Royal Mail Collection Times - Where to find them?

Need to send mail urgently and recall that some places in central London have evening/weekend collections but despite going to local post box, into nearby Post Office to enquire, trying 8 phone numbers from saynoto0870 (all unmanned) and searching online for this info I am none-the-wiser.

What kind of service is Royal Mail offering if one cannot easily obtain this info? I am hoping that this information is available somewhere and that someone might be kind enough to point me in the right direction.

Thanks in advance for any assistance.
«13

Comments

  • custardy
    custardy Posts: 38,365
    Name Dropper Photogenic First Post First Anniversary
    Forumite
    collections are not really published as these are set at a local level and are flexible.
    this is why they dropped the times from the post boxes
    post offices would know their own collectins(although see below for variations),its eall not something hey would know for the whole of london.
    many of of the offices within supermarkets with later opening hours can have a lat(ish) collection.
    sunday collections are pretty much gone ,so given im typeing this on a sunday.......................

    the bulk of collections are covered by posties in overtime as they are not a set duty.
    so the postie finishes his/her own duty then gets a van and does a collection duty.
    so times can be varied depending on when the 1st duty ends
  • AnjR
    AnjR Posts: 27
    First Anniversary
    Forumite
    Thanks for taking the time on your day off to reply, Custardy.

    My local post box looks like no-one has updated the collection time for yonks. There are notes suggesting there is a Sunday collection and elsewhere a note on the postbox advising that Sunday collections would be dropped from Oct 07 (or similar). All in all, the post-box looks like a child has been let loose with a pack of stickers and slapped them on randomly!
    I appreciate that there is little need to have late/weekend collections from all boxes. However, in the past, I learned that there were late/weekend collections from Paddington railway station but I couldn’t find any way, yesterday, of confirming that such a service still exists. Overall, I am disappointed to find that after one buys a postage stamp there is no-one to help outside of normal hours and no online information in this technological age.
    Thanks again for your time.
  • Hi Anjr

    Have a look at this site, it has the last collection times from mailboxes across London:
    http://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~mwaller/lastcoll/00_LO.html
    Hope it helps
  • PBA
    PBA Posts: 1,521 Forumite
    Doesn't it say this on the post box? I thought all boxes had the last time of collection from that box, but also said the time and place of the latest collection in the area.
  • simgranny
    simgranny Posts: 148 Forumite
    Don't know if this helps at all but according to a box near me, there is a 7.30pm collection from the mail office in Twelvetrees crescent, Bromley-by-Bow.
  • There is a late collection in Paddington (Pread Street Post Office, postbox is in the wall/part of the shop-front) at 7pm (Monday-Friday) which I used to use a few times a week.

    It was 7:30pm but it changed to 7pm in January 2008, the same time Paddington Sorting Office stopped being a sorting office. Apparently now it is only a delivery office and all mail that is collected from postboxes in the area is now taken to Mount Pleasant Sorting Office. There was quite a few post boxes in the Paddington area that had a last collection time of 7pm, but they have now changed to 6:30pm.

    The latest weekday collection that I know of in London is 7:30pm at Mount Pleasant Sorting Office (corner of Rosebery Avenue and Farringdon Road, Clerkenwell EC1), the postbox is in the wall/part of the shop-front of the Post Office. There is also a Saturday collection at 12:30pm.

    There is a post box in Camden Town/Euston (by Eversholt Street junction with Barnby Street, NW1) just by the Royal Mail Sorting Office with a last collection at 7:15pm (1pm on Saturday).

    There is a post box in Hampstead (on Rosslyn Hill at the junction with Shepherds Walk, NW3) near the Royal Mail Delivery Office with a last collection at 6:45pm (12pm on Saturday).

    There is also a postbox in Cricklewood (Claremont Road, NW2) outside the Royal Mail Sorting Office with a last collection at 6:45pm (12pm on Saturday).

    Postboxes don't state collection times that are made throughout the day any more but they do (or should) state the last daily collection time (if they don't, then you should complain to Royal Mail as they are required to display this). On the front of many postboxes it also says where the last collection is in your area - in central London (or other cities), usually there is a postbox not too far away with a last collection time of at least 6.30pm.

    On many occasions I have tried to find out where there are late collections in London, but no one from Royal Mail seems to know/care. It looks like the only way to find postboxes with late last collections is to physically go and look at each postbox. I don't know why Royal Mail don't publish a list of postbox locations and last collection times on their website, it's ridiculous! EDIT: There is now a website that lists the last collection times of postboxes... www.dracos.co.uk/play/locating-postboxes/

    Unfortunately Sunday (and bank holiday) collections were stopped in October 2007 as they were underused - I only found out that they even existed in 2007. When I asked friends and family if they knew about Sunday collections, none of them did, they were hardly advertised so it's no surprise they were underused :rolleyes:

    Someone once told me that in Birmingham (I think) there is a last collection at 8pm and a few years ago it was 9pm, I wish there was a collection that late in London.

    If anyone knows of any other late collections in London, I would love to know ;)
  • custardy
    custardy Posts: 38,365
    Name Dropper Photogenic First Post First Anniversary
    Forumite
    well the fact you never knew probably means you were not hugely interested or in need of sunday collections?
    it was no sectret and im sure most knew of them.in real terms collections are just part of rm's daily logistics and less of a customer service iykwim.
    ive already explained the most collection duties are not a seperate duty so these need to be flexible at a local level
    as for collection info online,for the work involved setting up the data and keeping it current for the few people interested i doubt it would happen.
  • PBA
    PBA Posts: 1,521 Forumite
    custardy wrote: »
    well the fact you never knew probably means you were not hugely interested or in need of sunday collections?

    Sunday collections being irrelevant, I'd like to see later Saturday collections. Our last collection in Oxford is 12 noon Saturday, then nothing else until Monday evening. Stupidly annoying when I've got to get stuff to a client quickly.
  • custardy
    custardy Posts: 38,365
    Name Dropper Photogenic First Post First Anniversary
    Forumite
    unfortunatly not gonna happen.saturdays are used accross the network to bring working hours into line (eg posties work longer days during the week so a saturday is shorter to meet the 39 hour week)
    plus it would require cover in overtime to meet later collection times.
    look on saturday as an extra day given couriers charge extra or a saturday.
    i wouldnt be surprised i RM didnt try and wipe out all saturday services.
    you could make massive staff cuts given you wouldnt need to cover days off.

    as for monday collections i would be very surprised if your only collection was in the evening unless we ar talking a rural po box
  • For anyone in central London, on Saturday the post office near Charing Cross Station (William IV Street) is open until 530pm, and I sent something today recorded delivery to arrive Monday. Can't believe that it's the only Post Office in London which is open on Saturday afternoon though!

    Hope that helps
This discussion has been closed.
Meet your Ambassadors

Categories

  • All Categories
  • 342.5K Banking & Borrowing
  • 249.9K Reduce Debt & Boost Income
  • 449.4K Spending & Discounts
  • 234.6K Work, Benefits & Business
  • 607.1K Mortgages, Homes & Bills
  • 172.8K Life & Family
  • 247.4K Travel & Transport
  • 1.5M Hobbies & Leisure
  • 15.8K Discuss & Feedback
  • 15.1K Coronavirus Support Boards