Quick checks
Symptom | Likely cause | Fix |
Suggestions show minor formatting changes (e.g. "St" to "Street") | Cosmetic formatting is enabled. | Turn off Show cosmetic formatting suggestions in your verifier. |
ZIP codes show as 9 digits (e.g. 01702-8003) | ZIP+4 suggestions are enabled. | Turn off Show ZIP+4 suggestions in your verifier. |
Customers see "We found multiple possible addresses" | The address is ambiguous (e.g. missing apartment number). | This is expected. The customer needs to add more detail. |
Suggestion shows the wrong city or state | Postal data maps the address to a different locality. | Check whether the postal authority recognises the expected city for that postal code. |
Validation rule message doesn't appear | Rule is in Draft status or triggers don't match. | Set the rule to Active and check trigger conditions. |
Detailed troubleshooting
Unwanted cosmetic formatting suggestions
When "Show cosmetic formatting suggestions" is enabled, the verifier suggests formatting improvements like changing "Main St" to "Main Street." Some merchants find this too aggressive because it shows a suggestion banner for addresses that are technically correct.
- Edit your verifier.
- Under Provider Settings, turn off Show cosmetic formatting suggestions.
- Save.
With this off, the verifier only shows suggestions when there's a genuine deliverability issue, not just a formatting preference.
ZIP+4 suggestions confusing customers
When "Show ZIP+4 suggestions" is enabled, US addresses get a suggestion to use the full 9-digit ZIP code (e.g. 73301 becomes 73301-0001). Most customers don't know their ZIP+4, so this can cause unnecessary friction.
- Edit your verifier.
- Under Provider Settings, turn off Show ZIP+4 suggestions.
- Save.
Multiple matches found (clarification)
When the verifier finds multiple possible addresses for the same input, it shows a clarification message asking the customer to check specific fields. This is most common when:
The address is missing a unit or apartment number in a multi-unit building. The street number could match multiple locations. The postal code serves multiple localities.
This is expected behaviour. The customer needs to provide more detail. You can customise the clarification message in the Translations settings to make it clearer for your customers.
Suggestion shows a different city or state
Postal authorities sometimes map an address to a different locality than what the customer expects. For example, a suburb name might be replaced by the official postal city, or a state abbreviation might not match common usage.
This happens because the verifier normalises addresses to carrier standards. The suggested address is the version most likely to result in successful delivery.
Customers can always click Keep my address if they prefer their original. The suggestion is never forced.
Validation rule not triggering
If a validation rule message isn't appearing at checkout:
- Check the rule status is Active (not Draft).
- Review the triggers. Make sure the test address actually matches the conditions you've set.
- Check the trigger logic. If set to "all triggers pass", every condition must be met. Try changing to "any trigger passes" to see if one condition is failing.
- Use the Rule Coverage widget to test against your recent orders. If coverage is 0%, the triggers may be too narrow.
Address shows "couldn't verify" but the address is correct
The "N/A" result means the verifier couldn't find a match in the postal database. This can happen with very new addresses (new developments), rural addresses that aren't fully mapped, or addresses in countries with less complete postal data.
The customer can click Keep my address to proceed. The verification status is recorded for your review but the order is not blocked.
Still not working?
Start a live chat from within the Order Editing app. Include your store URL, the address you're testing with, a screenshot of the unexpected suggestion, and a description of what you expected to see.
