nav[aria-label="Primary Navigation"] { padding: 0; & ul { list-style: none; width: 100%; display: flex; flex-direction: row; justify-content: start; align-items: start; gap: 30px; padding: 0; & li { margin: 0; } & ul li { list-style: none; } } }

Child Item

Eircode - its implemetation (merged)

beveragelady

I called An Post today to try to sort out a problem with deliveries. The customer service chap was very helpful and I think it all got sorted.
The thing is, I tried to give him my Eircode because I live at a vague rural address but he said that they're not using them because the system isn't set up.
Amazed!
It's bad enough that they're no good to users of satnavs or google maps, but this is just astonishing. Can anybody explain how this could have been launched to such fanfare when it's all but meaningless?

Find more posts tagged with

Quick Links

Comments

my3cents

Did you try clearing your cache and or rebooting the router?

marmurr1916

Interesting.

I've now tried that method with three different partial Eircodes (T12 A, T12 F and D03 N).

In each case I've got 49 separate address (i.e. 49 x T12 A***, 49 x T12 F*** and 49 x D03 N***) results.

I'm not sure if this means there are only 49 addresses with those characters, or if An Post restricts the total number of addresses you can view each time by using this method to 49 addresses per search.

If the latter, then you can get a maximum of 735 results per day from the An Post website (http://correctaddress.anpost.ie/pages/Search.aspx), combined with 50 per day from the Eircode Finder website.

That's a maximum total of 785 free results per day, or 286,525 free results per year without using the Chrome extension.

Would most SMEs in Ireland need more than 286,525 free results per year?

marmurr1916

gctest50 wrote: »

You get 50 free lookups a day, what more do you want ?

Business ? get off the training wheels and act like one

Royal Mail permits 50 free searches of its address/postcode database per day. I'm not sure why Eircode should be more generous.

If you go to the An Post website, you get 15 free searches per day, but if you type in T12 A into the 'Enter Eircode' box and hit return, you will get a list ofaddresses that contain the characters T12 A***, a total of 49 separate addresses is displayed.

Do that for different Eircodes (e.g. type in T12 F and you'll get 49 x T12 F*** results) and you'll get many more than 15 results per day.

So you can get 50 results per day from the Eircode Finder website, and a multiple of 15 results (up to 735) per day from the An Post website for free.

And if you know about the free Chrome extension for the Eircode Finder website, you can over-ride the 50 searches per day limit and get unlimited free searches on that website.

Simply type the words 'free chrome extension eircode finder' into Google and you're sorted!

Edit:

I've now tried the partial Eircode method with three different partial Eircodes (T12 A, T12 F and D03 N) on the An Post website.

In each case I've got 49 separate address (i.e. 49 x T12 A***, 49 x T12 F*** and 49 x D03 N***) results.

I'm not sure if this means there are only 49 addresses with those characters, or if An Post restricts the total number of addresses you can view each time by using this method to 49 addresses per search.

If the latter, then you can get a maximum of 735 results per day from the An Post website, combined with 50 per day from the Eircode Finder website.

That's a maximum total of 785 free results per day, or 286,525 free results per year without using the Chrome extension.

Would most SMEs in Ireland need more than 286,525 free results per year?

marmurr1916

ukoda wrote: »

I thought we were getting a thread for this when the National Postcodes thread was closed, but apparently not. So I've started one.

Where have you seen eircode being used?

Today I noticed the An Post address checker has been updated to include eircode

http://correctaddress.anpost.ie/pages/Search.aspx

If you type in T12 A into the 'Enter Eircode' box and hit return, you will get a list of all the addresses that contain the characters T12 A***, a total of 49 separate addresses.

Combined with the 50 per day searches that you can do on the eircode finder website (a limit which can be over-ridden by a free Chrome extension - search the National Postcodes To Be Introduced thread or Google 'free chrome extension eircode finder'), it might be handy for people who want to build address/eircode databases on the cheap.

If you get 735 results (15 x 49) from the An Post website per day, plus 50 from the Eircode Finder website, you'd have 7,850 correct postal addresses, complete with Eircodes, after 10 days.

Not bad for a small local business that might want to confine direct mail marketing to (part of) one Eircode routing code area.

Over a year you could build up, for free, an accurate database of An Post preferred format postal addresses, complete with Eircodes, and end up with 286,525 entries, or many more if you used the free Chrome extension referred to above.

L1011

New passport forms ask for it, but it wasn't printed on the envelope sent out.

gctest50

Sam Russell wrote: »

.......

The post code is a piece of infrastructure that should be free to use just like the phone book.

You have 49 searches left today.

You get 50 free lookups a day, what more do you want ?

Business ? get off the training wheels and act like one

Sam Russell

oscarBravo wrote: »

Yes. If you ignore tolls, it's the same thing. But if you don't ignore tolls...?

There are only a dozen tolls - many more motorways, and lorries routinely avoid the tolls, but benefit from the rest of the motorway system, not to mention the other upgraded roads.

The post code is a piece of infrastructure that should be free to use just like the phone book.

oscarBravo

Sam Russell wrote: »

Is that not the same as upgrading the national road to motorway to allow freight to be delivered cheaper and quicker at no extra cost (except for the dozen or so tolls)?

Yes. If you ignore tolls, it's the same thing. But if you don't ignore tolls...?

clewbays

plodder wrote: »

Each level of hierarchy allows possibility for sorting etc without having to pay anyone for database lookups.

What did database lookups mean in the 1950s when other countries introduced their systems? Computers, ATMs, rockets, mobile phones, satellites - how many systems designed in the 1950s are ignoring all of these advances in technology and persisting in using human labour instead.

Sam Russell

I was going to start a new thread but thought the 'An Post not using Eircode' was doing the job.

Thanks for saving me the job.

Sam Russell

oscarBravo wrote: »

Why are we so hung up on the idea that postcodes should allow private companies to gain commercial advantage at no cost to them but instead at the taxpayers' expense?

Is that not the same as upgrading the national road to motorway to allow freight to be delivered cheaper and quicker at no extra cost (except for the dozen or so tolls)?

Those upgrades benefit the haulage companies at the states expense. Haulage companies have benefited from the huge reduction in road tax in the last budget.

Haulage companies are private companies, aren't they?

oscarBravo

Why are we so hung up on the idea that postcodes should allow private companies to gain commercial advantage at no cost to them but instead at the taxpayers' expense?

plodder

ukoda wrote: »

To be fair. Most postcodes just represent a large area, similar to eircode routing keys and don't go down to a small area

It varies based on the size of the country. At a guess, I would say that most countries postcodes have at least three levels of hierarchy, two more than Eircode.

Each level of hierarchy allows possibility for sorting etc without having to pay anyone for database lookups.

ukoda

plodder wrote: »

Of course they are different, but what do they have in common that Eircode doesn't have? They are hierarchical down to relatively small areas, and each code refers to an area rather than an individual property.

To be fair. Most postcodes just represent a large area, similar to eircode routing keys and don't go down to a small area

plodder

ukoda wrote: »

Yes. It would be easier for them to be lazy if it copied the UK model. What do the rest of the worlds postcodes look like?

I'll give you a clue. They are all different.

Of course they are different, but what do they have in common that Eircode doesn't have? They are hierarchical down to relatively small areas, and each code refers to an area rather than an individual property.

In particular, the granularity of the routing key is inefficient due to its large geographic coverage based on the national postal sort centres and in turn becomes redundant. Also the non-sequential unique identifier creates significant logistics and IT challenges. To put this into context, DHL currently has 3.4m postcode-ranges in its databases for all countries in the world that operate a postcode. With Eircode we would need to add a minimum of 2.2m entries just for Ireland which adds its implementation costs as well as risk.

That's a big difference. You can't claim on one hand that Eircode is unique and the first of a kind etc, and then when people point out the problems with that, then say all postcodes are unique

anothernight

ukoda wrote: »

Tell me this so, how can Nightline integrate eircode into their systems and processes and DHL can't?

Doesn't something seem a bit off to you when one courier company can use eircode and publicly say they fully support it and that it will help their business, but another one (DHL) say it's not workable?

What's the difference between the 2?

They didn't say it's not workable. They simply stated they're not willing to make it work at this moment because they don't want to change their current system (meaning, they don't feel like spending money on it). If you have a problem with that, fine. I simply don't care.

I was only worried that I was misreading a very simple sentence, since the meaning I took from it was completely different to the (weirdly UK-centric) meaning you took from it. That's all.

EDIT: Sorry, I forgot to actually reply to your question. Correct me if I'm wrong, but as far as I'm aware Nightline only operates in Ireland. It'd be a lot easier for them to implement new things as their IT systems are bound to be less complex than those used by internationally-operating companies. Making Eircode optional, rather than a compulsory part of the address could sway international businesses to not bother with the costs of accommodating it. Sure, why would they if they don't really have to use it anyway? Unless there's a profit advantage or they're obliged to make changes, not many businesses want to change.

ukoda

anothernight wrote: »

*sigh*

Call them liars if you want. Not my problem. I can see how they can cope with other postcodes and not Eircode but if you can't and don't want to believe it, that's your issue. At least I know my reading comprehension is still fine. I was worried there for a sec!

Tell me this so, how can Nightline integrate eircode into their systems and processes and DHL can't?

Doesn't something seem a bit off to you when one courier company can use eircode and publicly say they fully support it and that it will help their business, but another one (DHL) say it's not workable?

What's the difference between the 2?

http://www.nightline.ie/news/item/nightline-group-welcomes-the-introduction-of-eircodes/

Read that

ukoda

hans aus dtschl wrote: »

Any chance they're referring to the fact that postcode lookups in Ireland cost money? Genuine question.

Maybe, but large scale look ups in the UK incure a cost too, in fact it's the same model as eircode.

anothernight

ukoda wrote: »

So what you're saying is that they can cope with every other postcode in the world, all variations, all different set ups, all lengths, all the ones with granular locality and all the ones with none, but when it comes to eircode they are somehow stumped?

etc etc

*sigh*

Call them liars if you want. Not my problem. I can see how they could cope with other postcodes and not Eircode but if you can't and don't want to believe it, that's your issue. At least I know my reading comprehension is still fine. I was worried there for a sec!

hans aus dtschl

ukoda wrote: »

So what you're saying is that they can cope with every other postcode in the world, all variations, all different set ups, all lengths, all the ones with granular locality and all the ones with none, but when it comes to eircode they are somehow stumped?

Like I said, if it was the same as the UK one, they'd have to do nothing. And it really boils down to them not wanting to spend anything. Their infrastructure is decades old, they are reluctant to upgrade it to add anything new. Bearing in mind all other postcodes are well established for decades meaning they work with their outdated tech. Do you get it now? Don't believe their nonsense.

They are using the anti eircode bandwagon to keep the status quo and as an excuse to do nothing and spend nothing.

Have they turned around to any other country and told them their postcode isn't workable? No they have not.

Any chance they're referring to the fact that postcode lookups in Ireland cost money? Genuine question.

ukoda

anothernight wrote: »

I know they're all different. I've lived in a bunch of different countries, all of which had their own postcodes (Ireland excepted, when I lived there).

DHL are saying that their system works with all other postcodes, UK or not, except the Irish one. I honestly can't see how you're interpreting "Unlike the rest of the world’s postcodes" to mean "Unlike the UK postcode".

So what you're saying is that they can cope with every other postcode in the world, all variations, all different set ups, all lengths, all the ones with granular locality and all the ones with none, but when it comes to eircode they are somehow stumped?

Like I said, if it was the same as the UK one, they'd have to do nothing. And it really boils down to them not wanting to spend anything. Their infrastructure is decades old, they are reluctant to upgrade it to add anything new. Bearing in mind all other postcodes are well established for decades meaning they work with their outdated tech. Do you get it now? Don't believe their nonsense.

They are using the anti eircode bandwagon to keep the status quo and as an excuse to do nothing and spend nothing.

Have they turned around to any other country and told them their postcode isn't workable? No they have not.

anothernight

ukoda wrote: »

Yes. It would be easier for them to be lazy if it copied the UK model. What do the rest of the worlds postcodes look like?

I'll give you a clue. They are all different.

I know they're all different. I've lived in a bunch of different countries, all of which had their own postcodes (Ireland excepted, when I lived there).

DHL are saying that their system works with all other postcodes, UK or not, except the Irish one. I honestly can't see how you're interpreting "Unlike the rest of the world’s postcodes" to mean "Unlike the UK postcode".

ukoda

anothernight wrote: »

Wtf? Did you read the same thing I did? "Unlike the rest of the world’s postcodes" means "unlike the UK postcode" now?

Yes. It would be easier for them to be lazy if it copied the UK model. What do the rest of the worlds postcodes look like?

I'll give you a clue. They are all different.

anothernight

ukoda wrote: »

What's embarrassing is DHL are still using a technology designed for use with the 1960's UK postcode and that they refuse to modernise their technology. That statement from them is pure arrogance.

ANY postcode that isn't the UK one would require new software. They need to suck it up and invest in Ireland.

Wtf? Did you read the same thing I did? "Unlike the rest of the world’s postcodes" means "unlike the UK postcode" now?

moyners

ukoda wrote: »

http://correctaddress.anpost.ie/pages/Search.aspx

An Post website address checker updated to use eircode.

Can we change the thread title now....

Finally! It only took them 5 months - still better late than never. I see DCENR have utilised it to allow people to see if they're in an area targeted by the National Broadband Plan (although that's no guarantee either

)

http://www.dcenr.gov.ie/communications/en-ie/Broadband/Pages/National-Broadband-Plan-Map-.aspx#

plodder

TheChizler wrote: »

Isn't that true of ALL national postcodes?

I think what they mean is that they can sort their deliveries just by looking at the postcode in other countries, but not here without licensing the ECAD and writing special software to map the random codes into usable areas.

ukoda

I thought we were getting a thread for this when the National Postcodes thread was closed, but apparently not. So I've started one.

Where have you seen eircode being used?

Today I noticed the An Post address checker has been updated to include eircode

http://correctaddress.anpost.ie/pages/Search.aspx

I asked Electric Ireland today when I was talking to them and they said it will be on the bills "shortly"

DCENR asking for it if you want to check the national broadband rollout:

http://www.dcenr.gov.ie/communications/en-ie/Broadband/Pages/National-Broadband-Plan-Map-.aspx

Anyone have other examples of its use?

ukoda

anothernight wrote: »

That's just embarrassing.

What's embarrassing is DHL are still using a technology designed for use with the 1960's UK postcode and that they refuse to modernise their technology. That statement from them is pure arrogance.

ANY postcode that isn't the UK one would require new software. They need to suck it up and invest in Ireland.

ukoda

http://correctaddress.anpost.ie/pages/Search.aspx

An Post website address checker updated to use eircode.

Can we change the thread title now....

[Deleted User]

my3cents wrote: »

Unofficially my postman uses Eircode, talking him today about it. He has a few of the same surnames living at different locations with the same address so now that some people have started using Eircode he looks them up on his own mobile phone.

Well just goes to show that it does have a use, despite the wishes of some here.