Eircodes, why do some courier companies not use them?

SnazzyPig · 29-05-2019 06:05PM #1

If I enter my eircode into the google search bar my exact home location turns up on the map on the right hand side of the search page and I can even click on the map and find directions to my address from anywhere in the country.

However, to-day I missed a delivery because the courier couldn't find my address and had the wrong phone number for me.

Why didn't he use my eircode to find my location?

Foweva Awone · 29-05-2019 06:07PM

As a country, we kind of made a unanimous decision not to use them.

dobman88 · 29-05-2019 06:07PM

SnazzyPig wrote: »

If I enter my eircode into the google search bar my exact home location turns up on the map on the right hand side of the search page and I can even click on the map and find directions to my address from anywhere in the country.

However, to-day I missed a delivery because the courier couldn't find my address and had the wrong phone number for me.

Why didn't he use my eircode to find my location?

Why didn't you put your eircode on the address? Every company has a space for an eircode these days. As a courier its annoying when people dont use them and their address could be awkward to find.

dobman88 · 29-05-2019 06:08PM

As a side note to my above post, if I go to a place that is hard to find I will always ask for an eircode while I'm there so we can pop it on the address in our system in case they order again, itll pop up.

JohnnyFlash · 29-05-2019 06:12PM

Loads of courier companies are starting to use them, the emergency services ask for it, and the ESB are going to use them for the smart metering rollout. Slow and steady uptake in usage.

Obvious Desperate Breakfasts · 29-05-2019 06:13PM

Foweva Awone wrote: »

As a country, we kind of made a unanimous decision not to use them.

I find they are being used more and more. And I give friends and family my eircode to pop in their sat nav if they are visiting my place for the first time. Notices on rip.ie often include them too now.

TheValeyard · 29-05-2019 06:15PM

Havent had a use for it yet.

The Satanist · 29-05-2019 06:15PM

eircode is a great system, everyone should be using it

The high horse brigade · 29-05-2019 06:19PM

Courier delivery drivers use them all the time, it's just their dispatch don't use them because they don't need them, have a working system for years but that will change with time. Just put it in your address anyway.

I use Eircode all the time. Paste it into Google maps and away you go

SnazzyPig · 29-05-2019 06:23PM

dobman88 wrote: »

Why didn't you put your eircode on the address? Every company has a space for an eircode these days. As a courier its annoying when people dont use them and their address could be awkward to find.

I ALWAYS put the eircode as the last line of the address-

Greyfox · 29-05-2019 06:28PM

Yes Eircodes are great but knowing your Eircode is still quite new so some people haven't bothered with them yet. 6 months ago the majority of people in Dublin would of had no idea what there Eircode was

dobman88 · 29-05-2019 06:31PM

SnazzyPig wrote: »

I ALWAYS put the eircode as the last line of the address-

Fair play. It didnt sound like you did from your post so apologies.

Sounds like a lazy courier then, I'd log a complaint with the company or at least contact them to find out why you didnt get the delivery. There could be a number of reasons he didnt get to you but not using an eircode when one is provided is inexcusable. They have saved me buckets of time many times.

Jupiter Mulligan · 29-05-2019 06:39PM

Maybe it's because commercial users have to pay a fee to access the Eircode system - and it's not particularly cheap.

https://www.eircode.ie/docs/default-source/Common/licensing-and-pricing-information-as-of-september-2015---published-v-3.pdf?sfvrsn=2

ILoveYourVibes · 29-05-2019 06:39PM

Foweva Awone wrote: »

As a country, we kind of made a unanimous decision not to use them.

Yeah its usually only companies outside Ireland that do.

The high horse brigade · 29-05-2019 06:41PM

Jupiter Mulligan wrote: »

Maybe it's because commercial users have to pay a fee to access the Eircode system - and it's not particularly cheap.

https://www.eircode.ie/docs/default-source/Common/licensing-and-pricing-information-as-of-september-2015---published-v-3.pdf?sfvrsn=2

Yes but the minute one of the dispatch software developer companies add it to their tracking software they'll all want it. Google, Apple, Garmin, Tom Tom have all added it. It's just a matter of time

SnazzyPig · 29-05-2019 06:54PM

dobman88 wrote: »

Fair play. It didnt sound like you did from your post so apologies.

Sounds like a lazy courier then, I'd log a complaint with the company or at least contact them to find out why you didnt get the delivery. There could be a number of reasons he didnt get to you but not using an eircode when one is provided is inexcusable. They have saved me buckets of time many times.

Maybe when people start thinking of their eircode as part of their address the courier companies will do the same.

kneemos · 29-05-2019 07:08PM

The muddle of letters and numbers was a bit unnecessary I'd have thought.
A godsend for anyone doing deliveries though, particularly to the myriad of one off houses.

jimmynokia · 29-05-2019 07:12PM

Auto Address is just as good .

OneEyedORourke · 29-05-2019 07:14PM

I would always get calls from couriers looking for directions - I haven't gotten a call since I started using my eircode regularly a few months ago. Great job!

Phileas Frog · 29-05-2019 07:16PM

Murray TheDemonic TalkingSkull wrote: »

Havent had a use for it yet.

Do you live in a cave on an isolated island with no connection to the mainland?

TheValeyard · 29-05-2019 07:20PM

Phileas Frog wrote: »

Do you live in a cave on an isolated island with no connection to the mainland?

No, I live on a street with a straight forward address in a suburban place. Easy for a competent delivery driver or postman to find.

greencap · 29-05-2019 07:29PM

kneemos wrote: »

The muddle of letters and numbers was a bit unnecessary I'd have thought.
A godsend for anyone doing deliveries though, particularly to the myriad of one off houses.

Yes. I've done some delivery work before. People with these nonsensical house names, seriously, get a number.

And commercial units that dont have a number, just their business name in a sea of neon flashing business names.

There was one business park where the unit numbers were mixed with a second number. So the package was number for 13 business park.

Get to the business park. Spend half an hour going in circles. Finally look their site on google. Its unit 300 massive, business park. Get to the unit ... it says 300/13. I **** you not.

Take this to number 13. Ok. Wheres number 13, its beside 299 in the 150 - 300 area.

Just. Why?

(edit: sorry, /rant)

murpho999 · 29-05-2019 07:31PM

Foweva Awone wrote: »

As a country, we kind of made a unanimous decision not to use them.

You need to look up what unanimous means.

Loads of people use them and it's a great system.

jk23 · 29-05-2019 07:31PM

In my line of work, using those postcodes make finding rural houses especially alot easier.

JohnnyFlash · 29-05-2019 07:46PM

www.what3words.com is a really clever idea as well around trying to find locations.

Ms2011 · 29-05-2019 07:49PM

My address is literally the village name & county. Without an eircode you wouldn't have a hope of finding my house.
Our eircode was a God send when calling an ambulance last year for an emergency, no trying to give directions while in a panicked state just gave the eircode & the ambulance drove straight to our door.

SpannerMonkey · 29-05-2019 07:52PM

Foweva Awone wrote: »

As a country, we kind of made a unanimous decision not to use them.

did we, cause i use them all the time, bloody brilliant they are, try living in a rural area and you will see what a difference they have made.

Tangatagamadda Chaddabinga Bonga Bungo · 29-05-2019 08:20PM

They are really handy to have. Was it Eamon Ryan when he was last in government that got it all started? (that's going by memory of him on Vincent Browne anyway).

I do wish that the codes didn't feel so random.

Like if I wanted a delivery to Youghal in Cork the code should be something like CKYL1234. It might have taken the eircode crew a little longer to set up, but there was truly no impediment to doing it that way. Would also be able to remember it much easier for the regular Joe.

kneemos · 29-05-2019 08:30PM

Tangatagamadda Chaddabinga Bonga Bungo wrote: »

They are really handy to have. Was it Eamon Ryan when he was last in government that got it all started? (that's going by memory of him on Vincent Browne anyway).

I do wish that the codes didn't feel so random.

Like if I wanted a delivery to Youghal in Cork the code should be something like CKYL1234. It might have taken the eircode crew a little longer to set up, but there was truly no impediment to doing it that way. Would also be able to remember it much easier for the regular Joe.

Difficult to type on mobile. All numbers or all letters would have been handier.

Agricola · 29-05-2019 08:54PM

It's a fantastic system. Have sold a good few cars privately online over the years and before the eircode it was a massive pain the hole to direct people to the house.

SPDUB · 29-05-2019 09:13PM

Tangatagamadda Chaddabinga Bonga Bungo wrote: »

They are really handy to have. Was it Eamon Ryan when he was last in government that got it all started? (that's going by memory of him on Vincent Browne anyway).

I do wish that the codes didn't feel so random.

Like if I wanted a delivery to Youghal in Cork the code should be something like CKYL1234. It might have taken the eircode crew a little longer to set up, but there was truly no impediment to doing it that way. Would also be able to remember it much easier for the regular Joe.

There was , the Irish Language lobby .

They couldn't use codes that would reference the english language version of placenames or else there would be an outcry.

They got away with it for Dublin because they could claim they were just bolting it on to an existing system.

Eircodes, why do some courier companies not use them?

Comments