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AN POST HAS been criticised for not using Eircodes – despite the government spending almost €40 million on the scheme.
Fianna Fáil Spokesperson on Communications, Climate Action and Environment, Timmy Dooley said the situation is “simply inconceivable”.
The TD received a complaint from a person who had a confidential letter delivered incorrectly to his neighbour despite his correct Eircode being marked on the envelope.
This person was told by an official customer service representative of An Post that the company ‘does not make use of Eircode when delivering post.’
Dooley said that the state has spent €38 million on developing, rolling out and advertising Eircode yet the State’s own postal delivery service doesn’t bother to use it.
He added, “What’s worse is that An Post franks post going through their system with the message ‘Remember to use your Eircode’, yet still thinks it’s acceptable to not make use of it when delivering post.”
“There is no point spending nearly €40 million in designing and advertising a scheme such as Eircode and then not using it properly.”
Asked about the criticism, a spokesperson for An Post said that the system had “most certainly” been adopted “precisely as planned – in the processing of mail. All our sorting technology has been configured to read eircodes”.
The eircode was never intended for use at the delivery end. How could or why would a post-person retain or decipher up to 800 individual non-sequential codes on thousands of letters on his or her delivery route?
That isn’t done anywhere. An Post delivery staff know their routes inside out; they know precisely the location of every address.
All mail requires a full correct postal address and we encourage customers to include the eircode as an additional line at the end of the address.
We’re asking, do you use Eircodes?
Note: This article was updated at 3pm on Friday 2 June.
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It was the state’s choice to waste that money, but then they’re good at that
No money to house homeless individuals & families but lots to waste on setting up Irish Water and eircodes while Labour & FG cut rent allowance and medical cards off the most ill children during their 5 regressive budgets
@stephen kavanagh: I used to see one guy on here, stating how they were offered a more simple geographical based system called loc8 for free. You have to wonder was it all a political backscrarch or even a brown envelope issue.
@Greg Blake: Definitely, it’s just Irish Water in another form, huge investment for very minimal return
@Greg Blake: is that loca8 thing the same as the UK cause even though my neighbours haven’t lived in Birmingham for years they still know there Dudley postcode
@Richard Cronin: i dont know the format but I assume because he said its based on the physical map, like the UK, it would start with an area/city/or grid reference code and break down further to the exact location, so the numbering is in a sequenced grid and you could easily guess a code if you knew a nearby one. In Germany any address can be found in an orderly six digit numerical code, and they’re massive.
@stephen kavanagh: The buck always ends up with the leader?
@Alois Irlmaier: I still use LOC8 it works beautifully with my Garmin and other satnavs. Those lovely people have amended their site to allow you to enter an Eircode and get the LOC8 code back.
EIrcode ONLY works for buildings. LOC8 works for anywhere in Ireland, south and north, you could be at the top of a mountain and be able to give your LOC8 code.
It’s logical and mathematical. Unlike the Eircode system, if you get a digit wrong, you are still going to be very close.
If you’ve never used it, check it out, it’s brilliant.
@Greg Blake: In Germany, the postal codes do not give an individual address but an area.
@Kevin Dillon: Exactly right, and in most cases this is a very large area. The town I grew up in has the same postcode for all areas in it, and they have about 25,000 inhabitants.
I’m really not sure what people’s reluctance to use these is?
Why would you not want your address to be more accurate?
@Abbi Cranky: I agree. When you live in a rural area it can be very handy.
Cus the gubberment came up wit it!!!
Rabble, rabble….
@Abbi Cranky: couldn’t agree more
Can’t understand why people won’t use them
Particularly in rural Ireland where their use when an ambulance is required could literally be the difference between life and death
It’s absolutely beyond me why people won’t use them
I work with the public and when I ask for their eircode for their address verification they look at me like I’ve two heads .. just learn them and use them!
@macooper: it’s dead handy, when you live on a road with no house numbers. People are just whingers and always looking for something to complain about
@Abbi Cranky: use them with every delivery. Have yet to find a courier that doesn’t ring for directions.
@Abbi Cranky: it’s not accurate. It’s a random number. How about a number for each road and a number in a sequence.
@Abbi Cranky: A postcode is useful, but An Post paid a company to create an convoluted system, instead of utilising current place names.
Also why was it called Eircode and not just postcode, like everywhere else? Because they plan on selling that data to their ‘Eircode Providers’.
@prop joe: It is great having a Post Code for each address, and for delivery companies with a package for a specific address it is perfect, but your Postman isn’t going to be delivering to a specific address, he had a route which follows a row of houses and he is not going to be checking if the Post Code matches the written address (An Post should have their automated systems do that).
As an example, the Eircode for the building next to mine in City West, whem you change the last digit from 1 to 0 or 2, the other addresses are either 5 or 20 miles away.
@Abbi Cranky: happy to answer that one, Abbi, my Eircode says I live in Sligo when I am in Leitrim! Bringing in a system making houses easy to locate made sense for the likes of DHL, but was otherwise unnecessary as local postmen and women know their locality and who the householder is generally. Since DHL can’t use it without paying for a whole new system it was utterly pointless and yet another waste of taxpayer’s money. FG have a great track record of correctly identifying a problem, and then using the problem to make money for private enterprise without alleviating the problem in the slightest, or even making it worse. What might 40 mill have done in our health system, or to help the homeless, or to reduce queues waiting for treatment?
@Conrad Shields: It’s ridiculous not to have them in sequence. First number every area, then number every road. Then have a sequence of numbers. Odd numbers south and east, even numbers on north and west of the road. That way you can find an address easily. Not just some random number where a parcel or letter can be delivered to the incorrect address because it’s difficult to know which house is which.
@Abbi Cranky: I would be happy to provide a reason.
The rural Eircodes are entirely inaccurate for a lot of rural homes. My eircode is entirely wrong and cannot be changed. I tried ordering a parcel at Christmas using my Eircode and a well known delivery firm. The package ended up on my cousins front lawn 15 miles away in another parish….
I receive 100+ parcels a year using my non Eircode address… all of which find me just fine.
@Abbi Cranky: I memorized it when they came out first but no-one ever asked for it and I’ve completely forgotten it now
@Abbi Cranky: I use it when ordering online.i think it’s great. Butmight just be ambulance that use it for addresses. I don’t think other emergency serviceshave access to it
@Abbi Cranky: It’s pointless if you live in Dublin. It’s now just your old postcode plus 4 random characters that don’t actually help anyone find your door – I’m not going to the effort of updating my address for no benefit.
Integration with google maps have made them much more relevant and helpful. Spot on for finding addresses!
@Tricia Nolan: I wouldn’t call it integration. It will show on a map the location of an eircode but it won’t give you the address.
@Tricia Nolan: I’ve found that Google maps doesn’t always get it right from an Eircode.
I use it to fill something in for ordering online
I still just use 0000
@Susannah: funny?
@Fank Pulman: Huh? Wasn’t trying to be funny, if that’s what you meant. I’m just used to the old 0000 post code. Old habits die hard. Plus, I have no idea what my eircode is.
@Susannah: I do the same – some websites require a postcode, but any code will do ..
@EvieXVI: I don’t do a huge amount of online shopping, but you’re right, any code will do. I’ve never needed my eircode, but I suppose I probably should get off my backside and learn it :)
@Susannah: I only use it online also. Maybe, as an incentive to people to use it, they should introduce a Post Code Lottery like they have in the UK. People will always jump at the chance to win a few bob.
@EvieXVI: I normally put in ar5e instead of 0000
Eircode seems to lack all common sense and logic….Code has little connection to where you live…… Missed opportunity to create a useful system….Not even Sat Navigation systems can use it…..
@John003: actually google maps uses them and they are really accurate. It’s a much quicker way of finding addresses
@John003: that was the argument when they first came out. Now every courier is using them. I use it every day. For directions to my house and it works perfectly.
In fact it is one of the best post codes systems in Europe. As it is specific to every house and not a cluster of houses like in most countries.
We need to grow with this, it’s here for the future and will benefit from it.
@Tricia Nolan: if it is actually your house that the eircode matches up to that is…
@Tricia Nolan: I use address finder app on my phone. It uses eircodes and then offers me the choice of using google maps or my installed sat nav to navigate. Really find eircodes useful
@Stephen Devlin: Have you any examples of an Eircode that doesn’t doesn’t match a house on google maps?
Ah Tricia dont be getting in the way of a good moan
@Tricia Nolan: D08 XY00 – address 4 InnsCourt – points to a building 2 doors away – and there many reports of wrong/missing Eircodes
Also this Eircode cannot be found at all on Google
P43 AK84
You should be aware that nothing to do with Eircode was ever checked so nobody knows if the right Eircodes were put in the right doors by An Post – this makes it clear that it is entirely likely that many were put in the wrong doors:
https://soundcloud.com/cado-bell/cork-gary-eircode
While I believe the system with out ANY doubt could have been implemented cheaper, it is becoming useful. The integration into google maps has made it a no brainier and should be part of all sat nav OS. I live in the sticks and the amount of time it has saved giving the ole “take the 1st left then very next right at the fork…” is great and brings people straight to the door! Speaking to the logistics drivers they agree it has saved them time and hassle by using the system for locating delievery addresses….
@Steve Smith: some facts:
http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/under-10-of-shipping-companies-use-eircode-446418.html
I think it’s still in transition. Can see it being used more and more over the next 10 years.
A letter was delivered to the wrong house, despite having the Eircode on it? How can the Eircode help put a letter throguh the right letterbox? That’s what house/apartment numbers are for. A postman cannot be expected to read these nonsensical codes to figure out which house is which.
They’re great for SatNavs and Google Maps, but no use for the postal system as they make no sense to human eyes.
@Donncha Ó Coileáin: also the article doesn’t tell us if the letter had an error in the house number or the postman was human and made a mistake. Or if the letter was registered or not.
Had the eircode been 1 digit out he never would have seen the letter.
@lavbeer: the story is here:
https://soundcloud.com/cado-bell/cork-gary-eircode
The fact that the national postal service simply refuses to use a method to make addresses more accurate is actually quite disgraceful
@Dean: you’d want too get your facts right Dean!
In fairness it was embarrassing that we didn’t have post codes, however as per normal in this country, they managed to take something that works extremely well in most other countries, and make a complete bags of it.
@Aging Lothario: No, it actually works better than other countries. It’s more accurate.
Also, people complaining it’s not sequential.
Why do they need to have their neighbours code to be similar to their own? The fact that it is individual to house means it is ideal for sat navs and phones and that would not be the case in other countries’ system.
@Ian Murphy: care to back up any of that tosh with facts?
@Ian Murphy: No it does not – it was designed as a POSTcode to sort mail to the exclusion of other working and proven codes but it is NOT usable as a POSTcode – listen:
https://soundcloud.com/cado-bell/cork-gary-eircode
@Ian Murphy: unfortunately what you suggest is the opposite from the truth – an experts opinion:
http://www.globaladdress.org/wp-content/uploads/downloads/2015/06/Eircode-Final-Rev-11.pdf
Ive never used it & if I order something online I put ” none” for my postcode & it arrives “postcode none” just another ripoff of the taxpayers!
38 million euros wasted but I suppose it was small fry compared to Irish Water debacle and a figure that can’t be quantified for offloading state assets by Noonan and his bagmen.
No
40 million? Jeeze
A pointless system, your next door neighbour has a totally different number! Designed to fail? Slow Clap, well done! Might as well track their mobile numbers, on a positive note I hear suspenders for men’s socks are making a comeback!
Can I get an ambulance for the house with the blue door? It’s light blue now not dark blue. If you get to the crossroads you’ve come too far. There’s a brown horse in the field opposite who normally looks over the wall. You can’t miss it. He’s white around the head. The last time we’d a delivery the guy was driving around looking for a brown horse and didn’t realise he wasn’t totally brown.
I find them brilliant. If u trying to find house in rural area. Put the eircode into Google on ur phone and it will direct u to the house .
@Rose: as long as you’re only going to the mathematical middle of properties where a postman calls and are prepared to drive through walls and ditches to get there….
Wasted the opportunity to have a system based on GPS and grid area, instead giving numbers jumbled out of a hat for all the thought put into it. Waste of money.
@Paul Cunningham: exactly. Your average can pinpoint you to a room in your house with GPS.
Not to mention the annual costs to administer this system.
It’s the best invention ever for the countryside with no house numbers so that couriers can deliver online shopping parcels.
When pat Spillane said they could find him by addressing letters to “Bollix” co Kerry, or words to that effect, who needs post codes?
Ridiculous system. Another waste of money.
@Deborah Behan: maybe, but the biggest obstacle to normalising it is an post – every other delivery company is using it ok, and while the code is convoluted and non-sensible, it is accurate. I wouldn’t have picked it, but it does what it is supposed to do.
@Gulliver Foyle: truth is in many cases it is not accurate. For instance the company that claims to have designed Eircode gave themselves D08 XY00 as their code. Their office is 4 InnsCourt, Wintavern Street but the code points to a point in the middle of a building 2 doors away. And more than that – if you navigate to it by Google you are brought to a road at the back from which there is no entry even to the wrong building.
There are many examples of this – Eircode was never tested – check yourself!
@Gulliver Foyle: not really:
http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/under-10-of-shipping-companies-use-eircode-446418.html
Watched on the an post tracker as a parcel with correct Eircode but missing townland sent all around the country and then back abroad to sendee. When I rang An Post they said they don’t recognise Eircodes and there was nothing they could do! Imagine trying to explain to a foreigner that Irish post don’t recognise post codes
Very easy to find the correct address especially in business parks and industrial estate’s.
If they delivered my post more quickly Yes! But at the moment it serves absolutely no purpose like the people who run this kip.
38 million euros wasted but I suppose it was small fry compared to Irish Water debacle and a figure that can’t be quantified for offloading state assets by Noonan and his bagmen.
What about these new stamps with no value on them? If there’s an obvious way to decipher how many you need on an envelope then I’ve missed it.
@Gordon Nash: ye I noticed that .. what’s that all about ?
@Suzie Sunshine: so they can raise the price without having to print new stamps…
@Nick Caffrey: makes sense I suppose. .
Unfortunately Eircode is only suitable for buildings.
That is a big drawback, the opportunity was there to make or use a universally
useable locator code which could have been used for many other purposes including safety of life at sea for example.
As it turns out it is now only used for taxing purposes with a database of houses that are being taxed by the ‘local’ ‘property’ tax.
@eastsmer #IRExit: only of course they took years thinking about it. Revenue just did it
it’s actually a fantastic system, anpost say they dont need it. however their “blackbox” method of finding houses was a monopoly, other operators can now deliver mail in Ireland a lot easily, parcel operators are currently cannibalising anpost market share. Tom http://www.citymarketing.ie/
The Eircode is brilliant, each house has their own code, I know both my own and parents off by heart and have used it in emergency, makes life a lot easier for ambulance and other emergency vehicles, even the app wave recognises eircode and brings you right to the door.
@Brianán McBride: Waze
An post doesn’t use them? Really? Well then what the F was the point then!!
Where’s I did until an important letter was delivered to my neighbour. The post codes are not in sequence time to scrap them or follow a sequence.
So the main bulk of the positive comments are around finding houses in rural areas. But loc8 had offered that for free and were illegally removed from tender because of their turnover.
The other main point being An Post not using them. Assume it would costs millions to update their systems for what benefit? The sorting office seems to work and to realistically enable the postman they would need to frank the actual address into each letter.
It will eventually gain acceptance but as usual we accept low standards.
I have just been told that my insurance company will not give me a renewal quote because the property does not have a eircode.
The funny bit is I have to apply to An Post to get one????
@P.J. Nolan: What planet are you on. Just go to the eircode site and find your number. You don’t have to “apply” for It!
@Nick Caffrey:
Eh?? I did, it doesn’t have one! I emailed eircode and they told me I would have to apply to An Post to have my address, which is 15 years old, included on their geo- directory which is updated to eircode every 3 months.
Allianz insurance won’t insure a car without an éircode.
Boycott them so, they are not cheapest in the market!
@Stephen Kelly: can’t find my car’s Eircode – where would it be? :)
@Nydon: there a problem with this: my eircode seems to have my estate associated with a nearby main road. Insurance company didn’t honour their online quotation on the basis we were not on the main road, but in a side estate – even though you need to validate the eircode. There is no option to update/correct the eircode database.
@Gulliver Foyle: Actually there is option to correct the eircode. Check their website. You can call them and correct the location or address if it’s wrong.
@astjan:
I tried that to get my house included (it didn’t have an eircode) and they sent me to An Post!
They’re a great job. Put the number into Google maps and you get the exact location.
@niall: not always the case – put this Eircode into Google Maps and see where it gets you:
P43 AK84
Bahahahahah! Only in Ireland!
2 letters in mine are “x” and “K” , not even in the Irish alphabet
@Paul Kelly: Your point is?
Not in the traditional maybe, but in the modern one we’ve words like xileafón.
Not that it matters either way.
I work in An Post and I use them when I need to
@Brian Nagle: https://soundcloud.com/cado-bell/cork-gary-eircode
Interesting poll. One option for yes, two options that are both no and one option for sometimes. The difference beteeen ‘yes’ and ‘no’ would be much different if the options were simply yes, no or sometimes.
@Lily Martin: https://soundcloud.com/cado-bell/cork-gary-eircode
I refuse to use Eircode, because it “forces” us to provide an incorrect County (in Shannon). Every time Eircode is included in letters to use, Co. Clare (which we are clearly located in) is crossed out and Co. Limerick written on it.
We were told, while geographically we belong to Co. Clare, for Eircode sorting logic, we belong to Co. Limerick.
Loc8 has my address correct, so that is what I use.
I am a Postman if somebody sends a letter with a postcode alone we have no way of checking it.
@Seamus Doyle: Correct and explained here:
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/post-cant-sort-eircode-its-postcode-gary-delaney
Not too long ago had emergency services on the phone and even they didn’t have a clue…
In the UK, you can address an envelope with just the house number or name and the Post Code and your letter will be delivered to the correct address.
Try doing that in Ireland with an Eircode. If your envelope arrives at all, it will take several months and be plastered with stickers saying incorrect address used.
Its this kind of ridiculous, backward, proprietory thinking which drives civilians all mad. What was goimg through the heads of the muppet civil servants who decided to introduce area codes which cannot be easily remembered or referenced? So much money wasted at the tax payers expense. Who is responsible for the FAILURE called eircode? Is anyone accountable for this horse sheet?
I don’t use, because an post insists my correct address is wrong.
Eircode has both my townland and county wrong.
When asked for it
Are you doing this poll every June?
http://www.thejournal.ie/eircode-poll-do-you-use-yours-2829159-Jun2016/
I don’t like repeating myself but I suppose sometimes my fat fingers let me down.
My aunt sent a letter to me with eir code as it was rural area. She got it back* return to sender* was never delivered to my eir code address. I use old system since as obvious an post doesn’t bother.
If only they could be used on Sat Nav it would make them infinitely better
@Tom Collins: it’s a longer way round, but you can enter the Eircode into
Get the LOC8 code and enter that into your satnav.
@Jane Alford: also see http://www.loc8codeapps.com
@Gary Delaney: Yes, I know about those, the website has them on the home page if that is your preferred method of access, you can download them
I use the post code every day, best thing ever developed for finding addresses
@Dermot Keogh: hardly – lat/long has more capability than Eircode!
I was living in the UK when they introduced them way back. They had a 2 tier postal system with 1st class letters set to arrive the following day. 2nd class letters took 2 – 3 days. Any letter without a post code automatically went 2 class regardless of stamp value. People soon learned to use the code.
I have to say I use them. Think they are brilliant for deliveries and that sort of thing now that it’s integrated with Google maps especially if you live in the country side.
Funny because Post Logistics requires the use of an Eircode but their insurance site doesn’t. It’s a case of having the funding to upgrade your systems to use them and An Post are losing money on traditional mail.
The irony is that An Post helped develop Eircode. An Post’s GeoDirectory address database, also used for TV licence inspection, contributed to the Eircode system.
Works great in rural areas. Community First Responders find them essential for finding a rural residence in an emergency as with Google maps it directs you straight there. The alternative is “turn left after Connies Cross and then 2nd right after blue gate, drive half a mile and look for stone pillars then turn right, etc” Whatever flaws the eircode system have are nothing vompared to that alternative. MAKE SURE YOUR GRANNY KNOWS HER EIRCODE.
I only ever used it ordering a Domino’s.
i got a demand to renew my tv license last winter but the address was wrong ( and had no postcode) I phoned up to give the correct address and gave the lady who answered the phone my correct addesss and postcode , she said ” ah sure we dont use those” UNBELIEVABLE !
@Ken Mac Intyre: https://soundcloud.com/cado-bell/cork-gary-eircode
I think anyone who lives in a rural area should know their EirCode. Stick it to the inside of your front door. It makes things so much easier for the emergency services to find you, so why wouldn’t you?!
@Alan Rothwell: if they are to use it for emergency services they should not “know” it BUT
1. Check that it is correct first (many are not)
2. Check that if used in Google it brings someone to the right entrance/access point
3. Don’t try and remember it as you will get it wrong under pressure. Place it where others have access to it if needed and make sure the correct address is written with it as a caller will be asked to verify that with the Eircode
4. Think through how you will communicate your location if you are not at a place that has an Eircode (Eircode is only for buildings that a postman calls to and many rural buildings do NOT have one!)
Eircode was not designed for Emergency use – that’s just an after thought. The Emergency services were not involved in the design or in testing it before roll-out. No process of checking eircodes after they were delivered to buildlings by An Post was ever undertaken and this whole story emerges from the fact that An Post can deliver to the wrong building – Eircode or no Eircode!
https://soundcloud.com/cado-bell/cork-gary-eircode
Apparently about E30 m was wasted on this fiasco, and that was by a F G outfit. Remember they gave out a lot about Martin Cullen and the Voting Machines one time. This along with Irish Water is the worst scandal of modern times.
I still don’t understand how it cost 38E Million to assign numbers to each home and promote it, that being said i think it’s sad that An Post and other services won’t acknowledge the eircode as a genuine postcode/zipcode, we didn’t have a post code for many years and now we have one and it doesn’t even matter, it does make things easier for international purchases and signing up to things that require a post code instead of the generic 00000, but it’s not being implemented and it has the potential to be great, the reason many don’t even bother with the eircode is because it doesn’t matter for post, you will still get it regardless of if theres no post code or the eircode, if An Post had said that they will be only accepting post with the Eircode on it people would have had to remember theirs, which was mailed to every home and could be checked online in one minute.
@Gulliver Foyle: so you expect a postal worker to memorise everyone’s Eircode? Despite already having the local knowledge to deliver post accurately to about 99.5%.
Eircode hasn’t been used to date by an post workers other than by machines in the sorting offices, and it never ever will be used by drivers. It’s fine for courier drivers who don’t know the people or the area, but not an Post who have the same route day in day out
I did think it was a stupid concept – not any more.
I have the Autoaddress App on my phone, absolutely brilliant!
Trying to deliver something or go someplace you have never been to before – just key in the
Eircode and it takes you to the door.
Eircode doesn’t work with Sat Navs but is super accurate using Google maps, so I reckon Google should have contributed to the development costs of the system.
@Al Young: so where does Eircode P43 AK84 get you on Google?
@Gary Delaney: Good point there Gary. Google can’t find it so gives the best guess at Blanch. Eircode says Cork…..
I use Eircode for deliveries as it can’t hurt. The fact that Loc8 was offered for free and refused doesn’t surprise me. Same thing happened with water meters. Can’t give a brown envelope when something is offered for free.
@Reuben Gray: and in that case a visitor will not know the difference bwteen Blanch or Cork until starts to ask questions after about 30-40Km!
They are making it up as they go along BUT to cover their skins they have bounced 999′s into using it without any verification of codes or process to ensure new/wrong codes are put in/corrected on databases quickly.
Also 10′s of 1000′s of 999 calls annually are to non Eircode locations & that is ignored. Some of those locations are buildings where people work/recreate/learn/are hospitalised but Eircode does not cater for them!
You seem to have a lot to say and all useless
have your say