Post Box Collection time urban are now 09.00am daily

littlerock

I live in a densely populated urban area about 10 minutes (by car) from the sorting office. Unfortunately there is no access to it by public transport (it is buried in a round the back trading estate over a trunk road and a motorway) so I am reliant on my local post boxes. There is one five minutes walk away (total) and another around 10 minutes each way. The further one has always tended to have early collection times so the one round the corner is very handy. Recently the collection time moved from 5 to 6 pm which was also useful.

I just went out to post a letter and saw the collection time has been changed again, to 09.00am daily - this is quite recent. It is a newly painted sign and includes directing you to another postbox at a post office 15 minutes away if you want a later collection. Has anyone else found their post box collection times have become stupid like this?

littlerock

It seems to be justified on the grounds that the postie will pick up the letters from the box when he is in the area delivering them on his round. However our post currently arrives at around 1pm so how does a 09.00 collection work to make it more cost effective?

MX5huggy

You'll probably find that the actual pick-up time is after nine like 1pm when the posting is passing but they are only guaranteeing it will be picked up that day if it is in by 9.

Still does not help the people that jump out of the car at my old school bus stop and put the post in the bin next to letter box.

Quentin

They say the boxes collection will be no earlier than the time stated, so if you post after that time it could remain uncollected till the next day.


They are only doing this when the box is little used, and another box with a later afternoon collection is within a short distance (less than half a mile)

littlerock

what it actually says is "Last Collection Time Monday to Friday 9.00am Saturday 07.00am" There is nothing about no earlier than. The box is actually very heavily used and often full when I put something in.

Quentin

littlerock wrote: »

what it actually says is "Last Collection Time Monday to Friday 9.00am Saturday 07.00am" There is nothing about no earlier than. The box is actually very heavily used and often full when I put something in.

If you think they are wrong about the boxes use then ask them why they have implemented this early collection time - they say they only do it with little used boxes (average of less than 50 items a day)


But does it matter?


You cannot rely on first class mail getting to its destination next day whatever the time the box is emptied!

littlerock

no but I still don't see how it benefits the royal mail round my way where the post is never delivered before noon and usually later - unless you cut out collections totally. (Also in theory you are paying 1st class for next day delivery . At what point did the cut off become 9.00am?).

I don't actually believe it is because the box is little used. we have very high population density here and it is usually pretty full. There is a post office about 600 metres away which has later collections (and always big queues) but it is in a parade of shops with no parking so best part of a mile round trip, on foot to post a letter . It does not seem to make sense in an urban area ?

Hedgehog99

The box is still receiving mail for a 24hr time period regardless of what time of day a collection is.

Reasons for posting tend to crop up during the daytime - receiving a bill, remembering someone's birthday - so it's helpful if that day's collection is in the evening. If a letter collected at 5pm can reach a destination the other end of the country next day on 1st Class, they don't need to move it to 9am to give them longer to get it there. I'm too busy to remember to post something first thing in the morning.

At least when boxes had two collections, the postie changed the number displayed so you knew it had been done. Now they say 9am you have no idea if there's any point in posting it afterwards.

Tigsteroonie

Our local boxes still say 5:30pm ...

custardy

littlerock wrote: »

no but I still don't see how it benefits the royal mail round my way where the post is never delivered before noon and usually later - unless you cut out collections totally. (Also in theory you are paying 1st class for next day delivery . At what point did the cut off become 9.00am?).

I don't actually believe it is because the box is little used. we have very high population density here and it is usually pretty full. There is a post office about 600 metres away which has later collections (and always big queues) but it is in a parade of shops with no parking so best part of a mile round trip, on foot to post a letter . It does not seem to make sense in an urban area ?

It benefits RM as it allows flexibility. Removing the need for a separate collection route 'saves' easily over £40K per collection duty. so remove 10 (and it will be much more than that! and its a £400K+ saving per year.
Less staff,vans,potential sick pay,pension payments etc.
It makes perfect sense in an urban area as you have more delivery staff over smaller delivery areas allowing for less boxes requiring collection per delivery route = smaller impact per duty.
you may not believe its about box usage,however a national process of box sampling was completed to identify the boxes volumes. Then a further process of viability and potential savings vs planning/implementation costs/upheaval.

Tigsteroonie wrote: »

Our local boxes still say 5:30pm ...

Yup,RM still maintain later collections within postcode areas.

Hedgehog99 wrote: »

The box is still receiving mail for a 24hr time period regardless of what time of day a collection is.

Reasons for posting tend to crop up during the daytime - receiving a bill, remembering someone's birthday - so it's helpful if that day's collection is in the evening. If a letter collected at 5pm can reach a destination the other end of the country next day on 1st Class, they don't need to move it to 9am to give them longer to get it there. I'm too busy to remember to post something first thing in the morning.

At least when boxes had two collections, the postie changed the number displayed so you knew it had been done. Now they say 9am you have no idea if there's any point in posting it afterwards.

Yup,but there will be boxes with the late final time available. Its all or nothing. This initiative is to save money and allow flexibility. 2 collection with fairly rigid times isnt going to fit that.