From Monday, April 6, Royal Mail will be making changes to delivery office depot opening and closing hours, as well as deliveries.

The new changes have been put in place to ensure the safest and most reliable service for its customers nationwide.

To protect the health and safety Royal Mail staff and the general public, from Monday 6 April, they are changing the opening times of Customer Services Points in local delivery offices. The largest locations will be open between 07:00-11:00am. All other Customer Service Points will be open between 07:00-09:00am. All will be closed on Wednesday and Sunday.

To support the Government’s advice to stay at home and avoid non-essential journeys, they urge customers to only visit Customer Service Points where absolutely necessary. As a reminder, staff can also redeliver your item(s) for free.

Longer retention periods in Customer Service Points

To give you longer to collect or have your item redelivered, Royal Mail are temporarily extending the retention period to 30 calendar days from Monday 6 April before items are returned to sender.

This applies to the following:

  • Items we’ve left a ‘Something for You’ card
  • Items that have a ‘Surcharge to Pay’
  • Items that have a ‘Customs Charge to Pay’
  • Local Collect items where the parcel is addressed to the Customer Service Point

Changes to Special Delivery Guaranteed

Due to increased absence levels, staff reviewed timed guarantees for Special Delivery Guaranteed by 9am and 1pm services and will make the following changes:

  • For items posted from Tuesday 31 March 2020 onwards, our guaranteed delivery for Special Delivery Guaranteed by 9.00am the next working day will change to by 12.00pm the next working day*.
  • Our guaranteed delivery for Special Delivery Guaranteed by 1.00pm will change to by 9.00pm the next working day*.

*existing postcode exceptions apply

Signing for and receiving items

In order to protect both staff and customers as much as possible, Royal Mail are minimising contact during delivery. Staff will not be handing over the hand-held devices to customers to capture signatures but instead log the name of the person accepting the item. Additionally, for all customers where they need to deliver any item that won’t fit through your letterbox, they will place your item at your door. Having knocked on your door, they will then step aside to a safe distance while you retrieve your item. This will ensure your item is delivered securely rather than being left outside.

More information about this change can be found in the Domestic section below or on product pages.

Delivering to care homes

The Government has introduced measures to protect our most vulnerable groups, including those in residential care. These include limiting all but essential access to care homes for external contractors.

Royal Mail recognise that post is important to the elderly, particularly those away from their friends and families in care homes. Therefore, to support the effort to keep the mail moving but prevent the spread of Coronavirus, staff are making arrangements to deliver to a central point (e.g. reception) rather than individual addresses within care homes from 19th March. These changes will help to ensure the health, safety and wellbeing of our people and the vulnerable in society.

Changes to door to door mailings

Staff will deliver unaddressed door to door advertising mailings to customers who are receiving addressed letters or parcels at the same time, wherever practically possible.

Door to door mailings provide a very valuable service to small businesses and companies of all kinds as they seek to provide their goods and services. Many small businesses need that support now more than ever. They want to send it, many consumers want to receive it. Door to door mailings also include important communications from local government.