Post Office Rudeness

[istari_knight]

I was in the local PO yesterday and witnessed the lady being served in front of me being what I would call "bullied" into using a more expensive service. She had an A4 sized envelope and wanted to send it 1st class, the cashier asked "what you sending ?!" in a rather blunt, rude manner... "erm documents!" she replied "what sort of documents?!" said the cashier, "errr just a birth certificate" the cashier then told her in no uncertain terms she would have to send that via special delivery & visibly against her will she conceded & paid the £6 of whatever it was :rolleyes:

When asked what my package contained I told her it was full of "adult toys" at which she shut up :D

Since when have PO cashiers needed to know exactly what's inside the envelope/parcel ? Its none of their bloody business surely ? I suspect its a new racket of bullying the meek or uninformed into spending more than they need to.

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c129/istari_knight9/heads_on_pole_zps57355384.gif

[synsei]

I was in the local PO yesterday and witnessed the lady being served in front of me being what I would call "bullied" into using a more expensive service. She had an A4 sized envelope and wanted to send it 1st class, the cashier asked "what you sending ?!" in a rather blunt, rude manner... "erm documents!" she replied "what sort of documents?!" said the cashier, "errr just a birth certificate" the cashier then told her in no uncertain terms she would have to send that via special delivery & visibly against her will she conceded & paid the £6 of whatever it was :rolleyes:

When asked what my package contained I told her it was full of "adult toys" at which she shut up :D

Since when have PO cashiers needed to know exactly what's inside the envelope/parcel ? Its none of their bloody business surely ? I suspect its a new racket of bullying the meek or uninformed into spending more than they need to.

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c129/istari_knight9/heads_on_pole_zps57355384.gif

This is more a problem with the cashiers attitude in this case rather than the PO. There are certain items which are required to be shipped Special Delivery due to security issues which have all come about due to 9/11, 7/7 and other terrorist incidents. Had the cashier concerned possessed better customer service skills things would have been very different. Incidentally James, the missus is surprised you weren't asked whether your 'adult toys' contained batteries as these are governed by the same PO rules... :D

[Kember]

Incidentally James, the missus is surprised you weren't asked whether your 'adult toys' contained batteries as these are governed by the same PO rules... :D


Same is true of liquids...

I'll get my coat.

P

[Ali Tait]

AFAIK they have to ask by law what the package contains.

[synsei]

Same is true of liquids...

I'll get my coat.

P

:lol:

[istari_knight]

This is more a problem with the cashiers attitude in this case rather than the PO. There are certain items which are required to be shipped Special Delivery due to security issues which have all come about due to 9/11, 7/7 and other terrorist incidents. Had the cashier concerned possessed better customer service skills things would have been very different. Incidentally James, the missus is surprised you weren't asked whether your 'adult toys' contained batteries as these are governed by the same PO rules... :D

:lol: no, no mention of batteries... She did look a bit embarrassed.

... So you can't send something with batteries in ?

[istari_knight]

I've just Googled it and you're quite correct... Batteries are now classed as hazardous & can only be sent through the post if in their original packaging.

[istari_knight]

AFAIK they have to ask by law what the package contains.

Fair enough, just me being funny I suppose... I would prefer to be asked if it contains anything from their prohibited items list.

[mr sneff]

AFAIK they have to ask by law what the package contains.

Yes they do, "in the interests of safety". If you don't want to say what the package contains, for fear of embarrassment or because you object to this 'big brother' attitude you can read the list of banned substances and say that the package doesn't contain anything on the list. Presumably if you buy your postage online or have access to a franking machine you can avoid this.

[Macca]

yes they have a thing about batteries nowdays. Although they don't check so even if you are shipping batteries you could say you were not and your parcel would go as planned. it always makes me laugh when they ask me what I am shipping; 'it's a passive stereo preamplifier' - and you're obviously none the wiser so what was the point in asking? For all you know it could be a device capable of destroying a city. Typical unthinking jobsworth public sector just going through the motions for no reason other than 'we've been told we have to ask'.

[istari_knight]

Telling them what I'm sending isn't a big deal but if they then start telling me which service I have to use then its a problem.... After seeing what happened to that woman yesterday I could see all of the old biddies that use that PO all the time getting ripped off on every visit.

Probably nothing sinister, just a case of crappy staff with no customer service skills as Dave says.

[Macca]

Last time I was in the post office shipping something it took forever and I created a massive queue. Was quite pleased about that. :)

[Kember]

I agree.

I worry, too, that there is significant variation in the training of the people behind the counter. I have had cause to go to several post offices to post identical parcels and letters to clients, and to the same post office at different times with different personnel - the rates charged and service required is completely unpredictable. I'm seldom directed to the cheapest service, and I have to challenge their assertions to get the best rate probably seven times out of ten.

P

[Effem]

I hate it when the counter staff constantly try to flog you insurance and all the other crap they have been told to push at you. I would imagine that after the 1000th time of repeating that sort of garbage it can come across as being brusque. When I go into a post office it's generally for posting stuff, not to be pitched at for something I don't need or want :steam:

Another thing that gets on my wick is when you take an item in there that has been pre-paid with Paypal. The counter staff are none too pleased because it counts against their daily figures and the small sub post offices don't get their slice of the commission on the Paypal transactions either, so little wonder they are none too pleased to take them in. But that's not my fault is it?

[Audioman]

The example given is not a good one as a Birth Certificate should be sent Special Delivery. Frankly sending this first class is foolish and the clerk was doing her a favour. They usually ask you the value and advise a more secure service if valuable. Selling insurance or anything else is out of order and frankly I've never experienced that sort of pushiness so far at a Post Office.

[istari_knight]

Why should a birth certificate be sent Special Delivery ?

[Effem]

Why should a birth certificate be sent Special Delivery ?

You try to get a replacement if the original is lost, THEN you realise how "valuable" it is :eek:

[walpurgis]

The example given is not a good one as a Birth Certificate should be sent Special Delivery. Frankly sending this first class is foolish and the clerk was doing her a favour.

Correct, I always send important items 'Special Delivery', even if it does cost more.

[istari_knight]

I think it was £9 for a replacement last time I got one...

I quote from the HMRC website:
Sending the certificates in the post
You can send your certificate by normal post. You don't need to use recorded or registered delivery.
If you've sent a United Kingdom birth certificate to the Child Benefit Office, they will always return it by normal post.

[mr sneff]

Another thing that gets on my wick is when you take an item in there that has been pre-paid with Paypal. The counter staff are none too pleased because it counts against their daily figures and the small sub post offices don't get their slice of the commission on the Paypal transactions either, so little wonder they are none too pleased to take them in. But that's not my fault is it?

I can understand that if you live in a small town like I do where the Post Office is under threat of closure and if it closed I'd face a 20 mile round trip to the nearest Post Office! I also didn't realise that, because of my location, a 48hr delivery is upgraded to a 24 hr delivery (it still takes 48hrs, if that makes sense) if you buy the postage at the Post Office, whereas if I buy it via PayPal the 48hr delivery will probably take 3 days, so for me it makes sense to support the local branch.

[brian2957]

Just started reading this thread . I went to the post office today to post a laser level which I had sold on Ebay . Out of courtesy I put a battery in it to make sure it worked and of course I left it in . When I went to post it I was asked what it was and told the lady it contained a battery . She then became quite difficult and started asking me other questions . I really thought she was going to make me unpack it and take the battery out . It was only when I told her that the battery was actually inside the unit that she accepted it for posting . Surely it's only common courtesy to provide a battery with something which needs one to work . Unfortunately that will be the last time I do that . Caused a bliddy great queue too :)

[Kember]

Rudeness and creative pricing apart, I'd been coming to this point for some time but a couple of things in the last few weeks:

I heard something on Radio 4 (You and Yours?) a few days ago where it appears that the PO had taken it on itself simply to destroy (not return) an item which contravened its rules (IIRC compressed air in a safety helmet being the problem). The woman it happened to pointed out that her return address was inside the parcel so the PO could have contacted her to collect it - they had to open the parcel to ascertain what was inside it, after all. The PO was completely unapologetic.

I also heard from a supplier re record cleaning fluid that they only found out about the new restriction on sending fluids by post when stuff failed to arrive with customers and the PO had just thrown it away.

Anyway, coupled with the number of parcels to and from me that seem to go walkabout or arrive very late, it clearly is not worth the risk to me personally or to my business of using the PO any more and there is precious little price advantage if any, so that's me done with the PO. I'll send by courier in future.

P

[prestonchipfryer]

Seems pointless being asked what's in a package as if it was some terrorist, it would be unlikely they would say what was in the package. :rolleyes:

[agk]

Bloody hell James! You didnt tell me this was an "adult toy" pal.

[brian2957]

The last two parcels I have posted recently have been taken to a local shop and picked by UPS . I can guarantee that the cost was cheaper than the Post Office as I've walked out of my local post office before with my parcel(s) still in my hands. The only thing which put me off using a courier was waiting in for the parcel to be collected . This is now not the situation so it will be couriers ( UPS ) from now on.
Incidentally they did ask some security questions but it wasn't an interrogation .

[agk]

I tend to stick with the Royal Mail as they have an unerring ability to actually find my address.
I also hate to think of the Post Offices dissapearing.

Rudeness and bad attitude are everywhere these days, the driver from shity link who cracked a 'joke' after I twice had to trawl my postcode looking for missing parcels for instance.

Customer service is a dying art.

[istari_knight]

Bloody hell James! You didnt tell me this was an "adult toy" pal.

:lol: only just spotted this

[istari_knight]

Sorry its the Daily fail but seems pertinent.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-2588519/RICHARD-LITTLEJOHN-So-thats-call-Parcel-Farce.html