Problems Ordering Online? Check Your Phone Number

Recently we've had a few customers call us to report a problem when trying to place an order online at the Carolina Sauce Company store. They reported that when they had finished entering their shipping info and clicked on "next", they ended up right back on the shipping screen all over again. The first time this happened, I couldn't figure out why the customer was experiencing this problem, so I offered to take their order over the phone. I filled out their name and shipping address, and then asked them for their phone number. Bingo! That was it! The customer had not entered a phone number when trying to place the order himself online.

When the phone number is missing, the online order form reverts back to the shipping page and places a (tiny) red star with a (tiny) note asking for a phone number. The customer hadn't noticed the red star or the text (did I mention they're tiny?) The customer then asked why he needed to provide a phone number, and I explained that UPS needs a number to call in case there's a problem delivering the package. That is the ONLY reason the online order form asks for a phone number, in case UPS or the Carolina Sauce Company needs to contact a customer to verify an address or handle a shipping problem.

The next time a customer called to report the same online order problem on the shipping page, my first question was, "Did you enter a phone number?" Sure enough, he hadn't - and as soon as he entered it, he was able to continue placing the online order himself.

No doubt this glitch wouldn't stump folks if the tiny red star and tiny text weren't so.....TINY! But unfortunately they're part of the Yahoo store order form template, so we're stuck with their size (or lack thereof).

The moral of the story: If you're placing an online order at Carolina Sauce and can't seem to get past the shipping page, double-check to make sure you've entered a phone number for the shipping address. If you're still having problems, please don't hesitate to call us at 919-286-1080.

Zestfully yours,
Gloria