Fixing customer record problems
Why you get "email or phone number already in use"
Email address and phone number are unique fields in MakePlans: each can only be stored on one customer profile. The error means another customer profile on your account already has that email or phone number.
To find it, search for the phone number or email in your customer database. Note that the existing profile may be deleted (inactive), and deleted customers don't show up in normal search, so switch to showing inactive customers if you can't find it. If you create a customer with the email or phone of a deleted customer, the old profile is automatically restored with the new values.
Changing a customer's email or phone number
Open the customer profile and click Edit to change the email address or phone number.
This matters more than it may seem: when a customer books, MakePlans matches them to an existing profile by phone number and email, and then uses the details stored on the profile. So if a customer's profile has an old or misspelled email address, confirmations will keep going to that old address no matter what the customer types when booking. For privacy and security reasons we don't overwrite profile data during booking. The fix is always to correct the stored profile in the administration system.
If the new phone number or email is already stored on another profile, you will be asked whether you want to merge the two profiles (see below).
Merging duplicate customers
If the same person exists twice in your database:
- Open one of the profiles and click Edit.
- Give it the same phone number (or email) as the other profile and click Save.
- MakePlans detects the conflict and offers to merge. Check "Merge these two customers" and click Save.
The booking history is transferred to the profile that is kept.
Customers sharing a phone number
It is not possible to store two customers with the same phone number or email, because these fields identify the customer. This comes up when parents book for their children, or when twins or family members share a phone. If someone books with a phone number that is already registered, MakePlans matches to the existing profile, so the booking ends up under the stored name, a common source of "wrong name on the booking" confusion.
The recommended solution is our newer booking site design template Timisoara (change under Setup > Booking site). It verifies the customer first, and then offers an explicit option to book for someone else. Booking for someone else creates a separate customer profile linked to the logged-in person, so a parent can book for each child under their own phone number. With the older templates the workarounds are for each person to use their own phone or email, or for you to register the booking manually in the administration system.
What "the values do not match your profile" means
When someone books, MakePlans matches them to an existing customer profile using their phone number and email. If something else they typed, typically the name, does not match the stored profile, they see a warning that the values do not match your customer profile. Common causes:
- The person is booking for someone else (for example a parent using their own phone for a child). They should use the "book for someone else" option, or log in first.
- The customer typed a variation of their stored name, for example only a first name when the profile has the full name, or a new surname.
- The customer has changed phone number or email since their profile was created, so their details now partially match an old profile.
The customer can click the link in the warning to ignore it and complete the booking anyway. To fix it permanently, update the customer's profile in your administration system so the stored details are correct. End customers cannot have MakePlans support edit their profile for security reasons; the business they are booking with must update it. If many of your customers book on behalf of others, switch to the Timisoara design template, which handles this flow much better.