Telephone number on customer address shouldn't be required

[apiuser]

Feature request from hostep, posted on GitHub Aug 17, 2015

Hi guys

Why is the telephone number still required on a customer address? We hear from our shop owners that a lot of customers refuse to enter something in there or just enter gibberish.

An ideal solution would be if you could add a configuration option in the backend similar to the Gender, Tax/Vat Number and Date of Birth fields. So an option for showing the telephone number where you can choose between No, Optional or Required. What do you think?

I had to implement this today into a Magento CE 1.x store and it was kind of a terrible experience, changing stuff in the database, remove the hard coded validation of that field (which is still present btw: https://github.com/magento/magento2/blob/93312cae42824274722fe7a285d5ce8e40f177a1/app/code/Magento/C...), ...

Related to https://github.com/magento/magento2/issues/624

[apiuser]

Comment from pronto2000, posted on GitHub Aug 17, 2015

Because vast majority of parcel services require it and for good reason -- they call first and make sure you're around as they lose money when they arrive behind your door only to find out that you're out for lunch.

Also there is a number of parcel point services that are not unlike PO boxes. For those phone number is actually the only required field (they send text message to let you know that your parcel have been arrived and you can pick it up whenever you're ready. The text also contains door code).

So .. I'm not against making this field optional, but it should depend on shipping method or something.

[apiuser]

Comment from hostep, posted on GitHub Aug 17, 2015

Ow ok, good to know, didn't realize this. I would need to check this with certain parcel services which are active over here, but I don't think most of them actually require a phone number (never heard about calling up front to somebody to make sure they are at home).

But a configuration to make it optional would be great then, if you don't use certain parcel services you can leave it optional, otherwise make it required, but this should be up to the shop owner to decide I believe, not from Magento to enforce this.

[apiuser]

Comment from pronto2000, posted on GitHub Aug 17, 2015

I guess the best way (pretty please, cherry on top?) would be that address attributes are shipping method specific. This however creates an interesting conundrum as parcel point service addresses are not compatible with courier service ones.

Anyone else wants to weight in?

[apiuser]

Comment from serkia, posted on GitHub Aug 18, 2015

It would be nice if there was some sort of explanation to the customer what the number will be used for

example: Delivery Phone Number

[apiuser]

Comment from ilol, posted on GitHub Aug 18, 2015

I like idea to set up required phone number as option in configuration but feel uncertain about assignment of this option to shipping method. This leads to logical gap if you want to deliver to address without filled phone using shipping methods with mandatory phone.

[apiuser]

Comment from tigerx7, posted on GitHub Dec 30, 2015

I second the ability to make the phone number field either optional or required. Yes, some shipping couriers require it, but others do not and it becomes a potential for an abandoned cart. In the US, UPS/Fedex require a phone number, but as far as I know, I've never heard of them calling ahead. USPS does not require a phone number. When a customer does not provide a phone number, then usually the merchant puts in theirs. Some customers would prefer to only provide an email address.

[apiuser]

Comment from owebia, posted on GitHub Apr 18, 2016

Hi,

When a store sells only virtual products, the telephone is not required as there is no delivery. So I think it is a good idea to make this field optional.

[apiuser]

Comment from lennartlott, posted on GitHub Apr 19, 2016

In some countries a telephone number is not required for shipping, but it drops the conversion rate. It is absolutely essential to disable the telephone number by need.

[apiuser]

Comment from johnnywokka, posted on GitHub May 27, 2016

I have just started building my first M2 site and was shocked to find the telephone field could not be made optional in the admin.

Pretty fundamental, as has already been said if you're selling virtual products and I also think it's now illegal in Germany to force people to enter their phone number at the checkout.

Any eta when this will be fixed?

[apiuser]

Comment from tehXor, posted on GitHub May 29, 2016

Because vast majority of parcel services require it and for good reason

@pronto2000 I'm not sure if there is a country for which this statement is true and if you are living in it but for most parts of the world this is bullshit (one of my clients ships worldwide and works with nearly all international and some national parcel services and none ever required a phone number).

I also think it's now illegal in Germany to force people to enter their phone number at the checkout

And yes, in Germany you can even get sued for it if you are selling products where it is not absolutely essential to get the phone number to fulfill the order. So basically 99% of German shops would face the risk of a pricy written warning with Magento this way.

Please give this some priority!