Why a contact form may ask you to retry

If you tried to send a contact form on NearbySpy and saw a message asking you to refresh and submit again, this article explains what is happening and how to get past it without losing your message.

The short version

NearbySpy protects the contact form with a short security token. The token is created when the page loads and expires after a while. If the token has expired, the form will not submit. The fix is to refresh the page and submit again.

Why this protection exists

Contact forms are a common target for automated abuse. The security token, which you may see described as a nonce or a CSRF check, makes sure the form was loaded fresh from NearbySpy and is being submitted by the same person who loaded it. Without this check, the form would attract spam and impersonation attempts that would slow down real support replies.

Common reasons you may see a retry message

• The page sat open for a long time before you submitted.
• You opened the form in one browser tab and submitted it from another.
• Your network dropped briefly while you were typing.
• A browser extension blocked or modified the request before it reached NearbySpy.
• You submitted the form, saw a slow response, and pressed submit again.

How to recover without losing your message

1. Before refreshing, copy the text of your message somewhere safe, such as a notes app.
2. Refresh the contact page in the same browser tab.
3. Choose the same reason category.
4. Paste your message back in.
5. Submit. The form should accept it on this attempt.

If the retry message keeps appearing

Try the following in order. After each step, reload the page and try once.

1. Switch to a different browser, or to a private window in the same browser.
2. Disable browser extensions that block scripts, ads, or cookies.
3. Make sure cookies are enabled for the NearbySpy domain.
4. Switch from a corporate VPN to a normal connection if the VPN strips cookies.
5. Try from a different network, such as a mobile hotspot.

Other contact form errors and what they mean

• Required field missing. One of the fields is blank or shorter than the minimum length. Fill it in and submit again.
• Invalid email. The email field is missing the at sign or the domain. Correct it.
• Submission rate limited. Too many submissions from the same network in a short time. Wait a few minutes before trying again.
• Server error. Something on the NearbySpy side failed. Wait and retry. If it persists, mention this article when you eventually get through.

What to do if you cannot reach the form at all

If the contact page itself will not load, your network or browser may be blocking it. Try a different network. If you have an active account, sign in and use the in-product help link in your dashboard.

Related

• Contact form reasons and what to include
• Using the Help Center index and articles