postal collections

[mybutty]

i went to my local post office yesterday to ask about collection times from the letterbox. i was told that there is only ONE collection a day. and it could be any time from 10am to 5pm. no collection at all on a sunday. surely this makes a farce of 1st class getting there the next day. and what about the paper competitions that have to have the next day post mark on it? probably alot of competitions are not getting through on time, how do you feel about this. i would like to hear your comments,

[Tallulah!]

What you were told is officially correct BUT depending where you live there are probably more collections but definitely none on Sunday. My village has a Post Office and I know from watching that our box is emptied at 12noon, 2.30pm, 5.30pm and 6.10pm. I'm told that there's also one at around 8am but the only guaranteed time is the evening 6.10pm.
On Saturday, the only guaranteed time is 11.30am but we have an earlier one, and during the holiday season as we are by the sea, they sometimes collect at about 4pm.
The small boxes on poles have collections at 12noon and the guaranteed one at 5.15pm.
The General Post Office is actually emptied throughout the day from inside as the Sorting Office is connected.
If you live in town your best bet is to post at the General Post Office or The Sorting Office as they have a later guaranteed collection.
Of course, Bank Holidays are NoNo and we once travelled up to London to deliver a Sunday Express Crossword. Didn't win!
www.royalmail.co.uk has a lot of useful information about postal charges, home and abroad with the weights. You can make sure you aren't diddled.
I hope this helps a bit.
Tallulah!
I hope this helps a bit.

[dzug]

I don't think that's the norm.

Round here there is one guaranteed collection a day at a fxed time, generally late afternoon. There are further collections (well actually only one) earlier in the day which are not guaranteed.

So really you've one collection - at 10am. Which can be late....

There is no Sunday post - anywhere. If competition setters haven't caught up with that it's a poor show.

As to comments - we have one of the cheapest postal services in Europe. perhaps it shows.

[kev1]

Tallulah, to get to your post box you don't happen to walk up a long yellow brick road by any chance do you?

[Tallulah!]

No Kev1, No yellow brick road just a little narrow sloping pavement but because I enter a lot of prize draws I had to find things out for myself. We live in a 'nice' area and I'm 2 minutes walk from the village post office box. Royal Mail and Post Office Counters are different . The chaps who have collected the post for years are very approachable and like a chat so I easily came by all this information. I'd never have discovered the extra late Saturday collection as I'm watching tv then.
I think the situation depends where you live and I'm lucky!!

[Rollo]

Post boexs where I live all have a plate on the saying at what time the "last" (or only collection) of the day is made.

In theory you should be able to post things up to that time and get them collected that day.

Whether that happens, or not, is altogether another matter!

[mybutty]

thank you all for your opinions.

[Sad Chris]

All boxes have to be emptied at least once a day and most are emptied twice a day. Your postbox would be emptied by your postman in the morning and afternoons are done by specific collection duties. All last collections are checked every evening when the postman returns because he has to scan a barcode within the postbox to prove he emptied it. We are controlled by a regulator called postcomm who insists we have prove of this. All collections go to your local mail centre (Oxford in our area) every evening for delivery the next day. I know this to be true as I download the scanners and despatch the mail in the evening at our Delivery Office (Chipping Norton).