Postcode sends you to the wrong place

[UTH]

Apologies for the messy attempt at a drawing below, I'm aware that giving away where you live online isn't a good idea so I've tried to use an example very similar to where I actually live.

My postcode, if you put it into Google maps or satnav etc will take you exactly to where the red dot is. Which is a dead end/cul de sac.
If I actually live where the yellow dot is, getting people/deliveries etc to my house is sometimes rather a pain, as naturally they put the postcode into satnav and just follow that. It's fine telling friends and family to ignore satnav and just aim for the house number, but some delivery companies, and in this instance I'm actually thinking of the McDonald's app (yes, I know, don't use them, they're rubbish, it's rubbish food etc) can't seem to read the 'additional notes' where I try and explain they should look for the house number, and they blindly follow the postcode, get stuck and often just give up.

I'm assuming the answer is no, but is there anything that can be done here? Is it possible for an extra postcode to be added to an area to be linked to a specific house?

I hope I've explained the situation clearly, not sure it makes perfect sense, but it's a rather annoying situation sometimes.

[UTH]

[boyse7en]

Can you supply the What3words location to the notes on orders? Some might use it

[UTH]

boyse7en said:

Can you supply the What3words location to the notes on orders? Some might use it

Hmmm, good point, might be worth trying to put that in the notes and see what happens.

Although as mentioned with McDonald's (can you tell I'm hungover and craving a Big Mac) they don't manage to read the fact I say "Please look for house number X" so not sure What3words wouldn't just baffle them further.

[dundarach]

You're fortunate, this whole area is HU74NR in Hull for example:

No idea how they manage it, not even the same roads and some of the roads are probably quicker walking to a house whose address is actually one of the other roads.

[superpp]

is there anyway to determine what satnavs think the post code is for your house and use that instead?

maybe trial and error just changing the last letter

[bigandclever]

Problem is, of course, postcodes aren't meant to be used for exact geographical location. It's a user error on the part of the drivers. Have you checked you're using the correct postcode with the Royal Mail? There's a mechanism somewhere to contact them for a change in code, maybe they'll be helpful.

[UTH]

superpp said:

is there anyway to determine what satnavs think the post code is for your house and use that instead?

maybe trial and error just changing the last letter

So I did actually do exactly that, and I found there is one postcode with one letter difference that does get you slightly closer to my house, and not in that cul de sac, so people quickly then work out to look for the house number, so that works a lot of the time.

But.....and going back to the McDonald's thing again, their app insists on you putting your postcode in, to then choose your house number from the dropdown menu. So the only way to choose my actual house is by putting the 'cul de sac' postcode into the app, if you see what I mean?

[Slow.Patrol]

I have vague recollections of getting a marker changed on Google maps once. It was a local vets which was shown on Google Maps in the wrong street.

I think I did it via my Google account.

[UTH]

dundarach said:

You're fortunate, this whole area is HU74NR in Hull for example:

No idea how they manage it, not even the same roads and some of the roads are probably quicker walking to a house whose address is actually one of the other roads.

Oh blimey, so similar to my situation but much worse! Guessing they never get their Big Macs! LOL

[Mr Pointy]

I don't understand why anyone would think a postcode on it's own gets you to a particular house or even street?

[mmm-five]

Mr Pointy said:

I don't understand why anyone would think a postcode on it's own gets you to a particular house or even street?

Rural ones are even worse. My mate lives in Cornwall, and the postcode covers a few square miles, but only about 10 properties.

We're lucky that our postcode only covers 8 houses in a very small road.

[Spare tyre]

I put what three words on
Large.goat.molestor

Also “house with blue fence”

Also the google short code thing


Our numbers in our road are not in order, due to houses being built in gardens, then big houses being knocked down and access changing but numbers not, really confusing

I also fine having a large number on the door, the house AND on the gate (where it can be seen) helps

The amount of times I go to a house and they have a number on the door at waist heigh, but there are three cars on the drive and a bush in the way is frustrating

[Slow.Patrol]

Spare tyre said:

I also fine having a large number on the door, the house AND on the gate (where it can be seen) helps

The amount of times I go to a house and they have a number on the door at waist heigh, but there are three cars on the drive and a bush in the way is frustrating

I often find this is the case.

I lived in my previous village for 30 years and would regularly deliver leaflets, so I knew every house. So often on Facebook someone would post that they hadn't received a delivery. And I would know straight away it was because they didn't have a clearly displayed house name or number.

[Nomme de Plum]

You have a house number and street address and a maybe some notable features.

In the good old days we had Ordinance survey maps with Latitude and Longitude.

Those Lats and Longs still exist and can be ascertained on your smartphone.

It's also pretty easy to use compass points when giving directions along again with noticeable features.

[beko1987]

Part of my day job is dataset and mapping layer creation at postcode level across the UK, some of the shapes are REALLY annoying. The fens etc are a pain as each postcode is about half a mile wide and 4 miles long, some postcodes cross other ones, go across train lines or motorways and other annoying features.

On older towns it looks more laid out and planned, but where the new 8000 houses have been tacked on the road shapes and area structure goes really messy which makes it more of a pain to carve up efficiently

[LunarOne]

I wouldn't suggest using the wrong postcode, even if it does line up more geographically with your physical house, as it will likely be someone else's address and your deliveries might end up going to them. Instead I'd find a way to bury a W3W address in your address, perhaps by using the house name field of any address form. Or you could even replace your name with the W3W address:

Mr. What3Words App
Stranded.Goat.Logarithm
5 The Avenue
Lostville
TW4 TTY

[48k]

A postcode represents an area of houses - usually about 15 houses but can be over 100. So you're just unlucky that your house isn't falling exactly under the centre of the postcode area and your McDonalds delivery driver isn't bothering to look too hard at the house numbers.

If you are a business, you can apply to Royal Mail to have a unique postcode (they change the last two letters of your existing postcode to something unique to your specific address).

Assuming you are not a business there's nothing you can really do.

Edited by 48k on Friday 7th July 13:24

[TwigtheWonderkid]

LunarOne said:

Mr. What3Words App
Stranded.Goat.Logarithm
5 The Avenue
Lostville
TW4 TTY

The last 3 letters of the postcode is a number and 2 letters, not 3 letters. TW4 7TY

[LunarOne]

TwigtheWonderkid said:

LunarOne said:

Mr. What3Words App
Stranded.Goat.Logarithm
5 The Avenue
Lostville
TW4 TTY

The last 3 letters of the postcode is a number and 2 letters, not 3 letters. TW4 7TY

Yes I know. I realised after I'd pressed submit and was going to quickly edit it. But then I thought "No, never mind. The postcode is not the relevant bit here".

I knew someone would let me know I'd made a mistake - this is PH after all!