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Original poster

Stupidly put wrong postcode

27 replies

ChocolateRiver · 16/09/2021 16:02

Hi everyone, does anyone have any experience of putting the wrong postcode on a parcel? I ordered something quite expensive online this afternoon but have accidentally got the postcode wrong (accidentally typed T instead of R). It’s only the last letter that is wrong not the whole thing. The rest of the address is right too. I’ve put a postcode that is just a few streets away from my own. Do you think my item will still get here? I tried to contact the company but it’s already been posted. I’m a bit worried now. Thanks everyone.

OP posts:
InnPain · 16/09/2021 16:06

I was going to suggest contacting the company but that’s no use as they’ve already posted it out. Have you tried to google the post code you entered just to see if it’s a legitimate address?

DeletedByAccident · 16/09/2021 16:07

Who did they send it with?
If Royal Mail it should get to you -eventually! I’ve had stuff delivered that has spent a couple of weeks in the postal system thanks to the senders printer needing new ink and sending my parcel to South Wales instead of England.
Courier -no clue? If it’s tracked they often send a ‘where can we deliver it if you won’t be in’ message so you can amend delivery.
If it can’t be delivered it will be returned to sender.

Original poster
ChocolateRiver · 16/09/2021 16:09

@InnPain yes it’s a legitimate address. It’s the postcode of a street a few roads away from my own so very close. It might even be the same postman.

OP posts:
atleastitswarm · 16/09/2021 16:09

It will arrive. I once put my new address down (street, area, town, county - all the info) and then put my old postcode which was absolutely nowhere near my new address! Still got delivered to my new address Smile

Original poster
ChocolateRiver · 16/09/2021 16:10

@DeletedByAccident yes I think it is Royal Mail.

OP posts:
Original poster
ChocolateRiver · 16/09/2021 16:11

@atleastitswarm thanks, that’s very reassuring. It’s only the very last letter that is wrong so if yours made it to you hopefully mine will too.

OP posts:
InnPain · 16/09/2021 16:14

Most likely you’ll be notified if it’s delivered so if it goes to that address at least you know and you can pop down and retrieve it.

Original poster
ChocolateRiver · 16/09/2021 16:17

@InnPain sorry, I meant that the postcode is a real postcode but it won’t match the street name on the parcel. My street name is right.

OP posts:
Shelddd · 16/09/2021 16:19

Delivery should be to the address not the post code, post code is just used for sorting... if its really a couple streets over it's probably same person delivering it so it will probably get to you.

Itonlymakesyoustronger · 16/09/2021 16:22

I had something like this happen a few weeks back, but I was the receiving end of the wrong address. The lady who was meant to receive the parcel, posted a letter with her number stating the situation she was in, and if I receive the parcel to call her. And that is exactly what I did.

so maybe write a note and post it through the door, or just knock on the door and explain.

Shelddd · 16/09/2021 16:24

@Itonlymakesyoustronger

I had something like this happen a few weeks back, but I was the receiving end of the wrong address. The lady who was meant to receive the parcel, posted a letter with her number stating the situation she was in, and if I receive the parcel to call her. And that is exactly what I did.

so maybe write a note and post it through the door, or just knock on the door and explain.

Not really same situation since in your case it was wrong address not wrong post code.
Antinerak · 16/09/2021 16:27

It will arrive, they usually go by the main part that is consistant rather than one wrong detail.

Bargebill19 · 16/09/2021 16:28

Ime it depends on the sender. So if they just use the postcode to select the address from the Royal Mail drop down box, it will go to the other postcode address. However, if they manually type in the address, Royal Mail will 99% of the time deliver to the address not the postcode.
If it’s anyone other than Royal Mail, 99% of the time, it will go to the wrong address but right postcode.

Guess how I know!

Original poster
ChocolateRiver · 16/09/2021 16:28

Yes, my address is correct. It’s just the very last letter of the postcode that’s wrong. It should be DR at the end and I’ve typed DT by accident and not realised until it’s too late. @Shelddd thanks very much. My address is right and it’ll go to the same sorting office so hopefully it’ll be ok.

OP posts:
Marmite27 · 16/09/2021 16:30

It should be fine. I once ordered a fridge and put my parents postcode rather than mine in the next county.

I thought the delivery guys would be furious, but they just laughed.

Original poster
ChocolateRiver · 16/09/2021 16:30

@Bargebill19 sounds like you have some experience with this! It’s Royal Mail do hopefully it’ll get here 🤞

OP posts:
Queenoftheashes · 16/09/2021 16:33

I did this a few weeks ago - I ended up complaining to the retailer and then realised what I’d done. Then the books arrived the next day, strangely. Presumably they went to one address, then got returned and then they worked it out and it ended up at the right place.

Bargebill19 · 16/09/2021 16:33

Yep! My postcode is the same as a neighbouring business. Only the last two letters are swapped eg I’m AB and they are BA ….. I field an awful lot of deliveries (annoying as I now work Niigata) and have come home to several large items such as golf carts and cookers delivered to me - but meant for the business.

Original poster
ChocolateRiver · 16/09/2021 16:35

@Queenoftheashes I’m not sure it could be delivered to somewhere else. Unless of course they ignore the street name on the label.

OP posts:
Littleants · 16/09/2021 16:39

Royal Mail is very practised at things like this. My granny addressed a letter to the wrong county for me and it arrived. Bill Bryson wrote that he would receive letters where the poster had only put his county as an address; whereas in the States everything in an address had to be perfect or the postal service would not even attempt delivery.

Queenoftheashes · 16/09/2021 16:41

I assumed they’d delivered it to the same number on the street the postcode took them to… but it may have just been delayed, no idea really. All I know is it took ages but arrived.

Derbee · 16/09/2021 16:47

I’m sure it will get to you. One letter difference will be fine.

NerdyBird · 16/09/2021 16:51

I recently posted a letter with the correct street address but with the postcode for a different street in the same town and the person still got it. Royal Mail are v good at that sort of thing.

Original poster
ChocolateRiver · 16/09/2021 17:02

Thanks everyone, starting to feel a bit more hopeful that I’ll get my parcel now. I suspect it could even be the same postman who delivers to the other postcode.

OP posts:
BarbaraofSeville · 16/09/2021 18:07

Sorry to be the bearer of (potential) bad tidings but I once accidentally managed to address a parcel with my home address and my work postcode, ie nn my street my town work postcode and it went into a bizarre ether where I could see online it been sent around various sorting offices in my city but never actually being delivered.

When I realised what had happened, I told them this and then it got even stranger because they said they couldn't deliver it to either my work or home address as this would be fraud and 'tampering with the mail' which is akin to treason apparently and they said the only thing they could do was return it to sender, which I didn't want as it had come from overseas and it was of a value that was too high to write off, but probably not enough for the effort it would have taken to get a refund.

I think I then sent in a formal complaint pointing out the lunacy of the situation and I eventually got my item, which was crap for the money anyway. Hmm.

So hopefully your postie will be more sensible than this, recognise what is probably a common mistake and you'll get your parcel as expected. Perhaps look out for them and explain in person?

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