Tom Tom not allowing proper postcodes

[Loose rivets]

It's almost new, wide-ish screen but I don't know the model. Trying to program a postcode into it today did not allow the space - well, there was no way of putting the space in. Also it referred to the code as the zip code which of course does not have a space. Okay, wrong map? Showed the route through Essex, and indeed, showed a Union Flag symbol. Just borrowing this one tomorrow, but don't know TT 'OS' techniques.

Any obvious things I'm missing or have TT just goofed with their put in Post Code mode?

[vulcanised]

Did you try the postcode without the space?

[spekesoftly]

See para 5 in this link:-

How do I navigate to a postcode? (http://uk.support.tomtom.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/9699/~/how-do-i-navigate-to-a-postcode%3F)

[1234554321]

ZipCodes do not have spaces

[mixture]

ZipCodes do not have spaces

Oh dear ! :ugh::ugh::ugh:

For someone who lists their location as "Mexico", I thought there may be a slight appreciation that there is a world out there outside of the Americas ! You sound just like one of those many americans who's never been outside the USA in their life. Please do not make sweeping generalisations like you did unless you are 110% sure of the facts !

There are a number of countries in the world that DO have spaces and letters in their codes.... one of which is even not too far from you ... Canada !

Using alphanumeric postcodes permits a greater number of permutations, whilst retaining a short sequence and making it easier to memorise.

[BOAC]

UK does not need a space.

[Capetonian]

Some web applications require a space in UK postcodes, TomTom (at least my old one) does not.

Officially, UK postcodes do require a space.

[OldLurker]

mixture, the statement 'zip codes do not have spaces' is correct. They don't. The zip code is the US postal service's invention. The rest of us use things called post code (UK), postal code (Canada), PIN code (India), code postal (France), PostLeitZahl (Germany), etc. etc., which may or may not have spaces.

As already said, the UK post code is usually written with a space for ease of reading, but the space isn't required by the Post Office's systems, which can parse a valid post code with or without a space..

[mixture]

mixture, the statement 'zip codes do not have spaces' is correct. They don't.

Oh please....:rolleyes:

Stop clutching at straws.... I think it was quite clear the poster made the assumption that Loose rivets was talking about US style zip codes.

As already said, the UK post code is usually written with a space for ease of reading, but the space isn't required by the Post Office's systems,

That is utter rubbish. Go read the Royal Mail Technical Guidelines for machine-readable mail !

Infact, I'll save you the hassle with the following extract :

there must be one or two character spaces between the two parts of the postcode

They even list that as a "high impact" item when verifying what you send against their specification.

So it very much is a mandatory and critical requirement !

[BOAC]

Go read the Royal Mail Technical Guidelines for machine-readable mail - it would appear that Royal Mail's own Postcode finder website has not read this.

[mixture]

- it would appear that Royal Mail's own Postcode finder website has not read this.

Please don't play the stupid card, it doesn't suit you.... :cool:

You know very well (I am sure !), that you are talking about the POSTCODE FINDER .... i.e. its sole purpose in life is to make life easier for you finding a Postcode. I know the guy and the company behind that postcode finder that royal mail have licensed for use on their site.... its an addressing assistance tool, it has absolutley nada, niet, zero, zilch to do with Royal Mail internal mail processing systems. What this guy and his company have come up with is an easier and more natural way to allow people to search the Royal Mail PAF database in order to help them correctly address their mail.

If you care to look at what your beloved postcode finder actually OUTPUTS, you will find it includes spaces.

I ( and I assume OldLurker too) were talking about the actual requirements for addressing your mail, i.e. how you write on the envelope that you put in the postbox. That part of the deal absolutely REQUIRES spaces in postcode as I have outlined above.

[BOAC]

You'd think someone would drop a hint about this new-fangled thing called 'OCR' to the good old RM - since the INcode is always 3 characters it ain't rocket science.

EDIT to correct me outs and me ins.

[mixture]

since the outcode is always 3 characters it ain't rocket science.

You know what... I'm not going to waste further pointless keystrokes with you BOAC.

"outcode is always 3 characters" ... pull the other one ... PAF specs are max. 7 characters for the postcode, and 7 character postcodes are very commonplace indeed ! :ugh:

Royal Mail do know about OCR, afterall, the document I quoted from was entitled "machine-readable mail".

Think of all the possible permutations and scope for error and then perhaps you'll begin to comprehend why they can't just throw OCR at a postcode string that doesn't have a space in it. Also if you've ever done any work with OCR, you'll know how hit and miss it can sometimes be, especially with handwritten addresses.

All you are doing by not complying with the simplest of Royal Mail addressing guidelines is increasing the risk of your mail being thrown out of the machine for manual checking and hence delaying it on its route.

[ShyTorque]

Loose rivets,

All three TomTom nav units I've owned (which is obviously what your question refers to, not postal deliveries), do not need the space in a postcode. Just type in the code without the space and it should recognise it with no problems. I've just confirmed it with the one sitting on my desk.

I hope this is more useful than the totally unnecessary invective posted above!

[BOAC]

"outcode is always 3 characters" - you are, as always, quite right:) I should have said incode which is always 3.

[Loose rivets]

Well, the code was CM7 5PL - Just up the road from me Auntie Flo at Bocking Mill. Well, it would be if she hadn't died half a century ago. Anyway, the venue was The Fennes in Fennes Road, so the house being the road name may have blown the TT's little brain.

I'm 99% sure we tried the Post Code with no space.

The use of the term ZIP may be just a bit of American detritus but as mentioned, that did remain alongside the Union flag.


Oh, American ZIP codes have XXXXX-XXXX for the full address. I'm not sure if it is deemed part of the accepted term ZIP however. Very little of my incoming mail used the full set.

[superq7]

My hard earned advice here after having three Tom Tom sat navs stolen from my skip lorry is to use a downloaded sat nav app on your smartphone that way you'll take the phone with you every time you reach your destination/ customer whatever.

[Capot]

I never bother to put in a space when entering our UK postal code into any on-line website for any reason. I cannot recall a single occasion in the last 10 years when this has caused a problem.

For navigation, I almost invariably use the Post Code feature in my Tom Tom without entering a space, and it works fine every time.

(By the way, even the Royal Mail's UK address finder, from a UK Postal Code, does not require a space in the postal code entered as the search string.)

[Loose rivets]

I'll lay hands on it again today as I didn't go to the venue. :{ I'll report back with the findings including its total refusal to allow a second street name on the "Intersection" method of finding a point.

I have a Garmin which was offered in the US as having lifetime updates or a European map. Needless to say, I plumped for the latter. Having said that, I now recall discussing this before and the gist was that I had to get a mini sd card to hold Europe, cos when they said Europe, I think they must have meant every back street on the way to Moscow. It was darned expensive, but at least I can use it as a drive for backup.

It's nice to make a positive comment in this day and age, but I can with Garmin support. My wonderful old Street Pilot (batteries last 7 hours) had a poor rubber suction thingie. It welded itself to the screen. Garmin sent me two compete sets of holders by high speed post. Now, given I wish I didn't have to pay for the SD, the support guy was very helpful in steering me though changing maps - something I effected last year by pulling the SD before throwing the unit out of the car window. However, I decided to give it one more chance before throwing it, stopping and beating it with a tree branch for good measure. I put the SD in hot and away it went.

I'd been fooled, because as the nice man advised me, the unit had gone into basic map mode. I thought my Europe bonus had maps drawn by kids with crayons. Anyway, the extremely patient man took me step by step to switch off the US map before ticking (checking) the UK one.

You know, I might one day stop being a bloke, and read some instructions. I'm told that these days, even airyplanes have books of instructions supplied with them. Whatever next? :p

[Background Noise]

LR - strange behaviour for a new-ish device. However, entering postcodes has been a common problem on previous models and is easily fixed. TomTom has this fix on it's help pages - is this the problem/fix for you? Maybe it needs a software update?

I can't navigate to a full postcode. How do I update them? (http://uk.support.tomtom.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/9852/~/i-cant-navigate-to-a-full-postcode.-how-do-i-update-them%3F)

[dazdaz1]

Background..."Maybe it needs a software update?" Mine did, missed the small print in the box, I think I was required to register at the site (too late after x month from purchase) then finding out...... TomTom 20 £70 plus for an update.

[Background Noise]

If you use TomTom Home you should get software (i.e. operating system) updates for free. It's the updated maps you have to pay for. The other annoyance (certainly used to be) was that you could only register one device against each email address.

I now use the TomTom app on iPhone. It does everything a standalone does at about £35 with free map updates for life, and it plays via bluetooth through the car stereo (if required), and it travels with me wherever I am, and you can have it on multiple iOS devices, and.....

[Loose rivets]

I think he's in time to take it back if all not working correctly. One will check tomorrow.

I have a Motorola Cliq XT with an early Android OS. I was told to bring it up to date would cost more than the phone was worth cos they needed it to be sent back to MR. With the American sim, it was a nightmare, but always, with the UK sim it works like a dream. (Touch wood.) I persevered with it because (gasp) it's a bloody good phone and while in England at least, hardly ever needs charging. (twice a week, compared to twice a day sometimes in Texas.) I have no idea what was running in the background with American T-mobile, but it was consistently bad for several years while being consistently good here in the UK.

In the early days I tried trotting up and down my road in Texas and it seemed to work as a GPS, but I was never sure if it was really GPSing or getting data off the masts. Can such an old phone really be a GPS receiver? Certainly, the Sony just a short while later had GPS and with an INERTIAL system for tunnels etc. Rather impressive filling in of the gaps.