Stroppy Post Office counter staff

custardy

hamsterholly wrote: »

I was told a few weeks ago at our local post office there not allowed to put stamps on customers letters/parcels

they are meant to use the printed labels AFAIK

adam2484

ask for a 72p stamp and a recorded slip (unless its gone up.)

fill em and then hand them in?

chja

My PO is pretty good and I've always prefered to buy postage there rather than print my own as I feel they deserve my business (I assume the PO gets some sort of commission).

Bit narked this week when I handed a jiffy bag over that was about 3mm over the size limit for a large letter. I asked the PO chap if he had some tape to fold the edge over and was told he didn't. He proceeded to print the postage label, which didn't stick properly to the envelope, so .... out comes the tape to stick it on.

Awec

The post office I use is good and bad, it depends what person you get.

There's 4 people who work there, and I think they are in pairs and work on alternate days. One pair is great, very polite. "How would you like to send this sir? Would you like a receipt with it? Is there anything valuable? Is it worth over 39 pounds?" etc etc. They are very generous with Large Letters too, some things I've sent are borderline LL/PK and they usually send it as a LL. They also don't mind when I'm going in with about 5 different items, all different sizes and all requiring different postage (ie some recorded, some not).

The other ones don't look at you nor ask you questions. They expect you to mind read. When I go in I set the first packet on the scales, and I have to mind read / watch their facial expression to know when to take it off. They stare blankly at you until you say "posting to england, first class recorded" and then sometimes a "your address?" before they moodily write return address on recorded packets (i usually forget). I've had a go at the gits before for putting a 1PK on instead of a 1LL on an item that fitted the LL slot with room to spare!! In my post office there are plastic guards up (you cant reach over the counter, you pass your packets through a wee slot and get your change through a slot). Some of the operators basically throw your change at you and you got to catch it before it fires all over the floor.

steviebabes

All of the incidents in my OP are at different post offices as I generally post when I'm out and about. My local office is quite good unless you get the miserable ****er who just doesn't listen to anything you say and puts everything through as a first class package!
I just think that with all the current unemployment they should think themselves lucky to have a pretty secure job.

Bowling_4_Gold

I havn't really had bad experiences at the PO I usually go to, just the odd times when there is a 'please use other counter' sign up at both counters, so I am expected to be served by a set of scales?!?! I thought I would try the other local PO for a change, got all my parcels labelled up, only to find my card was rejected. I told her I will just pop out and get some cash to t he response, 'oh I don't know if you can do that...' Well what else do you expect me to do?!?! If you want to send them free of charge, fine by me!. The other (quite funny) reason I don't use that PO is once, while I was queing, there was a lady in her 80's who got to the front of the queue, started walking to the counter, only to be greeted by the lady shoving a 'counter closed' sign in the window!

Smart_But_Casual

The two I use are darlings. Never had an issue.

dizzy_lizzie

I use three post offices depending if I'm at work, home or shopping and they are all stars. Very polite, helpful and chatty. Was at the one near work recently and I was fretting because because there was a queue behind, I had queued as well I suppose, the chap behind the counter said not to worry about it. I do sometimes split my parcels into two lots and go in once, post the ones I have, go to the car and get the second lot out and then go in again just so I'm not hogging the counter, the staff think I'm mad and say just bring them all in together. Maybe I'm just lucky.
Luvz Dizzy x

Awec

If you queue up you can post as many as you want.

Sometimes when I don't have enough jiffy bags though, I'd go in and post something, and purchase a jiffy bag there. Would go and sit in car and package whatever item I hadn't a bag for and then go in again and post. Must admit I've got some funny looks for doing that. I guess they don't remember selling me a jiffy 5 minutes previously.

orangeslimes

You should try going to my local post office - I am all in favour of keeping small post offices open but really the people in my local one don't exactly encourage it.
It is run by two eldery men who have never heard of the concept of customer service or even just smiling, you feel like in asking them to sell you a stamp- you must be asking a big favour of them.
they also use old fashioned manual scales and when you hand over a parcel they weigh it very quickly, write a little note in pencil on the corner and toss it to one side in a way that destroys your confidence it will actually get anywhere (although amazingly they do seem to)
Really you have to go there to get what i am talking about...I usually avoid them and go to the bigger post offices in town - where at least the staff give you some impression they are doing things properly.

I think it probably just varies a lot mostly depending on the staff's attitude