Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site mhuxj.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!floyd!harpo!eagle!mhuxl!mhuxj!presley From: presley@mhuxj.UUCP (Joe Presley) Newsgroups: net.consumers Subject: ZIP code -> city name blues (reposting) Message-ID: <1230@mhuxj.UUCP> Date: Thu, 8-Mar-84 20:32:26 EST Article-I.D.: mhuxj.1230 Posted: Thu Mar 8 20:32:26 1984 Date-Received: Sat, 10-Mar-84 07:59:46 EST Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories, Murray Hill Lines: 25 [reposting since the first got garbled - also slightly amended] Any of you been bitten by companies which ignore the city/town name that you live in but use the USPS' ZIP code to city name data base? For example, I mailed a catalog order to Penney's and gave my mailing address as Warren, NJ 07060. Since Warren and Watchung are considered by the USPS to be "too small" to have their own ZIPs, we share a ZIP code with North Plainfield. (Warren's "branch" office is larger than many "main" post offices I've seen). Apparently when my address was entered into their computer system, the town name was thrown away and the mapping f(07060) -> "North Plainfield" took place. My package was delayed a day or so while United Parcel tried to find the street address in North Plainfield. In New Jersey, it seems every town has a Mountain [Ave, Rd, St, Blvd], and the same road can change from Mountain to Valley to Spring to Mountain as it passes through different towns, so you can see where havin the wrong town name could get confusing. Another problem I can see with having the same ZIPs is that if insurance companies use the ZIP to determine likelihood of theft, etc., insurance rates can be affected by higher crime and auto accident rates in the larger city. -- Joe Presley (mhuxj!presley, ihnp4!j.presley)