To all those who build sites thinking your country is the only one in the World
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Yes, this is aimed squarly at US developers. I'm sorry, but there are other countries in the world and it really, really helps your country's economy when you allow these unwashed foreigner types to buy from you. My latest (in a series) was a site that was extremely helpful in suggesting a corrected address for me:
Incorrect address:
Chris Maunder
250 Ferrand Dr
Toronto, ON M3C3G8
CanadaSuggested Address:
250 Ferrand Dr
Toronto, ON
USANo, I really think I managed to get it right the first time. Trust me. But while I'm on the topic it's extremely frustrating when: - the site insists that postal codes are 5 digits (or it's an Australian site that thinks the only postcode in the world is a 4 digit one) - the site offers you the ability to choose any country, but no way to choose anything other than 1 of the "standard" 50 states. - the site won't accept credit cards from non-US addresses - (a little specific) the site uses a .ca website, is based in the US, and then won't ship to Canada.
cheers, Chris Maunder The Code Project | Co-founder Microsoft C++ MVP
Simple answer: don't buy anything from those companies. It is very annoying (with a few exceptions, like online tax returns and stuff that really is bound to one country) and any site that won't accept my address won't get my business. (Or the other one you forgot, which is a site requiring a 3-3-4 phone number.) Some sites can't even get it right within their own country. Like sites which insist that an address is of the form '(number) (street name)' – in my home village they just name the houses, and I can see that farmers would not be able to fill in a number either. (Fortunately that mistake seems to have gone out of fashion.) Or credit card/bank account/etc applications which only allow for one middle initial. Edit: oh yes, forgot another one, domain name/email address validators that require an email of the form 'a@b.c', so 'xx@xx.co.uk' (or .com.au or several other countries that do this) aren't accepted.
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Simple answer: don't buy anything from those companies. It is very annoying (with a few exceptions, like online tax returns and stuff that really is bound to one country) and any site that won't accept my address won't get my business. (Or the other one you forgot, which is a site requiring a 3-3-4 phone number.) Some sites can't even get it right within their own country. Like sites which insist that an address is of the form '(number) (street name)' – in my home village they just name the houses, and I can see that farmers would not be able to fill in a number either. (Fortunately that mistake seems to have gone out of fashion.) Or credit card/bank account/etc applications which only allow for one middle initial. Edit: oh yes, forgot another one, domain name/email address validators that require an email of the form 'a@b.c', so 'xx@xx.co.uk' (or .com.au or several other countries that do this) aren't accepted.
BobJanova wrote:
Simple answer: don't buy anything from those companies.
Good idea but terribly ineffective. Unless, that is, you take the time to Email them to let them know what you would have bought and why you aren't going to.
Henry Minute Do not read medical books! You could die of a misprint. - Mark Twain Girl: (staring) "Why do you need an icy cucumber?" “I want to report a fraud. The government is lying to us all.” I wouldn't let CG touch my Abacus! When you're wrestling a gorilla, you don't stop when you're tired, you stop when the gorilla is.
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Poor Bloody Canada. First it belonged to the Natives, then the French, Then the British, and now they are, to the USians, Mexico North.
------------------------------------ I will never again mention that I was the poster of the One Millionth Lounge Post, nor that it was complete drivel. Dalek Dave CCC Link[^] Trolls[^]
More like North Montana. A really, really polite North Montana. :-D
Christopher Duncan Author of The Career Programmer
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Simple answer: don't buy anything from those companies. It is very annoying (with a few exceptions, like online tax returns and stuff that really is bound to one country) and any site that won't accept my address won't get my business. (Or the other one you forgot, which is a site requiring a 3-3-4 phone number.) Some sites can't even get it right within their own country. Like sites which insist that an address is of the form '(number) (street name)' – in my home village they just name the houses, and I can see that farmers would not be able to fill in a number either. (Fortunately that mistake seems to have gone out of fashion.) Or credit card/bank account/etc applications which only allow for one middle initial. Edit: oh yes, forgot another one, domain name/email address validators that require an email of the form 'a@b.c', so 'xx@xx.co.uk' (or .com.au or several other countries that do this) aren't accepted.
It's not a simple answer, it's a simplistic answer. Sometimes there simply is no other supplier. I'm all for making a point (Lord knows...) but when I need a carbon fibre aerodynamic bottle top opener that matches the exact colour of my bike and there's only one place to get it, and they won't give it to me, things get ugly. Real ugly.
cheers, Chris Maunder The Code Project | Co-founder Microsoft C++ MVP
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We annexed Canada last month. Didn't you get the memo? :-D
Christopher Duncan Author of The Career Programmer
Again??
cheers, Chris Maunder The Code Project | Co-founder Microsoft C++ MVP
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Dalek Dave wrote:
I know Prince Charles was once In Diana.
Diana. Not even once! :-D
Regards, Nish
My technology blog: voidnish.wordpress.com Part 2 in my WinRT/C++ series : Visual C++ and WinRT/Metro - Databinding Basics
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It's not a simple answer, it's a simplistic answer. Sometimes there simply is no other supplier. I'm all for making a point (Lord knows...) but when I need a carbon fibre aerodynamic bottle top opener that matches the exact colour of my bike and there's only one place to get it, and they won't give it to me, things get ugly. Real ugly.
cheers, Chris Maunder The Code Project | Co-founder Microsoft C++ MVP
Oil up Sean and send him over to complain...
Panic, Chaos, Destruction. My work here is done. Drink. Get drunk. Fall over - P O'H OK, I will win to day or my name isn't Ethel Crudacre! - DD Ethel Crudacre I cannot live by bread alone. Bacon and ketchup are needed as well. - Trollslayer Have a bit more patience with newbies. Of course some of them act dumb - they're often *students*, for heaven's sake - Terry Pratchett
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Any man who can look across a crowded room and find This[^] attractive needs his eyesight tested or his discretion questioned.
------------------------------------ I will never again mention that I was the poster of the One Millionth Lounge Post, nor that it was complete drivel. Dalek Dave CCC Link[^] Trolls[^]
Ah! The very Lovely Camelface Partly-Bald! Our future Queen, don't you know old chap?
Ideological Purity is no substitute for being able to stick your thumb down a pipe to stop the water
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It is much the same with US television... They show the Houses of Parliament, a red double decker bus driving past, and then the words London, England appear on the screen. Or The Eiffel Tower, some accordion music and Paris, France. Another US thing I once saw, that would annoy Griff no end, was a newspaper headline that datelined "Wales, England". Wars have been started over that one.
------------------------------------ I will never again mention that I was the poster of the One Millionth Lounge Post, nor that it was complete drivel. Dalek Dave CCC Link[^] Trolls[^]
Hardly, I am always surprised that Americans can find any country outside the US even with a plane, never mind a map... And if they think we are part of England that is also an advantage: they will stay away in droves! :laugh:
Ideological Purity is no substitute for being able to stick your thumb down a pipe to stop the water
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Yes, this is aimed squarly at US developers. I'm sorry, but there are other countries in the world and it really, really helps your country's economy when you allow these unwashed foreigner types to buy from you. My latest (in a series) was a site that was extremely helpful in suggesting a corrected address for me:
Incorrect address:
Chris Maunder
250 Ferrand Dr
Toronto, ON M3C3G8
CanadaSuggested Address:
250 Ferrand Dr
Toronto, ON
USANo, I really think I managed to get it right the first time. Trust me. But while I'm on the topic it's extremely frustrating when: - the site insists that postal codes are 5 digits (or it's an Australian site that thinks the only postcode in the world is a 4 digit one) - the site offers you the ability to choose any country, but no way to choose anything other than 1 of the "standard" 50 states. - the site won't accept credit cards from non-US addresses - (a little specific) the site uses a .ca website, is based in the US, and then won't ship to Canada.
cheers, Chris Maunder The Code Project | Co-founder Microsoft C++ MVP
Well, I think it's more of a sloppy code issue than anything else; they probably just copy-pasted code that was inappropriate for the situation and never fully tested the final application. Also, there's really no guarantee that the developers who put together the sloppy code were from the USA. It could easily have been subcontractors from India or Pakistan; there are people all over the world who don't know if Canada is part of the USA or not.
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Testing? Hang on, let me grab a dictionary...
Christopher Duncan Author of The Career Programmer
It's the word just after Testes - which is what most testing is anyway...
Ideological Purity is no substitute for being able to stick your thumb down a pipe to stop the water
-
Yes, this is aimed squarly at US developers. I'm sorry, but there are other countries in the world and it really, really helps your country's economy when you allow these unwashed foreigner types to buy from you. My latest (in a series) was a site that was extremely helpful in suggesting a corrected address for me:
Incorrect address:
Chris Maunder
250 Ferrand Dr
Toronto, ON M3C3G8
CanadaSuggested Address:
250 Ferrand Dr
Toronto, ON
USANo, I really think I managed to get it right the first time. Trust me. But while I'm on the topic it's extremely frustrating when: - the site insists that postal codes are 5 digits (or it's an Australian site that thinks the only postcode in the world is a 4 digit one) - the site offers you the ability to choose any country, but no way to choose anything other than 1 of the "standard" 50 states. - the site won't accept credit cards from non-US addresses - (a little specific) the site uses a .ca website, is based in the US, and then won't ship to Canada.
cheers, Chris Maunder The Code Project | Co-founder Microsoft C++ MVP
Yes - I've hit similar issues with Spanish addresses and Spanish names in my work. In Spain people have two surnames - Just imagine what happens when you try to transfer data between databases...
Continuous effort - not strength or intelligence - is the key to unlocking our potential.(Winston Churchill)
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Again??
cheers, Chris Maunder The Code Project | Co-founder Microsoft C++ MVP
Yes, we just made it the largest of the US National Parks.
A guide to posting questions on CodeProject[^]
Dave Kreskowiak -
Yes, this is aimed squarly at US developers. I'm sorry, but there are other countries in the world and it really, really helps your country's economy when you allow these unwashed foreigner types to buy from you. My latest (in a series) was a site that was extremely helpful in suggesting a corrected address for me:
Incorrect address:
Chris Maunder
250 Ferrand Dr
Toronto, ON M3C3G8
CanadaSuggested Address:
250 Ferrand Dr
Toronto, ON
USANo, I really think I managed to get it right the first time. Trust me. But while I'm on the topic it's extremely frustrating when: - the site insists that postal codes are 5 digits (or it's an Australian site that thinks the only postcode in the world is a 4 digit one) - the site offers you the ability to choose any country, but no way to choose anything other than 1 of the "standard" 50 states. - the site won't accept credit cards from non-US addresses - (a little specific) the site uses a .ca website, is based in the US, and then won't ship to Canada.
cheers, Chris Maunder The Code Project | Co-founder Microsoft C++ MVP
Dang it! The final take over of Canada was supposed to take place next week. Someone updated the website before it was supposed to. ;-)
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Again??
cheers, Chris Maunder The Code Project | Co-founder Microsoft C++ MVP
Don't worry Chris. The annexation occurs about every 2 or 3 years. One day, I think they'll get it correct and ask us to take over them. :)
Chris Meech I am Canadian. [heard in a local bar] In theory there is no difference between theory and practice. In practice there is. [Yogi Berra] posting about Crystal Reports here is like discussing gay marriage on a catholic church’s website.[Nishant Sivakumar]
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It's not a simple answer, it's a simplistic answer. Sometimes there simply is no other supplier. I'm all for making a point (Lord knows...) but when I need a carbon fibre aerodynamic bottle top opener that matches the exact colour of my bike and there's only one place to get it, and they won't give it to me, things get ugly. Real ugly.
cheers, Chris Maunder The Code Project | Co-founder Microsoft C++ MVP
Chris Maunder wrote:
carbon fibre aerodynamic bottle top opener
Like of what use would be a bottle top opener be while biking? Or do you use it to break the fingers of people that cut you off in traffic? Cheers!
"With sufficient thrust, pigs fly just fine."
Ross Callon, The Twelve Networking Truths, RFC1925
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Again??
cheers, Chris Maunder The Code Project | Co-founder Microsoft C++ MVP
We're thinking about giving Texas back to Mexico and need a place to store all our stuff until we can rent a big enough warehouse.
Christopher Duncan Author of The Career Programmer
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Chris Maunder wrote:
carbon fibre aerodynamic bottle top opener
Like of what use would be a bottle top opener be while biking? Or do you use it to break the fingers of people that cut you off in traffic? Cheers!
"With sufficient thrust, pigs fly just fine."
Ross Callon, The Twelve Networking Truths, RFC1925
I think it's to impress the ladies. :cool:
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Yes, this is aimed squarly at US developers. I'm sorry, but there are other countries in the world and it really, really helps your country's economy when you allow these unwashed foreigner types to buy from you. My latest (in a series) was a site that was extremely helpful in suggesting a corrected address for me:
Incorrect address:
Chris Maunder
250 Ferrand Dr
Toronto, ON M3C3G8
CanadaSuggested Address:
250 Ferrand Dr
Toronto, ON
USANo, I really think I managed to get it right the first time. Trust me. But while I'm on the topic it's extremely frustrating when: - the site insists that postal codes are 5 digits (or it's an Australian site that thinks the only postcode in the world is a 4 digit one) - the site offers you the ability to choose any country, but no way to choose anything other than 1 of the "standard" 50 states. - the site won't accept credit cards from non-US addresses - (a little specific) the site uses a .ca website, is based in the US, and then won't ship to Canada.
cheers, Chris Maunder The Code Project | Co-founder Microsoft C++ MVP
Chris Maunder wrote:
Yes, this is aimed squarly at US developers.
come at me bro :laugh: I work for a company that sells products globally. We just updated our sales website for Americatown. Only people in the US can place and receive orders from it. If America's Hat wants to buy something from us they need to hit the Canadian version of our site that was built completely different by/for Canadians. And so on in many other countries. You might think one big website that that services the world would be a better idea.... And you'd be right! :sigh:
Kill some time, play my game Hop Cheops[^]
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Don't worry Chris. The annexation occurs about every 2 or 3 years. One day, I think they'll get it correct and ask us to take over them. :)
Chris Meech I am Canadian. [heard in a local bar] In theory there is no difference between theory and practice. In practice there is. [Yogi Berra] posting about Crystal Reports here is like discussing gay marriage on a catholic church’s website.[Nishant Sivakumar]
We're meant to apologise to the invading forces when they arrive, eh?
cheers, Chris Maunder The Code Project | Co-founder Microsoft C++ MVP
