# Confusing addresses



## JoyfulGoats (Mar 14, 2017)

Hi everyone,

This isn't really about farming, but is about rural living, so I was hoping someone would have some experience with this. In the area where I live, I've learned that a lot of people have their mailing address in a different city/town than their physical address. So, if someone lives at 123 random street, city1, L1B2A3, to receive mail delivered by Canada Post, they would actually need to write 123 random street, city2, L1B2A3. This wouldn't be an issue if everything was delivered by Canada Post, but if we have something delivered by Fedex or UPS, or any company that delivers to the house, we need to write city1, not city2, because the house is in city1 (I was told by some people that their gps leads them somewhere else if the city is wrong, even if the address and postal code are right). Idk what gps system they use, because I know that google maps allows both cities/towns to be used, and still arrive at the same place. However, if I want to order something online, I don't necessarily know what shipping company will be used. So have any of you had this issue? Do you write 123 random street, city2 (city1), L1B A2C, or do you call the company everytime? One online store I buy from lists canada post as the shipping company, but will also randomly use UPS. Someone I know said they had a lot of mail go missing by using the wrong city/town.  When the township gave us our new addresse(s), I asked them about this, but the lady couldn't understand that it depends on the shipping company. 

Her: "for mail, give the mailing address"

Me: "even for UPS that delivers to the door?"

Her: "no, if UPS or someone else needs to come to your house, you need to give the physical address"

Me: "so I'll need to call the store to know who they use to ship to know which address to use, right?"

Her: "no, you just give the mailing address every time"



This continued for a while until I just gave up. She kept aggreeing that UPS needed to come to my house, and said they wouldn't get there if I gave them city1, but then would say I need to give the mailing address (city2) and seemed completely lost. I haven't had the chance to really speak to my neighbours yet, but they are mostly older people, and I don't think they do much online shopping, so...

If I write city2(city1), will it arrive correctly?


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## Elsie_May_Huston (Mar 14, 2017)

In our city, UPS will only deliver to the house if it's in town. Other than that, lots of people have to call the courier businesses in town to see if their parcel has arrived. I've heard that sometimes UPS will call or email the customer, but have not heard that consistently. Here's my guess: if you put your mailing address down, then you would have to pick up your parcel at a courier business in town (like Shoppers Drug Mart or a UPS outlet); if you used your physical living address, then UPS, best-case-scenario, delivers to your house and if not, then you pick it up in town. Use your mailing address because maybe your physical living address is not on delivery but for sure your mailing address is. A parcel addressed to an undeliverable address might be sent back! Good luck! Maybe your seniorly neighbours do more online shopping than you think, it saves lots of time and effort. My grandma used The Shopping Channel, so online shopping is the next stage.


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## AClark (Mar 14, 2017)

I deal with that. My mail comes out of the closest bigger town, even though I'm way out from it and my kids go to the tiny towns school which is at least 5 miles closer. 
I put my mailing address on everything, even UPS and FedEx and they figure it out. Even if they couldn't, they'd just take it to their office in the larger town and tell me to come get it. The only time I had an issue was getting utility services (internet) because the internet service said they don't service the larger town, and I had to explain I don't live in town, but 12 miles from it.


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## CntryBoy777 (Mar 14, 2017)

Many times I have lived with a different mailing address than a physical one. I'm not sure or familiar with Canada Post, but USPS functions by zip code and it is by this that mail is sorted. I do not order much on-line, but it would seem to me that I would use the physical address for the ordered material, if the website doesn't list which service is used. If it is sent thru the postal service the zip code will direct it to the correct station, and if the wrong town is listed, the locals will be aware of the situation and deliver it correctly. This is what I would do in those circumstances, or would call to verify which service is used.


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## JoyfulGoats (Mar 14, 2017)

AClark said:


> I deal with that. My mail comes out of the closest bigger town, even though I'm way out from it and my kids go to the tiny towns school which is at least 5 miles closer.
> I put my mailing address on everything, even UPS and FedEx and they figure it out. Even if they couldn't, they'd just take it to their office in the larger town and tell me to come get it. The only time I had an issue was getting utility services (internet) because the internet service said they don't service the larger town, and I had to explain I don't live in town, but 12 miles from it.



This is reassuring. I hope they will figure it out. I'll have to have people send me things so see if I get them. It's strange how they list the towns since we are 8 mins from the post office in town, but 14mins from the city's post office. Go figure. I was planning to call the post office today, but they were closed because of a "winter storm" (about 15 inches of snow)


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## AClark (Mar 15, 2017)

Same, the small town where my kids go to school is closer and has a post office, but my mail comes from the city and the zip code is for the city. But I've never had a problem using my address "as is" and getting UPS/FedEx deliveries.


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## JoyfulGoats (Mar 15, 2017)

Ok, thank you! I will try that once we move and hope it works


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