Rejection reasons emailed to submitter with resubmission instructions

A rejected submission that generates no notification leaves the submitter with no recourse: they do not know the listing was rejected, why it failed, or how to fix it. This silently degrades the directory's submission funnel — legitimate businesses give up and post elsewhere. It also creates GDPR Art. 17 exposure if a user later requests deletion of data that was never communicated to them as rejected. The submitter's time and data were consumed with zero return.

Trigger a rejection email with reason and next steps as part of the moderation action. Tie it to the same API route that logs the action:

// app/api/admin/listings/[id]/moderate/route.ts
if (action === 'reject') {
  await sendEmail({
    to: listing.contact_email,
    subject: `Your listing "${listing.title}" was not approved`,
    html: `
      <p><strong>Reason:</strong> ${reason}</p>
      <p>To resubmit with corrections, visit:
         <a href="${BASE_URL}/listings/resubmit?id=${listing.id}">Resubmit listing</a>.
      </p>
      <p>Questions? Reply to this email or contact support@yourdomain.com.</p>
    `
  })
}

Require reason to be non-empty when action is reject — enforce this at the API route level so moderators cannot submit a rejection without providing text.

• ID: directory-submissions-moderation.moderation.rejection-email-instructions

• Severity: high

• What to look for: When a listing is rejected, check if an email is sent to the submitter. The email should include: (1) the rejection reason, (2) clear guidance on what needs to be fixed (if applicable), (3) a link to resubmit or contact support. Look for email templates triggered on rejection.

• Pass criteria: Enumerate all relevant code paths. When a listing is rejected, the submitter receives an email with the rejection reason and next steps (e.g., "Please clarify operating hours and resubmit"). with at least 1 verified instance.

• Fail criteria: No rejection email is sent, or the email lacks a reason or resubmission instructions.

• Skip (N/A) when: The project has no moderation feature.

• Detail on fail: "Listings are rejected but submitters receive no notification. They don't know why or how to fix it." or "Rejection email sent but with no reason, just 'Rejected'."

• Remediation: Send rejection emails with guidance:

  // app/api/admin/listings/[id]/moderate/route.ts
  const listing = await db.listings.findUnique({ where: { id: listingId } })
  
  if (action === 'reject') {
    await sendEmail({
      to: listing.contact_email,
      subject: 'Your listing submission was not approved',
      html: `
        <p>Your listing submission for "${listing.title}" was not approved.</p>
        <p><strong>Reason:</strong> ${reason}</p>
        <p><strong>Next Steps:</strong></p>
        <ul>
          <li>Review the feedback above</li>
          <li>Make the requested changes to your listing information</li>
          <li><a href="https://yourdomain.com/listings/resubmit?id=${listing.id}">Resubmit your listing</a></li>
        </ul>
        <p>If you have questions, <a href="mailto:support@yourdomain.com">contact our support team</a>.</p>
      `
    })
  }