Details are:
Kingston upon Thames – Machine M004 – 27 April 2015
Croydon – Machine M005 – 28 April 2015
Doncaster – Machine M006 – 29 April 2015
Machines will vend Machin 1st and 2nd class designs.
UPDATE:
Due to training requirements, the new kiosk at Kingston-on-Thames will not be in available until 16:00 on the 27th and Croydon and Doncaster not until 13:00 - see comments below as they show that these dates and times are not set in stone (more, slow-drying cement!)
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UPDATE 1 May 2015
At last somebody has found a machine in operation! Thanks to Melvyn for sending these pictures from 29 April of M006 at Doncaster Enquiry Office. The 2nd class is badly misaligned but the 1st class printed correctly:
Will there be errors from all 3 locations, here's hoping. Whoever is doing quantity control needs congratulating.
ReplyDeletePlease Royal Mail if you cannot get it right finish your machines at Sorting offices Museums and Philatelic shows, it makes you look unprofessional.
Post Offices seem to do a much better job keeping errors down, some slip though although not helped by Royal Mail stores doing a bad job (winter greenery 2nd class to offices with no 2nd class possible).
For the record, Post Office branches are supplied by Post Office Stores Department and not by Royal Mail. Thus the blame for 2nd class Winter Greenery being in Wincor-Nixdorf offices which could not produce 2nd class Post and Go stamps lies, at POSD.
DeleteAccording to the Royal Mail’s website (http://www.royalmail.com/delivery-and-collection-office-finder) the addresses and opening times are as follows:-
ReplyDeleteKingston upon Thames-Surbiton Delivery Office
79A Villiers Road
Kingston upon Thames
Surrey
KT1 3AW
Opening hours
Monday 07:00 - 14:00
Tuesday 07:00 - 14:00
Wednesday 07:00 - 20:00
Thursday 07:00 - 14:00
Friday 07:00 - 14:00
Saturday 07:00 - 14:00
Sunday 12:00 - 16:00
Croydon Delivery Office
36-40 Factory Lane
Croydon
Surrey
CR0 3RL
Opening Hours
Monday 07:30 - 19:00
Tuesday 07:30 - 19:00
Wednesday 07:30 - 20:00
Thursday 07:30 - 19:00
Friday 07:30 - 19:00
Saturday 07:30 - 14:00
Sunday 12:00 - 16:00
Doncaster Delivery Office
Doncaster Mail Centre
Middle Bank
Doncaster
DN4 5NE
Opening times
Monday 07:00 - 17:00
Tuesday 07:00 - 17:00
Wednesday 07:00 - 20:00
Thursday 07:00 - 17:00
Friday 07:00 - 17:00
Saturday 07:00 - 14:00
Sunday Closed
Interesting to see on the Royal Mail website that the Kingston Delivery Office closes at 14.00 on Monday afternoons but according to various other sites including Royal Mail the new RM series 2 Post & Go machine will not be operational until 16.00 hours two hours after this office shuts for the day. Did anyone go to the Kingston Delivery Office on Monday for these Post & Go issues?
DeleteVisited Kingston this morning. Machine was present but nobody could tell me when it would be operational.
ReplyDeleteI went to Croydon this afternoon only to find the machine was not working and was not even turned on. The member of staff told me they where waiting for someone to come and set it up and give some staff training but had no idea what time anyone would be there.
DeleteWill they have just the machine numbers for identification though? As I understand the machines at Crewe and Bradford had the names of location on THE STAMP removed during the tariff change.
ReplyDeleteYes, machine numbers only. The removal of the names at Crewe and Bradford N was apparently intentional and the names will not appear on other machines' stamps.
DeleteCroydon’s offerings are on ebay for the 28/5/15 (eBay item number: 331543081616)
ReplyDeleteA visit today had the following
ReplyDeleteCroydon undated 1st class and MA12 2nd class
Kingston MA13 1st class and 2nd class N/A
The 2nd class at Kingston will be fixed according to Bob this afternoon
I do like Royal Mail's trend towards commemorating almost everything with slogan postmarks. For a start it's so much cheaper than collecting commemorative stamps,miniature sheets, Post and Go's, commemorative sheets etc. etc.
ReplyDeleteIt also means the collector has a commemorative item that has genuinely travelled through the post on the date of the postmark (unlike many commercial first day covers).
Am I correct in recalling that this trend effectively started with the Dr. Who actors' birthplace slogan postmarks a couple of years ago? I should love to have a set of all 11 of those. I wonder if anyone ever managed to put a complete set of them together.
Off to the postbox to post my Princess Charlotte cover. May send a couple of extra to royalty admiring friends. What next? - an Election Day postmark?
Dr Who is the earliest I reported. I can't recall any earlier ones but there may have been. Send me an email, I may be able to find you more than you have.
Delete