Not every document gets signed. When a recipient isn’t willing to agree, CornerSpot gives them a clean way to decline to sign — and that decision has consequences for the whole envelope. This guide walks through what the recipient does and exactly what happens afterward, so you know how to respond.
How a recipient declines to sign
When you send an envelope, each recipient gets an email with a personal signing link. Opening that link takes them to a review-and-consent page. From there, instead of agreeing, they can choose to decline.
1. You send the envelope
From the envelope builder, you click Send for signature and confirm. The envelope moves to Sent, and CornerSpot emails a signing link to your recipient.
2. The recipient opens their link
The recipient clicks the link in their email and lands on a branded review & consent page. It shows who sent the document, how many pages and fields are involved, and the other parties — everything they need to decide.
3. They choose “Decline to sign”
At the bottom of the consent screen, alongside the option to agree and continue, there’s a Decline to sign button. Choosing it opens a short dialog instead of taking them into the document.
4. They enter a reason
A reason is required to decline. This note is shared with you, the sender, so you understand why the document was turned down — for example, a term that needs to change before they’ll sign.
5. They submit the decline
The recipient clicks Submit decline to confirm. They land on a confirmation page letting them know their response was recorded and the sender has been notified.
What happens next
A decline is a terminal event — it ends the whole envelope, not just one person’s part:
- The envelope moves to the Declined status, which can’t be undone.
- You’re notified by email, including the reason the recipient gave.
- No one else can sign. Even if other recipients were still pending, their signing links stop working — a single decline closes the document for everyone.
This is by design: an agreement only stands if every party agrees, so one refusal voids the in-progress document rather than producing a partially-signed contract.
How to follow up after a decline
Because a declined envelope is finished, you don’t reopen it — you start fresh:
- Read the reason in your notification to understand the objection.
- Fix the document — update pricing, terms, or whatever the recipient flagged.
- Send a new copy. Duplicate the original envelope to reuse its documents, recipients, and fields, make your changes, and send the corrected version.
If a recipient declined by mistake, ask them to contact you and send them a fresh envelope — the old link is no longer valid.