Multidrop - Orders (Invalid Address or GeoLocation)

I have received a message saying 'There is a problem with this address, please check it is correct?'

📍 Why Location Coordinates Might Be Missing or Incorrect

If an order is showing without valid location coordinates, it does not necessarily mean the address is wrong or invalid. It could be due to several factors—some technical, some data-related.

🔹 Common Causes

  • The location is not accessible by vehicle
    Examples include pedestrian-only zones, canal paths, or restricted-access developments.
  • New builds or unregistered developments
    Properties in newly constructed housing estates are often not fully recognised by Google Maps or other mapping providers, especially during their initial release phase.
  • Formatting issues in address or postcode fields
    Extra spaces, incorrect casing, or trailing characters can cause failures in automated postcode-to-coordinate matching.

🔹 Google Maps Specific Quirks

Certain postcodes or patterns are frequently misinterpreted by geolocation APIs due to their similarity to other location types:

  • Motorway confusion
    Postcodes starting with “M1”, “M3”, etc. are sometimes interpreted as UK motorways rather than postal districts, especially if spacing is incorrect (e.g. “M3 4AB” vs. “M34AB”).
  • Road name conflict
    Prefixes like “A1”, “A12”, etc. may also be interpreted as major roads rather than address components.
  • Dense urban areas
    Central London postcodes such as “EC1”, “SW1”, or “WC2” may point to generalised areas or multiple buildings due to overlapping data.
  • Remote/rural regions
    Postcodes like “IV”, “HS”, “ZE”, “KW” (e.g. Highlands, Orkney, Shetland) may return vague centralised coordinates for a wide rural area.
  • Northern Ireland addresses
    “BT” postcodes (e.g. “BT1”) may also lack precise coordinates in some API responses, particularly for rural or low-density areas.

🛠️ How to Fix It

Try the following steps to ensure your address lookups work as intended:

  1. Clean up formatting:
    • Remove extra spaces from both the postcode and address fields.
    • Use all uppercase letters in postcodes, e.g. “NG1 1AA”, not “ng1 1aa”.
    • Avoid trailing punctuation or hidden characters.
  2. Save the order again to trigger a fresh lookup.
  3. Use the manual location override tool to assign coordinates manually if the automated system fails.
  4. If the property is a new build, use a nearby existing location for routing purposes and notify support if you need further assistance.
  5. Watch the tutorial video if you’re unsure how to generate or correct location values.

If problems persist after following the above steps, or if you believe the system is misinterpreting a valid address, please contact support with a screenshot or example address for further investigation.