The Royal Mail Delivery Office in Stockwell is now open for just TWO hours a day

South Londoners  who receive the dreaded ‘we tried to deliver’ red card from the Royal Mail may find themselves in for an unpleasant shock if they try to pick up their package from the Stockwell Delivery Office in Wynne Rd, SW9.

The company has now slashed their opening hours to just TWO hours a day in the week (8am-10am), with only Saturday offering slightly extended hours from 8pm till noon.

Even then, the website warns that  “last collection times may vary and can be as early as 30 min before closing time,” so the office may only be open for just 90 minutes a day.

And they’re completely closed on Thursdays and Sundays too.

Of course, there is the option to book a redelivery on their app, but in our recent experience nothing happens on the redelivery date – you’re just left sitting in all day for a package that never arrives.

And you can forget all about trying to speak to a human on the  phone as the whole process is automated. We lost hours being kept on hold before giving up.

What’s happened?

Well, it’s certainly not the fault of the hard working posties as the service has become another victim of privatisation.

In 2024, the Royal Mail was privatised and is now owned by private shareholders, with Czech billionaire Daniel Křetínský‘s EP Group acquiring its parent company (International Distribution Services).

A bit of history

The Guardian has this summary:

From Henry VIII’s first appointment of a master of posts in 1516, through Charles I’s institution of the first public post in 1635, Royal Mail’s history was one of public ownership. That changed in 2013, when the Conservative-led coalition government privatised it.

 

Since then it has had a rough ride. The government was criticised for underpricing shares on the stock market, allowing investors to make a quick return. More recently it has been dominated by disputes with workers, which resulted in the departure of the chief executive, Simon Thompson.

 

In January 2023 a ransomware hack added to its woes.

 

All of the turmoil has taken place against a backdrop of a company whose core business is changing. Parcel volumes have soared amid the online shopping boom, while letter volumes have halved since 2011 – although last week, Royal Mail was fined more than £10m by Ofcom for missing its delivery targets.

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More info

Stockwell Delivery Office
1B Wynne Road, London, SW9 0BD
Get directions

Opening hours

Monday 08:00-10:00
Tuesday 08:00-10:00
Wednesday 08:00-10:00
Thursday Closed
Friday 08:00-10:00
Saturday  08:00-12:00
Sunday Closed

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