Post Office wanting to know all contents.

techspec

Not content with driving away larger parcel customers - i now have to tell the PO clerk the contents of every parcel i send.

What about privacy? What next - reading our mail.

If this really is now policy - i shall be sending a load of sex toys next week.

techspec

p.s forgot to ask - is this policy at your Post Office? Staff here insist its National.

But they have a rep for being a pain.

DiiFMaritime

I had the same a few weeks ago, I was posting a Swarovski figurine and was asked what the content was. I told them what it was. The staff then said it is classified as gem/ stone and had to be posted via special delivery. I think if this is now their policy to make people use the more expensive service then it will encourage more lying or more people will simply use other services.

techspec

DiiFMaritime wrote: »

I had the same a few weeks ago, I was posting a Swarovski figurine and was asked what the content was. I told them what it was. The staff then said it is classified as gem/ stone and had to be posted via special delivery. I think if this is now their policy to make people use the more expensive service then it will encourage more lying or more people will simply use other services.

I did say at least your not trying to sell me special delivery today - maybe she was - but in a different way.

Thing is - everybody else can hear what you say too. I often see ebayers queueing with hundreds of items and wonder what they are selling. Soon i will know

But private post too? Maybe they do have a right to know - but the whole post office doesn't. At least with collect+ etc - the order is done online - and the people at the counter know nothing about the contents.

I also said to the woman that people who were sending prohibited items would just lie. She nodded. At least we agreed on something.

paulofessex

I personally think they should have the list of prohibited items on clear display and for them to point at it and ask if your parcel contains any of those items, and then also ask if the contents have a value of more than £'s to avoid asking WHAT is in the parcel.

omnom

I've only posted 2 items, but the 1st time I was asked what it was after the price of the item. They then informed me that jewellery wasn't covered by the service I'd chosen (1st class signed for), but I was just like '...can I still use 1st class signed for' and she was like, '...i guess'. However, the next time I wasn't asked about the contents at all - just whether it was worth over £50. I prefer not being asked, because when she did so (not having experience with the post office) it made me paranoid that they'd be opening my mail for using the wrong service and not being "protected", hah.

iammumtoone

I haven't posted anything recently so don't know if they will ask at my local PO but they do always ask if the contents are worth over X amount.

When I ebay I take that many parcels in not sure if I will be able to remember what is in each individual one.

No_Eye_Deer

techspec wrote: »

i shall be sending a load of sex toys next week.

You will probably have to prove they don't have batteries in them before you can post

thebestnameshavegone

From what I can gather from our local P.O., they have all been instructed to ask about the contents of parcels in order to make sure that no-one is sending anything that contravenes the new prohibited items list (or that restricted items such as perfumes, batteries, nail polish, mobile phones etc are packaged according to the new guidelines). The Royal Mail have apparently sent out an army of mystery shoppers to make sure that the counter staff are all complying! I posted something with batteries yesterday and had to state that the batteries were new, still in their original sealed packaging, and had been wrapped separately in bubble wrap - otherwise they could refuse to accept it.

What with that and the number of occasional users who aren't aware of the new small/medium parcel changes, our Post Office queues are getting longer by the day!

This_Year

techspec wrote: »

p.s forgot to ask - is this policy at your Post Office? Staff here insist its National.

But they have a rep for being a pain.

They've never asked me *yet* the only thing I ever get asked anything is when one of the counter staff inform me that " we do sells stamps here" when I take in my already stamped parcel for a COP. I merely reply, "yes, I bought these stamps here the other day"

It's only ever one man though, everyone else there is on the ball and nice as pie.

metoyoubear

I've been asked too,but I don't understand why you have to tell them what's in EVERY parcel you send,why can't they just ask you once,show you that sheet with everything on and ask if ANY of your parcels contain prohibited items,how long winded is it to have to state what each one is one by one.