how legal is it for Post Office staff to refuse to serve ppl on mobies?

onetwothree123

Just seen this in a Post Office near me, hand made/printed notices pinned to each cashiers window. CUSTOMER NOTICE-ANYONE APPROACHING COUNTER WHILST SPEAKING ON A MOBILE PHONE WILL NOT BE SERVED!

I felt it was against peoples rights , what next, don't have headphones on? Unscrew a wooden leg? Leave the buggy outside ?

I don't think that is legal , although maybe individual PO's are allowed to put any old signs up, I had never seen it before ! Just wanted to know if anyone has seen this themselves? Could this branch get into trouble for displaying a NON post office literature poster?

sham63

Excellent idea. Should be adopted in all Post Offices.

eaglesrjh

I would guess that much like shops that they have the right to refuse to serve anybody.

Certainly people on phones annoyed me when I used to work on tills in shops.

However if a person complained higher up the chain i'd guess the post office in question may have a hard time explaining why they are turning away customers!

Dunroamin

So mobile phones aren now considered as essential as a mobility aid ?

skivenov

Totally legal. So long as it's not illegal discrimination (colour, religion, sexuality, etc) a business can serve who they want.

BJV

Don't know if it is legal but good for them!

Abbafan1972

I think it's a good idea.

onetwothree123

You think? I would just never use a mobile at a till /service point and wonder who these people are who carry on talking when buying goods, what is so urgent that cant terminate the call, but then again, can't think that saying HANG UP OR I REFUSE TO SERVE YOU could be right, goes against their employment contract, got to serve anyone who has queued I would have thought if they have money and are not doing anything unlawful just saying hi to their mum?

Happychappy

Totally agree, 1 to society, 0 to the ignorant chavs ; )

Flyonthewall

I'm sure they have the right not to serve someone if they wish. What's wrong with not serving people while they're talking on mobile phones? It's rude of the customer to be on the phone when they should be talking to the PO staff. Doubt you'd be happy if the staff member was meant to be serving you and they were on the phone at the same time.

Having headphones on is also rather rude. If you're listening to music they're not listening to the staff who are trying to provide a service for you.

A wooden leg is totally different- you can talk to the staff and hear what they have to say (unless you're doing something really weird with it that stops you hearing, in which you've got more problems than worrying whether or not they'll serve you).

vuvuzela

onetwothree123 wrote: »

Just seen this in a Post Office near me, hand made/printed notices pinned to each cashiers window. CUSTOMER NOTICE-ANYONE APPROACHING COUNTER WHILST SPEAKING ON A MOBILE PHONE WILL NOT BE SERVED!

I felt it was against peoples rights , what next, don't have headphones on? Unscrew a wooden leg? Leave the buggy outside ?

I don't think that is legal , although maybe individual PO's are allowed to put any old signs up, I had never seen it before ! Just wanted to know if anyone has seen this themselves? Could this branch get into trouble for displaying a NON post office literature poster?

It's a brilliant idea. It is incredibly rude for someone to carry on a (usually inconsequential) conversation on their mobile while being served by another person. There are many businesses in America that have similar signs, and I hope the idea spreads further in the UK too.
As for your comparisons, they are mostly ridiculous (apart from maybe the headphones one, which is also a touch rude). People don't have 'rights' in that sort of situation, the shop can refuse to serve them if they feel like it, as long as they are not actually discriminating against someone.