diff --git a/funcs/func_strings.c b/funcs/func_strings.c
index 10712ae92b..c90d047e12 100644
--- a/funcs/func_strings.c
+++ b/funcs/func_strings.c
@@ -46,7 +46,8 @@ ASTERISK_FILE_VERSION(__FILE__, "$Revision$")
 static int function_fieldqty(struct ast_channel *chan, char *cmd,
 			     char *parse, char *buf, size_t len)
 {
-	char *varval;
+	const char *varval;
+	char *varval2 = NULL;
 	int fieldcount = 0;
 	AST_DECLARE_APP_ARGS(args,
 			     AST_APP_ARG(varname);
@@ -55,8 +56,10 @@ static int function_fieldqty(struct ast_channel *chan, char *cmd,
 
 	AST_STANDARD_APP_ARGS(args, parse);
 	if (args.delim) {
-		pbx_retrieve_variable(chan, args.varname, &varval, buf, len, NULL);
-		while (strsep(&varval, args.delim))
+		varval = pbx_builtin_getvar_helper(chan, args.varname);
+		if (varval)
+			varval2 = ast_strdupa(varval);
+		while (strsep(&varval2, args.delim))
 			fieldcount++;
 	} else {
 		fieldcount = 1;
diff --git a/main/pbx.c b/main/pbx.c
index 230b06b9fd..9e97f12936 100644
--- a/main/pbx.c
+++ b/main/pbx.c
@@ -1097,8 +1097,7 @@ static char *substring(const char *value, int offset, int length, char *workspac
 	return ret;
 }
 
-/*! \brief  pbx_retrieve_variable: Support for Asterisk built-in variables and
-      functions in the dialplan
+/*! \brief  pbx_retrieve_variable: Support for Asterisk built-in variables
   ---*/
 void pbx_retrieve_variable(struct ast_channel *c, const char *var, char **ret, char *workspace, int workspacelen, struct varshead *headp)
 {