diff --git a/internal/service/notification_service.go b/internal/service/notification_service.go
index ed01ba0..dd53d45 100644
--- a/internal/service/notification_service.go
+++ b/internal/service/notification_service.go
@@ -135,6 +135,9 @@ var ErrUnknownPref = errors.New("unknown notification preference")
 func (s *NotificationService) PrefMatrix(ctx context.Context, userID string) (map[string]map[string]bool, error) {
 	off, err := s.prefs.DisabledSet(ctx, userID)
 	if err != nil {
+		// The handler sanitizes this into a generic 500 — log the real
+		// cause here or it's invisible in production.
+		s.logger.Error("notification prefs: load failed", zap.String("user", userID), zap.Error(err))
 		return nil, err
 	}
 	matrix := make(map[string]map[string]bool, len(PrefCategories))
@@ -171,10 +174,15 @@ func (s *NotificationService) SetPref(ctx context.Context, userID, category, cha
 	} else {
 		err = s.prefs.Disable(ctx, userID, kinds, []string{channel})
 	}
-	if err != nil {
-		return err
+	if err == nil {
+		err = s.prefs.SyncLegacyColumns(ctx, userID)
 	}
-	return s.prefs.SyncLegacyColumns(ctx, userID)
+	if err != nil {
+		s.logger.Error("notification prefs: write failed",
+			zap.String("user", userID), zap.String("category", category),
+			zap.String("channel", channel), zap.Error(err))
+	}
+	return err
 }
 
 // LikeEmailPref / SetLikeEmailPref back the legacy like-email endpoint —
@@ -183,6 +191,7 @@ func (s *NotificationService) SetPref(ctx context.Context, userID, category, cha
 func (s *NotificationService) LikeEmailPref(ctx context.Context, userID string) (bool, error) {
 	off, err := s.prefs.DisabledSet(ctx, userID)
 	if err != nil {
+		s.logger.Error("notification prefs: load failed", zap.String("user", userID), zap.Error(err))
 		return false, err
 	}
 	return !prefOff(off, NotifPostLike, repository.ChannelEmail), nil
@@ -196,10 +205,14 @@ func (s *NotificationService) SetLikeEmailPref(ctx context.Context, userID strin
 	} else {
 		err = s.prefs.Disable(ctx, userID, kinds, channels)
 	}
-	if err != nil {
-		return err
+	if err == nil {
+		err = s.prefs.SyncLegacyColumns(ctx, userID)
 	}
-	return s.prefs.SyncLegacyColumns(ctx, userID)
+	if err != nil {
+		s.logger.Error("notification prefs: like-email write failed",
+			zap.String("user", userID), zap.Error(err))
+	}
+	return err
 }
 
 // NotifyFollowRequest tells `recipientID` that `actorID` asked to follow
diff --git a/internal/service/reminder_service.go b/internal/service/reminder_service.go
index 57e3e44..6755358 100644
--- a/internal/service/reminder_service.go
+++ b/internal/service/reminder_service.go
@@ -73,6 +73,8 @@ func NewReminderService(repo *repository.ReminderRepo, prefs *repository.Notific
 func (s *ReminderService) Enabled(ctx context.Context, userID string) (bool, error) {
 	off, err := s.prefs.DisabledSet(ctx, userID)
 	if err != nil {
+		// Handler sanitizes to a generic 500 — log the cause here.
+		s.logger.Error("reminder prefs: load failed", zap.String("user", userID), zap.Error(err))
 		return false, err
 	}
 	for _, kind := range PrefCategories["sadhna_reminders"] {
@@ -93,10 +95,13 @@ func (s *ReminderService) SetEnabled(ctx context.Context, userID string, enabled
 	} else {
 		err = s.prefs.Disable(ctx, userID, kinds, PrefChannels)
 	}
-	if err != nil {
-		return err
+	if err == nil {
+		err = s.prefs.SyncLegacyColumns(ctx, userID)
 	}
-	return s.prefs.SyncLegacyColumns(ctx, userID)
+	if err != nil {
+		s.logger.Error("reminder prefs: write failed", zap.String("user", userID), zap.Error(err))
+	}
+	return err
 }
 
 // SetTimezone validates the IANA zone before storing so a bad value can never