Postal "Service".

[Aggers]

I posted a letter this morning is the pillar-box in our road.

To my surprise I noticed that collection times had been altered to just one a day - at 9.00 am !

There used to be two a day, the second one being at about five o'clock in the afternoon.

Now my letter will remain in the box over-night, for 23 hours - and could be damaged by any
idiot who chooses to put a lighted cigarette-end, or God knows what else, in the box.

Last week I waited in the town's GPO over half an hour to post an air mail letter. Only two
positions out of six were manned.

Why to Governments decide to privatise essential public services, when all the new owners are
interested in is making money ? It's happened too often - Railways, water, electricity, etc.
I think I'll have a word with UKIP. !!!

[Rodo]

I noticed the same at our little local post box the other day Aggers. I took a letter round in the afternoon to catch what I thought was the afternoon collection and there wasn't one any longer. Like you, I was worried that my letter (an important letter) was going to stay in the box overnight. Our local post office too has closed and is now a little bit of the counter at the newsagents.

[JoM]

It's not good enough is it, Aggers We're on one collection a day here in our village but it's at 5.15pm so at least you know that your mail isn't sitting overnight in the post box.

We lost our main post office in the town centre in January. It went from a 16 counter branch, which was always busy and had queues up the street on occasions, to a 5 counter affair shoved up the corner in WH Smiths. It's absolutely ridiculous!

[saundra]

It's awfully here I used to put any mail birthdays mostly in the post boxes
On a Saturday in Tesco but know it isent emptied till a Monday evening
But my local sub post office is good unlike the main one in town we only have three postoffice in the whole
Of brid disgusting

[Kaz]

Our main PO in the city centre has gone terribly downhill in the last few months Coincidentally I mentioned it in my last post on the 'daily' thread earlier. Bearing in mind Gloucester is the county town, and this is the main PO, they have one huge long queue for everything except for travel money and passports, whereas before there was a ticket system and seating for people to wait, with at least 4 or 5 counters open They also used to have a separate counter for buying products such as envelopes and stationary and lottery etc. Not any more, it is all one huge long queue

All of the post boxes in Gloucester state when the last collection will be, ie 5pm, but that 'various collections will occur throughout the day' Not exactly committing themselves

I agree, it should never have been privatised

[victor]

we have some family in a village outside Kidderminster and they have been told that deliveries will only be on Tues/Thurs/Sat--so what happened to 1st class next day/
i spose that will be ok if you pay extra !

[Rodo]

Following on from Aggers' post I double checked the time on the front of our little local collection box. The only collection on weekdays is now 9 a.m. and on Saturdays it is 7 a.m. I think this is appalling. For one thing I am not usually up and out at those times so posting anything during the day would mean it being left in the box all night. It just isn't safe because it can be a bit deserted in our area at night. A good while ago there was an incident of the contents of the box being set on fire.

This now means I can't nip round to the local box to post something during the day. It would have to be a long trek to the post office or else get the car out.

At Christmas time the little local collection box was usually chock full of cards, almost coming out of the slot. At least we knew that it was reasonably safe during daylight hours and would be collected at 4ish I can't see anybody wanting to leave their mail in there overnight so the small local box won't be used in future. Perhaps that is what they are aiming at, to get rid of it. The service of the Post Office has really gone downhill in many respects.

I heard that the Scouts do a postal service in our area now and I will use that for local cards.

[Kaz]

It's shocking Rodo, really poor!