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SatNav Drives Workmen To Erect Scaffolding On Wrong House
Article by: rob brady
Date: 23 Mar 2012
A group of confused builders managed to erect scaffolding on the wrong house after failing to check their satnav.
A baffled resident returned to his home to find scaffolding around his property as a result of the confusion. The mix-up occurred when the builders went to the wrong address following the advice of the sat-nav.
The scaffolding was put up on a property in Windmill Close in Barkway, Royston. However, this was the wrong Windmill Close. The correct address was situated just 8 miles away, in Bassingbourn.
Both streets have an SG8 postcode, yet Google maps and a number of digital maps, including sat-nav maps, reportedly show the newly built road when the older one is searched for.
Residents at the newer Windmill Close have received a number of items that were not meant for them such as televisions, bailiff notices, beds and cookers.
Royal Mail claims that the problems lie with individual companies and sat-nav providers. The red-faced builders have since removed the scaffolding after the homeowner had to call the people that the scaffolding was intended for, as he did not know who put it up.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, a Royal Mail spokesman claimed that all the details, including postcodes and road names, were correct on its database, however, “not everybody updates their own records.”
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| Comments
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 Posted by richkiddy on Fri Mar 30, 2012 7:18 am |
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I think the Local Authority is also partially to blame. Why name a new road with the same name as another, that is relatively close by?
Though Royal mail could also be partially responsible as SG8, covering an area of obviously over 8 miles, is rather broad. Royal Mail's licensing of postcode map data could also be at play here too, as I've had satnavs before that only allowed you to search the first part due to licensing.
There probably isn't even a windmill there...
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| Posted by idf on Fri Mar 30, 2012 7:32 am |
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| richkiddy Wrote: | | I think the Local Authority is also partially to blame. Why name a new road with the same name as another, that is relatively close by? |
You've obviously never been to Leeds, they have several adjacent street names and the only difference is street, road, close, grove etc.
Interesting to see Royal Mail blaming Sat Nav providers for not updating databases. Maybe they should look closer to home. Royal Mail have the geo-coords for our work address postcode as the local sorting office 3 miles away. They have been told about it several times over the years since SatNavs became popular and nothing has ever changed. We tell visitors to use the postcode of a house near the entrance to our site.
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| Posted by razak on Fri Mar 30, 2012 8:12 am |
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Well now I have seen it all, workmen blaming the satnav because they put the scaffold on the wrong house.
How stupid are they, I hope they found their way home after.
They are only used to driving 6" from the car in front, but, I suppose they have to blame something.
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| Posted by Vincenzo on Fri Mar 30, 2012 9:35 am |
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I got curious as you do and searched for Windmill Close in both places. The one in Barkway, Royston is easy to find, comes up on Google maps etc. The one in Basingbourn on the other hand doesn't show at all. I looked it up on the Royal Mail Address Finder and it shows it on a map. Checked out the location on Google and sure enough, it's a field.
If I can't find it at home using a cable modem and 20mb a second or whatever, what chance has some builder got with a plaster covered satnav. Bad marks all round to the Royal Mail.
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| Posted by SomeoneHasMyName on Fri Mar 30, 2012 9:47 am |
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| razak Wrote: | Well now I have seen it all, workmen blaming the satnav because they put the scaffold on the wrong house.
How stupid are they, I hope they found their way home after.
They are only used to driving 6" from the car in front, but, I suppose they have to blame something. |
You've clearly never had to differentiate between 2 different road names in the same area with the same name then. I've done it in the days before SatNav, also been sent to plenty of correct addresses (right name, number, road, postcode etc...) but actually completely incorrect. Really quite annoying, no good everyone just blaming each other, someone needs to fix it. Getting better these days though, now you can search via postcode using more than 2 digits, although still not always helpful.
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| Posted by peterc10 on Sun Apr 01, 2012 10:24 am |
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| Vincenzo Wrote: | I got curious as you do and searched for Windmill Close in both places. The one in Barkway, Royston is easy to find, comes up on Google maps etc. The one in Basingbourn on the other hand doesn't show at all. I looked it up on the Royal Mail Address Finder and it shows it on a map. Checked out the location on Google and sure enough, it's a field.
If I can't find it at home using a cable modem and 20mb a second or whatever, what chance has some builder got with a plaster covered satnav. Bad marks all round to the Royal Mail. |
Why blame Royal Mail because Google have not updated their maps and satellite images? I am guessing that that field is now a new housing estate.
Peter
HTC Sensation
Sygic GPS for Europe (No more TT "support"!)
Copilot for USA
Bury CC9060 bluetooth car kit & Brodit mount |
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| Posted by trigpoint on Wed Apr 04, 2012 5:20 pm |
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In some places I have seen the postcode on street signs, maybe all local authorities should do this.
At least there would be a way of checking you are in the right street.
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| Posted by M8TJT on Wed Apr 04, 2012 6:36 pm |
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| trigpoint Wrote: | | In some places I have seen the postcode on street signs, maybe all local authorities should do this. |
Maybe the local council tax payers might just decide that this is a terrible waste of their cash to replace all the street signs just to add the Postcode. What about long streets that have multiple postcodes? Just add more street name signs with arrows pointing in the directionof the relevant postcode? This would be a typical government ploy of not thinking things through before implementing a change and then carrying on regardless of cost, rather than having to U turn when the full implications are suddenly 'discovered'.
What's wrong with the old procedure? Where am I? I'm in Eastbourne. What road am I on? Seaside. Thats OK then. What house number do I want? 125. Ah that's just down the road a bit. Can't go much wrong using that technique. 
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| Posted by deltagb on Fri Apr 13, 2012 9:00 am |
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They should have knocked before they started, surely someone would have been in, if scaffolding was going up,
I've heard of wrong turns bridges to small but this is a 1st 
www.scaffolding-direct.co.uk |
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| Posted by M8TJT on Fri Apr 13, 2012 9:03 am |
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| deltagb Wrote: | | They should have knocked before they started, surely someone would have been in, if scaffolding was going up, |
Of course someone would have been in. In the right house
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| Posted by MaFt on Fri Apr 13, 2012 9:41 am |
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| M8TJT Wrote: | | deltagb Wrote: | | They should have knocked before they started, surely someone would have been in, if scaffolding was going up, |
Of course someone would have been in. In the right house |
I think that's what they were saying!! If the builders had knocked they'd have realised no one was in and maybe questioned if they were at the right address.
MaFt
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