Well, you found the forums, so that's a start. A lot of good info to read in here that will help you understand how Waze works.

Next, go to the Wiki in the support section and read on how to use Waze and edit.

Then you can go to the update map. Open a Update Request and see how they appear. It is often difficult to see or figure out what the error was. Wrong directions to a location, wrong turn directions, etc...

Once you read the Wiki and watch the videos, you will see the directions to a location aren't from Waze per say, they are outsourced to Bing. You can put in an address and when your results come up on your phone, look to see what source it comes from. You can pick a different source like Google, your contacts, Bing, Yelp. I have looked at the map for a location to make sure it is right. If the location is wrong from a source like Bing, you can go to Bing maps and report the problem to them.

I'm surprised this isn't already in the wiki. If it isn't added tomorrow and if I remember, I'll add it.

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The navigation is not 'outsourced', Waze provides that.

The POI lookup uses the external providers on the search result screen per their logo. Bing, Google, Yelp, and FourSquare.

Street address lookup is done by Bing in the USA but the results show on the Waze results screen.

The result for both are GPS coordinates that Waze uses for routing.

If the external providers don't have the correct GPS coordinates for a POI or street address Waze will take you to the incorrect location. This can also be an issue if the location is in a mall or shopping center since Waze will route you to the nearest mapped road to the GPS coordinates. This can lead the being routed to the road behind the shopping center, a freeway ramp closer to the GPS coordinates, etc.

The tough thing is that each of the external providers may give different GPS coordinates for the same POI. It's difficult to make the Waze map fit every possible result. Sometimes choosing POI results from another provider gives a better result in Waze.

Feel free to add it to the appropriate area in the Wiki. The Wiki is maintained by all Wazers. No need to give me credit.

It may need to be internationalized...

I also want to add that it doesn't just apply to large POIs. I have run across a lot of URs in my time where someone was being routed ~2 blocks away from the street address that they entered into the client. And this isn't a case of 100 E Main vs 100 W Main. Unfortunally sometimes things aren't as accurate as what people hope to be.

Thank you BigBear. I am very grateful for your quick reply. I didn't realize that the instructions were outsourced. Fascinating. I will take a careful look at the directions and their source in the future. I will also check out the info resources you described. Thank you again.

Thank you gettingthere for your comprehensive and clear answer to my question. I have encountered this type of problem several times and am relieved to understand how it happens. Now that I know what can create the "error", I think that each instance where this happened may have involved a POI that was on a sizable piece of property so the different search engines may have supplied different coordinates, forcing WAZE to default to directing me to the street nearest to the cluster of references. With your info I now know to be alert for the possibility of this error when I am going to a large footprint POI and to keep my eye out for signs that direct me to entrances rather than just relying on WAZE. Thank you again

PS: I don't know if it is possible or appropriate, but your answer addresses a type of problem that I imagine many WAZErs encounter and your explanation is so clear and complete that perhaps you might want to consider adding it to the Wiki somewhere.