does anyone get abuse from the post office as an ebay seller?

alternativedrphd

hi,

i was wondering what experiences people who sell things on ebay or other sites have had with their local post offices???

I have an issue with my local one and i am not too sure what to do about it and would appreciate advice and opinion from you lovable folk..

I have been slowly selling my items on ebay, clothes that i never wore ( i put on weight too quickly:o), unused cosmetics and toiletries and various bits and peices,.. i am am in no way minting it and i manage around 15-20 sales a month depending on what i have hunted out..

well, i go to my local post office and being new to it i obviously aks questions about sending items and how much and what is the cheapest or how much to send overseas to bill a buyer correctly and ins cover etcc etc...as someone might normally..i always smile and am polite and try and stay calm if she gets rude and answer back.

BUT.. i alway get agression and the assistant always answers back if i ask a question she gets ruder in her tone and obviously does not want to be nice.she has always been this way the dozen or so times i have been there.. and i really try to avoid this post office but this is the only one local (walking) to me others are 3/4 mile away

On monday i go there with a dozen parcels, two which i new were recorded and the rest on second as they were a couple of pound each in value..i am the first one there, no one behind me and another cashier free...i go to her smile and aksed her if she could please give me the receipts as she goes along puts the items through, they never put the address at this post office (i know other post offices do) i thought i would just put the post code on as i have the rest of the details at home that way i knew which receipt was for which parcel..she was rude and aggressive and said "i am not going to give you them, i will give you them at teh end", to which i asked why, and she replied "you can go to the side afterwards and mark them then", to which i said "that some are they same price and i will not know which is which", she replied "you will hold the queue up if you write the address" and i explained "i am only going to write the postcode while you print out the next one, other post offices write the whole address for you on the reciept but i know you dont so my writing the post code while you print the next is not going to hold any one up". she reluctanlty handed over the receipt from the first four to which i said "it really is not that hard and i am not going to hold up things".. she continued to huff and puff and be aggressive in her tone and manner towards me and i admit to telling her that "your customer service is very lacking" and asked her who her manager was and his name.. she said "he is not here, but said his name".. by the relationship i can only assume this was the owners wife....

well i went there again today at 2pm, 3 parcels, no one behind me not busy or anything and i asked can you please give me them as i go along, she said we do not provide that service here:eek:.. when was that ever a service? i said why will you not please five me reason? she said this is how i am going to do it if you dont like it go it XXX 3 miles away.. i was shocked and upset that soemone is so rude.. the manager was there and i went to him and asked him why she could not do this? again we do not provide the service, i said i am not asking much the receipts are just lying there all you have to do is give them as you pass the postage sticker too.. he said we dont.. i said can you please explain why she is so agressive and rude to me as at this point i was in tears.. because i had not asked for anything that was above and beyond.. the manager appeared to be in on it and was smirking and said on monday you held up the queue, to which i replied that there was no one there when i arrived and the reason the queue formed was because i had to constantly explain to her to pass the receipt and why.. i should nt have to ask her over and over.... they said this is teh service we provide and then of course i had to let her put the postage through, and she made a nasty comment about my being an ebayer and and sending so many parcels and i thought i hardly send as much as other people do.. that was so uncalled for i was in tears at the point and said i have done nothing to you to treat me so nastily apart from expect you to be nice..

well i thought i would do some research and asked the local business about their experiences, i did not tell them about my bad experience at all and i got similar feedback, that she is rude and aggressive and she has short changed people and has put the wrong postage through on purpose, and there were positives as well..


i do not want this lady to get away with this and have complained to royal mail, but i feel that i will get a bog standard apology and feel that i want to send in an article in the local paper, but is this going too far and knowing that i will get an agressive response i recorded it on my phone...watchdog??!!!?

they are arrogant in that they are the only one on this road, and treat people how they want, another busines lady said there were 3 post offices before.. i feel i want to set up a post office in the area to compete against them!!

can any one offer any advice and expereinces on this as i do not want to let them behave to me or anyone like this??

phew.. i feel better now if you get ever get to the end!!

flipper_2010

I find it differs between different post offices.

If I go to post offices in horrible places (sidley in east Sussex for example) they are rude and stroppy, but if I go to the bigger towns where most of the customers aren't the undesirables you get in the nasty places, the people are very nice.

I find in general the bigger post offices are better, but it might differ from place to place.
I know we used to have a very nice post office in my village but it had to close due to illness such a shame.

Hermia

alternativedrphd wrote: »

and she make a nasty comment about my being an ebayer and and sending so many parcels and i thought i hardly send as much as other people do..

When someone has made that comment to me I have pointed out that...

1) a post office complaining about people sending parcels is as ridiculous as a shoe shop complaining that people buy shoes

2) I thought post offices wanted people to use them so that they don't get closed down?

I tend to do to the main post office now as you get much less hassle.

StaffsSW

Vote with your feet. You are the customer, you are paying them money and hopefully helping to keep them open - the least you can expect is a bit of courtesy.

I've got a great relationship with my regular PO - I drop a sack of parcels off each morning, and then go back either later that day to pay or the following morning and pay for the previous days postage. The appreciate the money I spend with them.

I did have a very similar issue with the PO closest to where I live, affectionatley known as the Dragons Den by a few local ebay sellers. We've all written various letters of complaints and received various compensatory payments such as books of stamps. Last year in the local newspaper, the head dragon was complaining that they were under threat of closure. The following night there was a load of letters from many people who had fallen foul of their attitude, and there was very little sympathy for their plight.

Actually, there was NO sympathy for their plight!

There are a lot of good PO's out there - it may mean a bit of extra mileage for you, but once you get a relationship going, it can work very well for both you and the PO, especially if you have a regular supply of parcels for them.

(editted to add - the two PO's I use regularly are smaller out of town branches, that are owned and operated as a family business, one of which is in a scutty part of town, the dragons den is a larger town centre branch. It really does depend on the staff and the manager than the location or usual customers)

alternativedrphd

sorry to hear your PO closed, it is always sad if something like thathappens,

this one is in a nice area, with family business on the street and they are all superb (the other shops i mean) and i know them on first name basis and such a contrast.. you are right though, the bigger POs are so much busier but sooo much nicer. and they dont rush??

Zazen999

I send parcels most weeks for one reason and another.

Last week, our post office lady told me that she had just had a nice big bonus because our village post office does the work of 3 counties; they only took it over a few years back and have grown the business by

a - being savvy on ebayers and welcoming them with open arms
b - great customer service [honestly, they are brilliant]
c - good parking outside


Not rocket science is it....they know that they won't get shut down because they are a high throughout PO; and strive hard to maintain the reputation. People come from miles to use it because it is so pleasant there.

sequence

My post office is great. They are really polite. and let me drop off my parcels and pay the balance later. No way I would continue to give them my business with an attitude like that!
Vote with your feet!

Last time I went to Tesco's they did not complain that I buy too much food:rotfl:

alternativedrphd

thanks for the support guys, and i will avoid them from now on,

but morally they should not be able to get away with such abusive behaviour..

you are all right, that they should be happy to have an extra customer but they dont care, they prob get enough from the local shops..

my sis suggested printing the postage online and then putting it in their sacks showing them you no longer want to use them.. but of course that takes up ink and paper, and for small amounts it is not worth it...

great to hear that some POs are lovely and take the parcels and charge you later, makes me feel that there are nice people...

ps like the idea of the dragons den!!

ironically mine says gifts 4 you above the door but they are just selling tat and no newspapers, not even stationary and this one womans just sits there in the shop.. you would think that they want to increase their customers?


i still feel that they should not get away with something like this... any suggestions anayone?? anyone done something similar?

VanyaHargreeves

Which post office is it?

alternativedrphd

dont know if it is fair to name, but it is north london, not in a major town but on a local high street..

Strapped

I have a choice of 2 POs and I, like you, have one I try to avoid! The other one is only open part-time, and I am apparently the only person who ever sends parcels except at Christmas but the lady always gives me a pen and the receipts as we go along and she thanks me for helping her "keep her hand in". (I had started to print out postage labels and give parcels direct to the postie but now I like to give her the business).