When a customer can't sign in to their portal or doesn't receive their sign-in link, it's one of the most common support issues, especially at migration time when many customers try the portal for the first time. This article walks you through diagnosing the cause and sending the right email to unblock the customer.

Common questions

The customer didn't receive their sign-in link. What now? On the customer's record, click Resend the portal link. If the button doesn't exist, first check that the email address on the record is correct.
The customer clicks the link and gets "Link expired". Why? Magic links expire after 60 minutes and are single-use. Ask the customer to request a new link from the sign-in page.
The customer has an account but doesn't remember creating one. Is that possible? Yes. A portal account is created automatically when the customer completes an online sign-up via the storefront. The account exists even if they've never received a link.
The customer has two emails and doesn't know which to use. What now? Each email address = a distinct portal account. Check the customer's record to see the email on file. If the customer wants everything consolidated under a single address, contact support.
The customer is on the wrong storefront. What now? The portal is per-storefront. A customer of one storefront can't sign in on another storefront. Send them the exact URL of their storefront.
The customer tries to sign up online with an already-taken email and sees a conflict error. How do I help them? Direct them to the portal's sign-in page. They can request a magic link there to recover their access.
The customer asks for a password. How? Stortech no longer uses passwords. Sign-in is magic-link only. Explain to the customer that it's more secure and there's nothing to remember.

Who this article is for

Diagnosing a sign-in issue means accessing the customer record, the facility's Emails tab, and sending a portal link. All roles can view. Resending a link from the record typically requires the Owner or Manager role.

Diagnose a sign-in issue

Step 1: Does the customer have an account?

A portal account is created:

automatically when a customer completes an online sign-up via the storefront;
manually when you click Resend the portal link on their record (the account is created on the fly if needed).
Open the customer record.
Account section: check for the Resend the portal link button.
If the customer has never received a link, click Resend the portal link to create the account and send the email.

Step 2: Is the email address correct?

On the customer record, check the Email field in Contact information.
Compare with the address the customer uses to sign in.
If different, edit the record then resend a link.

Step 3: Was the link actually sent?

Go to the facility's Emails tab.
Filter or search by the customer's address.
Check that a portal / magic link email was sent and its status (Delivered or Failed).
If Failed, the email address is probably invalid or has flagged Stortech as spam.

Step 4: Can the customer find the email?

Ask the customer to:

check their Spam / Junk folder;
look for the sender (typically your brand or a Stortech domain);
check whether they have an email filter rerouting messages.

Step 5: Is the link still valid?

A magic link expires after 60 minutes.
A magic link is single-use, if it's already been clicked, it can't be used again.
If the customer clicks an old link, they'll see an error page. Ask them to request a new link.

Step 6: Rate limit

The portal limits the number of consecutive link requests:

Too many successive requests can trigger a rate limit.
The customer must wait a few minutes before requesting again.
It's rare in practice, but possible if the customer clicks the button multiple times quickly.

Special cases

Customer with two accounts

A customer may have created multiple accounts using different emails (for example work vs. personal). Each address = a distinct account.

Check the accounts linked to each address via the Contacts list.
If the customer wants everything consolidated under a single address, contact support.

Customer with multiple facilities

The same email can be linked to rentals across multiple facilities if they share the same storefront. The portal then shows all rentals.

If the customer uses multiple storefronts, they need to sign in on the right one.
Check with them the exact URL they use.

Online sign-up with already-taken email

An existing customer who tries a new online sign-up with an already-used email sees a conflict error instead of an inline magic link. It's a known limitation.

Direct the customer to the portal's sign-in page.
Ask them to enter their email and click Send sign-in link.

Safe actions (no prior approval needed)

Resend the portal link from the customer record as many times as needed (rate-limited server-side if too frequent).
Update the email address on the customer record if the customer changed it.
Explain the expiration (60 minutes) and single-use rule.

Actions that require approval

Reset an account (delete and recreate), goes through support.
Merge two accounts (if the customer accidentally created two accounts), goes through support.
Change the email address to take over an account from a different customer, data leak risk, goes through support.

What NOT to say to the customer

To avoid account enumeration (an attacker guessing whether an address exists):

Don't confirm or deny whether a specific address exists in Stortech.
Always say "if an address matches, an email will be sent" rather than "your address doesn't exist with us".
This rule applies to written conversations, phone, and automated replies.

Common issues

Situation	What to check	What to do
The customer never received a link. What now?	What's the email status in Emails? Is the address on the record correct?	Click Resend the portal link from the customer record.
The customer received the link but clicks too late. What now?	The link expires after 60 minutes.	Ask them to request a new link.
The customer clicks an old already-used link. What now?	Links are single-use.	Ask them to request a new link.
The customer is on the wrong storefront. What now?	Ask them for the exact URL they use.	Send them the correct URL.
The customer tries to sign up online and gets a conflict error. What now?	It's a known limitation.	Direct the customer to the portal sign-in page to use the magic link.
The customer changed email addresses and wants their old account. What now?	Edit the address on the customer record.	Resend a link after the edit.
The customer is looking for a password field and can't find one. What now?	Stortech no longer uses passwords. Sign-in is magic-link only.	Explain to them: enter their email and click Send sign-in link.