What's up with the Irish?

Having trouble getting my shipments through.

[jecasc]

I have some trouble getting my parcels shipped to Ireland. Only shipments to Dublin seem to go through without problems.

At least half of my parcels are lost or are returned although the address is correct - according to the customer. Sometimes I have to ship it two or three times until a parcel arrives. Even though I always put the telephone number on the parcel.

Actually I am considering to stop shipment to Ireland completely.

What could be part of the problem is that I do not quite understand the Irish addresses. There is no postcode and often no street address or house number but simply something like "The Lodge." Usually followed by three or more names which could be town or county but I can't figure out which is which.

Anyone else having problems and any possible solutions how I can get my parcels through?

[vincevincevince]

Perhaps you need to use a different handler, or verify the formatting of the address according to the telephone directory

[piatkow]

I am not sure if I am within the rules of the forum here but Google for "Frank's Compulsive Guide to Postal Addresses".

[jecasc]

I am not sure if I am within the rules of the forum here but Google for "Frank's Compulsive Guide to Postal Addresses".

Thanks for the hint, seems to be a very useful guide:

Ireland has never had postal codes (but Dublin -- and recently also Cork -- have postal zones). The lack of postal codes makes Ireland unique among European countries. This was to change on 1 January 2008 when, according to this news release from Ireland's Minister for Communications dated 23 May 2005, an as-yet unspecified postcode system will go into effect so as to allow Irish address to be entered into Web forms that require a postcode (and, it claims, also to "address" the problem of non-unique addresses which, it says, constitute 40% of Ireland's addresses). Later, however, (August 2007), according to this article, these plans have been postponed indefinitely.

40 percent non-unique addresses! That explains quite a bit. I have tried several parcel services but there was not much of a difference.

I'd hate to stop deliveries to Ireland but if they do not come up with a solution to their postcode problem soon and I need two or three attempts to get a parcel delivered I wont have much of a choice.

But maybe its also the delivery drivers. I sometimes have the suspicion they do not even try to deliver the parcels in rural areas of Ireland.

[LifeinAsia]

I seem to remember a TV commercial a few years back about a FedEx or UPS (I don't remember which) driver who was trying to deliver a package to (common Irish name). At the first stop, the person with that name suggested it might be the (common Irish name) down the street at the other generic address. At that address, someone directs him further to a different (common Irish name). Etc... In one scene he enters the local pub and asks for (common Irish name) and almost everyone there raises htheir hands. Finally, after a dozen or more stops, he finally finds the right (common Irish name) and delivers the package.

So whichever it was, they seem to think they know how to deliver packages in Ireland, so they may be worth a try.

[bwnbwn]

You know it is almost crazy now to ship internatioan in certian sectors I quit several years ago when customs took a 200 dollar order and the customer did a chage back even though it is on our policy they will be responsible for the charge if this happens.

Billed for custom charges lost packages non deliveries and reship losing money etc and etc. I am pretty much sticking in my country and done with international even though I get an average of 1 2 emails a day asking if we ship to this and or that country. Been down that road already will leave it to a new comer to learn that lesson as I did.

But of course this is just in my ecommerce sector I am sure there are some much easier to ship to but from reading other post I don't think I am alone.