Home delivery is the epitome of convenience, unless you live in Wales’ most famous village.
Hotpoint refused to deliver a dishwasher to an Anglesey customer, claiming his address “did not exist”.
That’s despite the fact that the address in question is on the A5, the main thoroughfare of Llanfairpwll, a popular tourist destination in North Wales.
If the name of the village doesn’t ring a bell, that’s because it’s better known by its full moniker:
Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantsyiliogogogoch
Hotpoint has since apologised to John Griffith, who placed the order through Argos on behalf of an elderly relative.
Watch Naomi Watts pronounce the unpronounceable town name:
(YouTube)WwYAuvBcQ1Y(/YouTube)
“I was stunned when Hotpoint’s operator said they couldn’t deliver the item to the house because the address was Welsh, even though it included the postcode and every detail they’d need,” Griffith told the Daily Post.
“They were adamant they needed the address in English, but I tried to explain that it’s impossible to give the English form of a Welsh address in Wales,” he continued. “I also explained that every other organisation I have ever ordered from has managed to deliver to the same address with no issues.”
However, Llanfairpwll does have an English translation, which reads as follows:
St. Mary’s Church in the hollow of white hazel near a rapid whirlpool and the Church of St. Tysilio near the red cave
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Interestingly, the lengthy name of the village was invented for promotional purposes in the mid-19th century – it seems to have worked.
At 58 characters long, it currently ranks as the most lengthy place name in Europe, and the second-longest one-word place name on the planet
A spokesperson for Hotpoint gave the following comment on the matter:
“As the address provided was a valid UK address, this was not an appropriate response and we apologise for the error. We will ensure the dishwasher is delivered to Mr Griffith’s relative as soon as possible and will ensure that such an error is not repeated.”
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
