competition entries

[merlinius]

I wonder if someone could enlighten me please.
When the publication instructions are to arrive by first post, Thursday eg, do they mean that the letter has to be sent using first class post only? And if so, why, when a second class stamp would have arrived in plenty of time?

[paulineward]

I presume they mean the morning post...from the good old days when there were 2 deliveries a day!!...we get one now and that's usually anytime after lunch!!

[scorpioangel]

The time stated for entries to arrive has nothing to do with the postage you use. First post means the first delivery of the day. This stes from the days when the Royal Mail were capabla of running a (generally) efficient postal delivery system and there was a morning delivery and an afternoon delivery. These days with all the money going into the pockets of the incompetent fat cats who ru(i)n the Royal mail instead of being used to provide the service, there is only one delivery and it is anyones guess what time they will actually deliver it.

[smouse]

On a different but slightly similar subject. I have sent �1 (5 x 20p) cash on a piece of card with my quiz entries for ages. It goes through the slot as an ordinary first class stamp. Now my post office is telling me it has to fall through the slot. Now I am not cramming it through but it does go through in my opinion. Anyone know the exact ruling on this

[merlinius]

Thanks for those replies Pauline and scorpio. It certainly confused me when reading those instructions especially as I noted on this site some time ago that someone was complaining about having to use first class stamps all the time!

[paulineward]

smouse...when I had some quiz applications 'opened' before they arrived here..I queried the opening of my mail with the Post Office...and apart from a lame excuse about it could be the machine in the sorting office..I was told by them..'anyway, Mrs Ward...it is not permitted to send coins through the post!!!'....so beware anyone sending Birthday money to anyone!!

They still did not address the opening of my mail..it's funny that it is only envelopes marked..'charity quiz' that have been damaged by the machine!

I used to think our mail was safe!...not any longer...it's a joke.

[THECORBYLOON]

Can you not use a pound note rather than coins?

[grasscarp]

Corby this is 2008. Pound notes ended a long time ago!

[factor-fiction]

Pound notes Corbyloon? Or two ten bob notes?

[THECORBYLOON]

Have you not heard of Scots pound notes?

[factor-fiction]

Good point Corbyloon if smouse is in Scotland. I suppose up to 10% of ABers may have Scottish notes.

[cheaton]

smouse, the ruling of the new postage rules is that your letter must be maximum 5mm thick.... I would have thought that if your cardboard is thin, then your 20p pieces would fall into this category, but you need to check.... also can I say that a lot of post office counter staff have no idea about the new measurements and guess (in their favour) the new dimensions, so it is worth checking yourself. As I send a lot of books out as a secondhand bookdealer, I am used to being firm about this! Just as a PS, if you are computer literate, you can now print postage from your own computer but you need a ruler to start with to get to know the new sizes etc.

[smouse]

The slot is there for you to try in our post office and I know that it goes through (a pound coin doesnt) Its just that now he is saying its got to fall through not be pushed gently through
I checked on the post office site and you can send coins.
I shall continue until one of the quiz receivers is told there is insufficient postage but I should add that when that happened to me I tried it in the slot and it went throught so I complained and got 6 first class stamps compensation.

[dwil]

I'm a bit lost on the attached money thing. Do you attach �1 as a stamp? or am I being dense?

[factor-fiction]

I think the �1 is the competition entry fee for the charity quizzes smouse takes part in. Maybe a cheque would be better?

[dwil]

Thanks factor30. Dense it was.

[Teuchter]

I've been Answerbanking for only a few months, but this is one of the biggest members' mailbags that I've seen.

What's the feeling for peppering the guilty papers expressing our disapproval. My main bugbear is The Telegraph. They need a Wednesday receipt for Saturday competitions. Fair enough. But they still insist on a Wednesday receipt for their Monday Hereculis competition.
They seem to have lost contact with what's feasible from our esteemed postal services and what is just impossible.

[paulineward]

I totally agree Teuchter!! I am quite happy to e-mail them if others promise to do so, assuring a barrage of complaints!

But as for a large mailbag Teuchter...pop on Friday Evenings...THE SHRUBBERY!!

[wagtail]

I have tried e-mailing the DT over their ridiculous deadlines but received no reply! The only people getting any benefit from this are the Post Office because you have to use a First Class stamp to have any chance of the Monday X-words getting there by Wed (it can take minimum 3 days for my mail to get from north to south Gloucestershire!). I believe the Times gives much more sensible deadlines for competitions. Let's all write to the DT Crosswords Editor - it may be that they've never thought about it, but they do tend to think everybody lives in London anyway.