Required Phone Number

[rburton34]

Is there ANYTHING that can be done about the idiotic required phone number when checking out. I know of no other cart system that makes this field mandatory and it is causing me headaches every day. I do a lot of dropshipping so my customers may not have a phone number for their customers. Also, most people dont like giving out their number because today most people use a cell phone so when they get the error, they generally move on instead of giving it.

I'm holding up moving my 3rd site over to 3D until this issue is resolved. A phone number should not be required and anything that causes an error during checkout is a chance for the customer to move on.

When I get feedback on the website and checkout, this is the one issue that keeps coming up.

Great cart except for that stupid required phone number issue.

[ElegantWeddings]

Phone number is required for UPS, FedEx, DHL etc.
If it is mandatory for the couriers it is important for the shipper to obtain this information from the customer.

If the shipper is using Postal services such as USPS or CAPost phone number is not mandatory.

Perhaps it could be an option on the admin side for the store-owner/shipper to decide.

[doberer]

your business model may not need it but my .02 is if somebody can't give a phone number why sell it? (Ups/Fedex may need it when making a delivery, you may need it when trying to contact them, doublechecking the phone number for fraud, etc).

That being said if you don't want the phone number delete that section of the mandatory fields in the templates.

[Go Live]

Also International orders require phone number.

Seems every time someone manipulates the phone entry with say 123-456-7899 and provides a bad email. The order gets returned as ISA and we have no way to get correct address to resend, and have to refund the order minus shipping fee of course.

[Rob1]

Phone number is required for UPS, FedEx, DHL etc.

Interesting... been shipping for 10 plus years and not a single time has UPS asked us to provide a phone number.

And even if they do want it, this should be an option for the merchant to collect it or not. I think the merchant would know what is best for their business.

[Go Live]

Phone number is required for delivery complications.

The seller would know nothing of this.

[Pat Cotter]

I can see reason to get it but I have the same experience, Fedex never contacts the customer by phone, they tell me if they have delivery issues. And to change delivery, they want me to tell them not the customer anyway...

[ElegantWeddings]

on all our shipping labels UPS/ FedEx etc the destination phone number is mandatory, if we don't have it we put ours as default.

[Go Live]

on all our shipping labels UPS/ FedEx etc the destination phone number is mandatory, if we don't have it we put ours as default.

Yes, that is the responsible thing to do. We do the same!

I think of it this way. If I ran a delivery service and had to send a truck to a new unknown address in no where land I would want a phone number.
Weather that particular office feels burdened by picking up the phone or not, is the problem of that office. But, I have done my part in providing all that I can to make a successful delivery.

[Luxlife]

We would never ship to anyone without a phone number for all the reasons mentioned in this thread and others on the same topic. Both FedEx and UPS will contact either the recipient or the shipping party depending on the circumstances. With that said, it should be optional for the merchant to require it.