I can only agree with Gerard Bennett (January 11th) that Eircode was a huge waste of money. I was awaiting a package from Hong Kong. Using internet tracking I watched it make its way to Cork, from where it was quickly returned to Hong Kong.
The reason An Post gave was that it could not tell where to deliver the package as the address was incomplete. I consulted the company with whom I had placed the order, and they had left a line out of the postal address. However, it did have my name and the Eircode right. I contacted An Post to ask why that could not have been used? The answer was that it did not have the technology to look up the Eircode.
Matthew Lyons,
Charleville,
Co Cork.
FIGHT!
Getting used to Eircode (Irish Times letters page)
Previously: In Defence Of Eircode
FUBAR!
Time to dump this incompetent, malevolent administration in the nearest bog hole.
um,. do you have an address for that bog?
M84-33-WR5
http://www.loc8.ie/M84-33-WR5
Enjoyable
“The answer was that it did not have the technology to look up the Eircode.”
Eh, the internet? Are they saying that they don’t have access to the internet?
It takes time to go to a computer and look up things on the internet.
And anyway it is haunted in there. Dave was in there earlier and he saw a spooky ghost and now there is ectoplasm everywhere.
:)
Very :)
are you seriously expecting An Post front line staff to sort mail by running to the 1 and only admin PC in the corner of their manual sorting office to interpret a random code with offers no benefit to them on their route?. In the early days one or two postmen lookup codes on their phones whilst sorting but why should they be taking the cost of a failed postcode?
If An Post was using Eircode as is claimed by Minister White, DCENR and Eircode contractors, then the hundreds of manual An Post sorting offices in Ireland would be updated with automation to handle Eircode resulting in many job losses and route rationalisation. The fact is that An Post have a High Court Decision in their favour, won whilst the Eircode tender was in its final stages, allowing them insist on a full postal address or else mail will not be delivered. This is eactly why Minister Rabbitte announced that Eircode was optional.
Can I remind people that an Ass. Sec. of Dept. Of Communications told the Public Accounts Committee that Loc8 Code could not be considered for the National Postcode because it would not support the manual inward and outward sorting of mail by An Post. We are now finding out that because of the random nature of Eircode, it definitely cannot be used for that purpose yet Minister White and his Departmental officials continue to preside over the wastage of €50 million of taxpayers money on it.
Nobody expects them to be using “the one and only PC in the corner”. People expect them to be properly equipped to look up the postcodes. That’s the point.
But George, Eircode is not any use to them as a postcode. Because of its irrational random design, it cannot be used in any manual sense. The hundreds of manual sorting offices would have to be automated at huge cost to do anything with Eircode.. An Post quoted the postcode consultants that it would cost between €27 and €37 million to adopt postcodes and as the mail business is loss making there is no justification for that kind of expenditure;- especially when at the Oirecahtas Committee hearings on Eircode, the Mail boss of An Post stated that Eircode would not improve its next day delivery service beyond its current 98% record.
The issue here is that An Post never needed a postcode and are now not using it but the irrational random design is claimed to have been implemented to suit An Post. So there are many lies being told and meanwhile, those who needed a useful postcode like the Couriers and the Emergency Services cannot use Eircode either!
What I dislike about this is that ordinary postmen are now set up to take the brunt of Eircode’s criticism when it is Minister White, the Dept of Communications and An Post senior management who conspired to deliver the fiasco that is Eircode in the interest of protectionism.
What a joke! How much money is wasted per year?
Its handy to put in on those websites in the US that require a postcode.
That’s worth 50 mill…right?
If our postal service is not using Eircodes, then Eircodes are not serving a purpose. So, considering how much they cost the taxpayer, why do we have them?
To give a few people at the top good salaries of course.
This
The purpose of eircode is to give each property a unique address, not for the purposes of delivering mail or even to assist the emergency services but to enable Revenue to collect taxes.
An Post won’t use it
Irish Fire and Emergency Services Association (IFESA) have said the code is dangerous and will cost lives.
Data Protection Commission has voiced serious concerns
Tender process was flawed
As usual in Ireland, the entire saga stinks of corruption. Time to ditch the blueshirts
But the whole postcode fiasco has been going on for at least 10 years – if not more. So I don’t think it is fair to blame FG.
Nail on the head. These postcodes have been implemented to facilitate the collection of regressive household taxes.
Well we have them because regardless of what anyone says they are a solution to a problem.
However all involved in the process were the type of people who couldn’t be told they were doing it wrong and just ignored all advice to plough through and finish the job regardless.
I would imagine the consultancy fees were so high because they had to repeat themselves to the brick wall over and over again.
Consultants? You mean ex civil servants who received payments way in excess of their original contracts.
Serves him right for using eircode.
Duh. That’s why it’s called an EirCode and not a PostCode – you can’t use it on post.
Tell me again what reason is given for not just lifting a working system from another country and using it here? Leap Card, EirCodes, great time and expense for systems markedly inferior to ones that have been around for decades elsewhere.
I’m thinking that lifting a working system from another country would not require the “correct” consultants, & so would be beneficial to nobody except the people.
ahjayzis , what is wrong with the Leapcard? how is inferior to other systems?
In that on a bus you need to speak to the driver – which slows things down even more than the old paper tickets where you just hopped on, hopped off.
yeah if you just swipe the card against the machine on the right it just takes off the most expensive fare.
Also they cannot be topped up online.
you only need to talk to the driver if you aren’t going a full fare distance.
I use it daily without (having to) talk to the driver.
My thinking here is why An Post shouldn’t start using the codes and let the job losses and rationalisation. go ahead? No point in staying in the dark ages just to save a few jobs!
If eircode actually worked and worked well and saved money an Post would jump on it. However as it is utter bog you can probably imagine why they would not invest any time or money in eircode.
And post are keeping the job losses & rural post office closures quiet until after the General Election.
The €22.6 million was a sweetener to achieve this.
Forget integration costs to current solutions etc…
How much does it cost for unlimited access to the EirCode DB.
Simple question.
Yet another NATIONAL embarrassment.
Dear Sir,
Is this a record?
Kind regards,
Meh.