Forum Topic

Postal collections

Various post boxes (the one at the junction of Westhorpe and Hotham Roads, for example) have signs saying that there will be only one collection a day (9am on weekdays, 8a on Saturdays). Yet today I posted something with a tracking number in mid-afternoon, and a few hours later had an email saying it as on its way - so it was obviously collected that afternoon, presumably at the original time of 5:30.So is the one-collection-a-day coming into force at some unknown time in the future or not happening at all? Does anyone know what's going on with this?

Richard Carter ● 419d4 Comments

Of course the Royal Mail postal service is no longer fit for purpose. NHS appointment letters now regularly arrive after the appointment was due; not a problem for those of us who regularly use electronic communications as most hospitals now have online facilities but it is widening the digital divide. 

Michael Ixer ● 418d

Thanks, Richard, John. I'd noticed the inconsistency of collection times and reality of deliveries - supposedly a delivery that happened the next day was in theory impossible according the the collection time on the post box! Also, I see Royal Mail is suspending fines for counterfeit stamps and developing app so customers can validate stamps - did they read my forum post :-) But of course you will need a smartphone ...https://www.theguardian.com/business/2024/apr/29/royal-mail-pauses-fines-fake-stamps-scanners-fraud-technology

Michael Ixer ● 418d

The time isn't a specific collection time, it's an indication of the earliest time the postbox will be emptied on a day. In other words, it's the latest time you can post something and be sure that it will be collected that day.If every postbox in an area has "9am on weekdays" on it then they can't all be collected at 9am, there simply aren't the staff to do that.All you can guarantee is that if you post something at 8.40am it should be collected that day.If you post something at 9.20am it may sit there until the following day.However, if you post something at 4pm it may still get collected that day if they haven't got round to emptying that particular postbox yet.You can look at the "next collection" badge to see if a collection has already been made that day, although they don't always remember to update it.I can see a local postbox from my kitchen window and I often see it being emptied multiple times a day, despite it only stating one collection per day.

John Kettlekey ● 418d

I thought the proposal of one a day collections had been put on hold.

Ivonne Holliday ● 418d