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27.5.12

P.O Box in Google Places Not Permitted Any Longer

From the Google Places quality guidelines http://support.google.com/places/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=107528

This guideline allowed business owner to put P.O Box in Address Line 2.   
Business Location: Use a precise, accurate address to describe your business location.
  • Do not create a listing or place your pin marker at a location where the business does not physically exist. P.O. Boxes are not considered accurate physical locations. If you operate from a location but receive mail at a mail box there, please list your physical address in Address Line 1, and put your mail box or suite number in Address Line 2. 

But, P.O Box will no longer be permitted in address line 1 or address line 2.

Google Places is updating the Guidelines soon. From the forum, Vanessa Schneider, Community Manager posted,

Wanted to update everyone on some changes to our guidelines regarding P.O. Boxes.

As it stands today, we allow users to list their P.O. Box in Address Line 2. This sends your listing for manual review to our teams (that’s why you might see your listing’s status as “Pending”), who then verify the accuracy of Address Line 1.

Because Google Maps listings should be reflective of a business’s physical location, and mail receiving locations don’t fit this description, we’ve made a change to this policy. P.O. Boxes are no longer permitted in either Address Line 1 or 2.
Now, we know many businesses can only receive the verification postcard at a P.O. Box. If you are one of those businesses, or if you have a P.O. Box in the address field for an already verified listing, please see these next steps:

Have a verified listing containing a P.O. Box?

Make sure your listing remains active:

    Sign in at places.google.com
    Select “Edit”
    Remove the term “P.O. Box” from the address fields
    Save your changes

If this change requires reverification, and you can’t verify using the available options, please visit this contact form and select the following options:

Select: I tried PIN verification for a single listing → Yes, the listing already appears owner-verified

Are you setting up a brand new Places listing?

Try creating and verifying the listing using your physical location. If you don’t meet customers at your address, make sure you hide your business location. Places may give you the option to verify by phone.

If you cannot verify using the available options, you’ll need to request a manual verification using this troubleshooter path:

Select: I tried PIN verification for a single listing → No, I am attempting to verify my listing --> The status is not Needs Action --> Postcard --> Yes

Once you submit a request via the contact form, please give the Google Places support team up to a week to get back in touch with you via e-mail.

Note: Users with a “P.O. Box” in Address Line 1 or 2 should have received an e-mail by now explaining this policy change and next steps (via the e-mail associated with your Places account).

- Vanessa
 Forum Link : https://productforums.google.com/forum/#!category-topic/business/need-advice/VNH9Aa21ShI

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