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Post boxes being emptied before the official collection time

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  • 31-07-2013 4:29pm
    #1
    Fred Swanson
    Closed Accounts Posts: 21,730 ✭✭✭✭


    This post has been deleted.


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    #2
    The One Who Knocks
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,301 ✭✭✭The One Who Knocks


    Fred Swanson wrote: »
    This post has been deleted.

    That's strange, as they have to use a scanner to confirm the time they collect it at. They're not allowed to collect it early/late.


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    #3
    Uriel.
    Registered Users Posts: 8,061 ✭✭✭Uriel.


    I have seen this a lot lately as well in Dublin City.

    I went to the post box yesterday at 4.50 (post to be collected at 5.30) and the van arrived to collect the post just as I was dropping the envelopes. I'm not particularly hung up on it though, as my letters are not urgent.

    Would a collection on time (e.g. say at 16:00 as in the OP) make a next day delivery anyway?


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    #4
    The One Who Knocks
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,301 ✭✭✭The One Who Knocks


    Uriel. wrote: »
    I have seen this a lot lately as well in Dublin City.

    I went to the post box yesterday at 4.50 (post to be collected at 5.30) and the van arrived to collect the post just as I was dropping the envelopes. I'm not particularly hung up on it though, as my letters are not urgent.

    Would a collection on time (e.g. say at 16:00 as in the OP) make a next day delivery anyway?

    "To open the post box, a special key is used. The postman also has a scanner that scans the code inside the door of each post box. This confirms the time that the postman collected the mail to ensure that it is always collected on the dot, never too late or too early."

    Source: https://www.anpost.ie/anpost/schoolbag/secondary/our+people/the+collection+team/


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    #5
    RichT
    Registered Users Posts: 1,515 ✭✭✭RichT


    Jamez735 wrote: »
    "To open the post box, a special key is used. The postman also has a scanner that scans the code inside the door of each post box. This confirms the time that the postman collected the mail to ensure that it is always collected on the dot, never too late or too early."

    Not quite. It only confirms when the bar-code is actually scanned. The bar-code could be photocopied and scanned at a later time if the postie was a 'dodge.'

    OP report your suspicions to the local mail centre.


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    #6
    Fred Swanson
    Closed Accounts Posts: 21,730 ✭✭✭✭Fred Swanson


    This post has been deleted.


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    #7
    The One Who Knocks
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,301 ✭✭✭The One Who Knocks


    RichT wrote: »
    Not quite. It only confirms when the bar-code is actually scanned. The bar-code could be photocopied and scanned at a later time if the postie was a 'dodge.'

    OP report your suspicions to the local mail centre.

    That's true,

    ...clever actually,


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    #8
    RichT
    Registered Users Posts: 1,515 ✭✭✭RichT


    Fred Swanson wrote: »
    This post has been deleted.

    Post offices often empty the boxes early to bag the items up, but they should empty them again when the collection time arrives.


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    #9
    Owryan
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,024 ✭✭✭Owryan


    I know of some boxes that would see heavy usage that are often emptied early just to get a headstart on things but there is always a collection at the designated time too.


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    #10
    Fred Swanson
    Closed Accounts Posts: 21,730 ✭✭✭✭Fred Swanson


    This post has been deleted.


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    #11
    elfy4eva
    Registered Users Posts: 1,204 ✭✭✭elfy4eva


    Yea wouldn't surprise me at all, while i'm sure in
    theory they aren't allowed to collect early and
    late I would say on days where they have a hectic
    schedule they take a more relaxed attitude to these
    rules.

    For instance, most of the time the postman comes
    to the door and knocks in with parcels but a couple
    of times (when i've been expecting him) he just
    dropped a "missed you" into my postbox without
    attempting a delivery at all.


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    #12
    Shelflife
    Registered Users Posts: 3,073 ✭✭✭Shelflife


    Even the post boxes outside the PO have to be scanned after the last post time, on occasion we have scanned the box at 15:59 and then emptied the box meaning that it was after the last time of posting of 16.00.

    we would get a phone call telling us that we had scanned too early and to scan again.

    Nothing stopping them making a copy and scanning it but if they were caught it could cost them their job.

    On a busy day we could clear the box a number of times, but the last one would always be after the LTOP.


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    #13
    foggy_lad
    Closed Accounts Posts: 20,373 ✭✭✭✭foggy_lad


    Fred Swanson wrote: »
    This post has been deleted.
    I would say the real issue is that the next day delivery is not attainable for more and more post since sorting of local post has been done away with! If I go to the post office and post a letter to someone else down the road from me in Carlow town that post must go to Portlaoise for sorting and may well go to Dublin or further afield if Portlaoise is busy. All local post used to be retained in Carlow and sorted for delivery next morning, now you are lucky to ever get next day delivery.


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    #14
    Uriel.
    Registered Users Posts: 8,061 ✭✭✭Uriel.


    Fred Swanson wrote: »
    This post has been deleted.

    Meh, I rarely have anything THAT urgent tbh. The whole collecting post early thing doesn't particularly bother me either, but as the OP brought it up, I shared my recent experience with it.

    I am not sure what is happening in terms of early collections, but I can see why people might be concerned


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    #15
    old_aussie
    Registered Users Posts: 3,410 ✭✭✭old_aussie


    Jamez735 wrote: »
    That's strange, as they have to use a scanner to confirm the time they collect it at. They're not allowed to collect it early/late.
    So there will be an AN person at all 10,00 post boxes at exactly 4.00pm

    How the feck does that system work?

    PS only the Germans know


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    #16
    ElNino
    Registered Users Posts: 1,503 ✭✭✭ElNino


    Why 4pm? You do know thay have different collection times on the boxes?

    The one I use is 4.30pm and I have often seen the An Post van parked outside it earlier but they always wait until 4.30 before they empty it.


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    #17
    coylemj
    Registered Users Posts: 25,331 ✭✭✭✭coylemj


    old_aussie wrote: »
    So there will be an AN person at all 10,00 post boxes at exactly 4.00pm

    How the feck does that system work?

    +1 All of the post boxes in my part of town have 5:30 as the collection time, including the one outside the local An Post depot, they can't all be emptied at the same time.


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    #18
    fro9etb8j5qsl2
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,391 ✭✭✭fro9etb8j5qsl2


    I've done collections myself so I know that the box has to be scanned after the collection time. A lot of boxes that would have a high volume of mail are emptied a number of times during the day to stop them filling up, there are some in limerick that get emptied 3 times in the space of 3 hours.


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    #19
    Shelflife
    Registered Users Posts: 3,073 ✭✭✭Shelflife


    coylemj wrote: »
    +1 All of the post boxes in my part of town have 5:30 as the collection time, including the one outside the local An Post depot, they can't all be emptied at the same time.

    They dont have to be, they just have to be emptied AFTER the latest time on the post box.


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    #20
    coylemj
    Registered Users Posts: 25,331 ✭✭✭✭coylemj


    Shelflife wrote: »
    They dont have to be, they just have to be emptied AFTER the latest time on the post box.

    You don't say, well that never occurred to me! How wonderful to have enlightened, intelligent people here to put us duffers right.


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    #21
    Shelflife
    Registered Users Posts: 3,073 ✭✭✭Shelflife


    coylemj wrote: »
    You don't say, well that never occurred to me! How wonderful to have enlightened, intelligent people here to put us duffers right.

    Seemed like you were asking a question to me so I gave an answer.:confused:

    Thanks though :)


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    #22
    coylemj
    Registered Users Posts: 25,331 ✭✭✭✭coylemj


    Shelflife wrote: »
    Seemed like you were asking a question to me so I gave an answer.

    The post I quoted and was replying to contained a question mark, mine did not.

    My point is that they should put different times on the post boxes to reflect the fact that they can't all be collected at the same time.

    As things stand you can't tell which post box in your locality is last on the circuit and it used to be the case that no matter where you lived in Dublin, there was a post box within a mile or so which had a late collection, they've done away with that and what really put the kibosh on it is when they put '5:30 p.m.' on the post box outside the local An Post depot, the same time as all the other post boxes in my area.


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