations, and Follow path aliases redirect to the canonical brand page and select the section after `#`; those aliases are not independently indexed.
These redirects are expected. If the destination has the wrong business, brand, location, or language, copy both the original and final URLs and [contact support](/help/reference.md#reference-support).
## Missing, hidden, or read-only controls
- **Only Inbox is visible:** the account is Chat-only; this is expected.
- **Inbox location is missing:** the Chat member is not assigned that location and does not have **All current and future locations** selected.
- **Configuration is read-only:** your membership may not include Administrator access, or the business may currently be view-only.
- **Feature page is hidden:** the feature is not available for the business or account. [Contact support to review expected access](/help/reference.md#reference-support).
- **Button disabled:** read the nearby status first. Common causes are no location, an inactive or non-billable location, a missing time zone, a source that is not Ready, or unavailable billing controls.
Ask an Administrator to grant only required access. Do not share an Administrator account.
## Validation problems
| Symptom | Check |
| --- | --- |
| Page/brand path rejected | Lowercase allowed pattern, uniqueness, no scheme or spaces. |
| URL rejected | Use a complete public HTTPS URL where required. Do not include sign-in details. For an Allowed origin, enter only the scheme, hostname, and optional port. |
| Time zone rejected | Choose a city or region such as `America/Chicago`, not an abbreviation such as `CST`. |
| Hours rejected | Open day has both times and close is later than open; no overnight range. |
| Email rejected | Complete address; invitation account must verify the exact same email. |
| File rejected | Supported content type and size, not merely renamed extension. |
| Revision conflict | Another Administrator saved first; reload latest state and reapply. |
## Billing and feature-access problems
### Pending
Wait for Billing confirmation and refresh once. The previous setting remains in use until the change is confirmed. Do not toggle repeatedly.
### Retry needed or failed
Open **Billing**, resolve the payment or subscription issue, then retry the failed change once. The previous setting remains in use after a failed update.
### “Add a location before setting up billing”
Create and save an active, billable location first, then return to Billing.
### Billing controls disabled
If Checkout or the billing portal is unavailable, continue editing non-billing settings and [contact support about billing access](/help/reference.md#reference-support).
## Chat and Inbox problems
### Chat location checkbox disabled
Confirm that the location is active and billable and that the main subscription shows **Active** or **Trial**. Before enabling AI, confirm that Chat shows **Enabled** for the location.
### Coverage says Needs review
Set a verified location time zone, choose a mode, create valid windows, and select Save and confirm.
### Widget does not load externally
Check all of these:
- exact HTTPS origin is approved (scheme, hostname, and port);
- the copied installation snippet is unchanged;
- the snippet is installed only once;
- the page's Content Security Policy and network filters allow the addresses listed in [Chat installation requirements](/help/chat-settings.md#chat-installation-requirements);
- the brand has at least one location where Chat shows **Enabled**;
- **Last seen** updates after a real page loads the widget.
### Widget says offline unexpectedly
Check the location time zone and confirmed coverage, agent availability, whether Chat is Enabled, the selected offline behavior, and any older schedule still shown in Availability.
### Cannot reply/reassign/end
Claim a queued conversation. Only the assigned member replies; transfer requires another eligible member. An assigned member or Administrator closes; an Administrator reopens.
## AI Training problems
### “AI concierge is not available”
AI is unavailable for the business. [Contact support to confirm AI availability](/help/reference.md#reference-support) and continue using human Chat.
### Source stuck Processing
Wait for processing to finish, then refresh the status once. If it becomes Failed, read the visible error and confirm that the page opens publicly or that the file type and size are supported. Do not upload duplicate copies while the result is unknown.
### Publish disabled
Source must be Ready or Disabled and assigned to at least one brand. Processing alone is never publication.
### Incorrect answer or information from another brand
Disable the affected source or AI mode immediately. Note the source name, brand name, conversation time, and what was incorrect without copying private customer messages, then [contact support](/help/reference.md#reference-support).
## Listings problems
### Google connection unavailable
Google connection is unavailable. Continue keeping Customer Help locations, hours, and holidays current, and [contact support to confirm Google connection availability](/help/reference.md#reference-support).
### Account connection needs attention
Use **Reconnect** on the affected account row, complete authorization with the intended Google sign-in, and then select **Sync locations**. Other connected account rows remain available. Verify that the authorizing account manages the intended locations.
### Google suggests the wrong account or email domain
Start **Connect Google**, **Add another account**, or the affected row's **Reconnect** action again and use Google's account chooser to select or add the account that manages the intended Business Profiles. Customer Help does not restrict the choice to the Customer Help login email or business owner's email domain.
### Another account or profile appears duplicated
Use **Add another account** when different Google sign-ins manage different profiles. One sign-in can expose several Business Profile accounts, and multiple sign-ins can expose the same profile. Customer Help keeps independent authorizations but deduplicates the same Google location resource. If two distinct profiles have the same normalized address, the location remains **Needs review** rather than being matched arbitrarily; confirm the intended profile and account before syncing again.
### Remove one account or every Google account
Use **Disconnect** on an account row to revoke that authorization and clear only its mappings and cached provider content; other connected accounts remain. Use **Disconnect all accounts** only when the business intends to remove every Google authorization, mapping, automatic-publishing consent, and cached Google item. Neither action deletes a Customer Help location or Google profile.
### Location waiting for match or Needs review
Complete the address and phone, confirm the correct Google account, and resolve each warning. Use the location's official address rather than changing it to force a match.
### Google information is out of date
Confirm that Listings is enabled, the Google account is connected, the location is matched, and the most recent listing update succeeded. If only some locations failed, correct those locations and retry once. [Contact support with the visible update status and approximate time](/help/reference.md#reference-support) if the problem continues.
## Domain problems
### Pending / Needs DNS check
Verify the required CNAME and TXT values with your DNS provider, remove conflicting records, and wait for DNS changes to take effect before refreshing once.
### SSL pending
Keep correct DNS in place. Certificate issuance follows validation and can take longer.
### Needs attention
Correct the DNS records and ownership verification before selecting **Retry**. Rapid retries do not accelerate DNS propagation.
### Manual activation
If the domain requires manual activation, [send support the public hostname and a screenshot of the DNS records](/help/reference.md#reference-support). Never send registrar credentials.
### Standard address redirects to the custom domain
This is expected after the primary custom domain and HTTPS are Active. The custom domain becomes canonical, while corresponding standard brand and location URLs remain compatible redirects. If the custom domain is no longer intended for use, remove it through Customer Help before changing DNS; the standard URLs become canonical again after removal completes.
## Language and time problems
- **Wrong public language:** use the page language selector, then confirm the enabled business languages, primary language, and URL. `/es/` means non-primary Spanish, `/en/` means non-primary English, and the primary language has no prefix.
- **Primary-language text appears in the Spanish view:** the Spanish translation is blank. Add it or intentionally use the primary-language text.
- **Portal is in the wrong language:** change **Profile → Portal language**. This is separate from the public languages under **Languages**.
- **Time or date appears shifted:** check your profile time zone for portal timestamps and the location time zone for schedules and coverage.
## Information to prepare for support
Review [what to include when contacting support](/help/reference.md#reference-support). Include the exact visible message, approximate time, relevant business, brand or location name, browser, steps, and a redacted screenshot. Never send sign-in links, keys, passwords, payment details, private source contents, or unredacted customer conversations.