who regulates post offices

ratcatcher666

I have searched online but can't sem to find an ombudsman for the post office. The only way to complain about a Post Office branch is through the post offfice. Last time I made a complaint to them it was a complete whirewash. There sems to be no higher or independent authority to complain to. I have made a complaint but I know what the outcome will be, fobbed off as usual.

My complaint is that local post office branch constantly overcharge and sell overpriced products when cheaper options are availab;e. Mainly to pensioners.

Ayr_Rage

What "products" are they selling at inflated prices?

boobyd

What do they overcharge,and or inflated prices?
If it is things like chocolate bars,crisps,packaging items they can charge what they like to a certain point.
If it is Stamps,parcels etc they are bound by what Royal Mail set

elsien

If you’re talking about the local shops which post office counters  are set in, they tend to be run as separate businesses to the post office counter set within them, even if it’s the same people running them.
Show me any small local shops with prices as cheap as the supermarkets – you are paying more for the convenience of having them on the doorstep rather than going further afield.
In mine, it’s certainly not primarily pensioners to use it.
 As an aside, the ubiquitous use of the word pensioner when it covers early retirement from 50 upwards is generally used to try and imply general vulnerability when there’s an awful lot of people who are technically pensioners who are still fit, active,  able and using cars or other transport or online to get their shopping elsewhere.

born_again

ratcatcher666 said:

I have searched online but can't sem to find an ombudsman for the post office. The only way to complain about a Post Office branch is through the post offfice. Last time I made a complaint to them it was a complete whirewash. There sems to be no higher or independent authority to complain to. I have made a complaint but I know what the outcome will be, fobbed off as usual.

My complaint is that local post office branch constantly overcharge and sell overpriced products when cheaper options are availab;e. Mainly to pensioners.

Can you flesh out what products you are talking about?

Aylesbury_Duck

At what point do we start to consider pensioners as some of the wealthier people in society, rather than the term being used to imply they're a particular group that deserve special treatment or are being put upon?  One in four UK pensioners have assets of over £1m.  Many more own houses of substantial value they could unlock if they chose to.  The triple lock is a pretty decent benefit, too.  I appreciate that there are pensioners having to be financially cautious and some are living on the breadline of course, but the same is true of sections of society of any age range.  Why single them out as a special case?

Pollycat

ratcatcher666 said:

I have searched online but can't sem to find an ombudsman for the post office. The only way to complain about a Post Office branch is through the post offfice. Last time I made a complaint to them it was a complete whirewash. There sems to be no higher or independent authority to complain to. I have made a complaint but I know what the outcome will be, fobbed off as usual.

My complaint is that local post office branch constantly overcharge and sell overpriced products when cheaper options are availab;e. Mainly to pensioners.

As already asked, what products do they overcharge on?
If it's stamps, cost of sending parcels etc they cannot overcharge (unless they are overcharging by saying that parcels are bigger/heavier than they really are).

I'm a pensioner who sells odd bits on eBay.
No post office will ever overcharge me for parcels.
I know the cost to send before I set foot inside and I even say (for example) "small parcel, 2nd class, not signed for £3.49" so we both know where we are.

It may be helpful if you tell us what response your earlier complaint received.
It may not be a 'whitewash'.

RefluentBeans

Aylesbury_Duck said:

At what point do we start to consider pensioners as some of the wealthier people in society, rather than the term being used to imply they're a particular group that deserve special treatment or are being put upon?  One in four UK pensioners have assets of over £1m.  Many more own houses of substantial value they could unlock if they chose to.  The triple lock is a pretty decent benefit, too.  I appreciate that there are pensioners having to be financially cautious and some are living on the breadline of course, but the same is true of sections of society of any age range.  Why single them out as a special case?

I do largely agree but I guess it’s the people in the later stage of being a pensioner who need protecting more so. Again though we can’t just treat a group of people a certain way just because of a few outliers; or we end up stereotyping. 

As for the actual argument, the OP hasn’t responded yet - if they’re surprised by how much things cost in a post office, wait til they go to WHSmiths in a train station - nearly had a heart attack at £3 for a bottle of water! 

Aylesbury_Duck

WHSmith were caught selling toothpaste at £8 in hospital stores, where they have a somewhat captive audience.  I wonder if they offered a giant bar of chocolate for £1 with every tube bought?

RefluentBeans

Aylesbury_Duck said:

WHSmith were caught selling toothpaste at £8 in hospital stores, where they have a somewhat captive audience.  I wonder if they offered a giant bar of chocolate for £1 with every tube bought?

Now that would give me a heart attack - luckily it’d still be in the hospital! 

Emmia

ratcatcher666 said:

I have searched online but can't sem to find an ombudsman for the post office. The only way to complain about a Post Office branch is through the post offfice. Last time I made a complaint to them it was a complete whirewash. There sems to be no higher or independent authority to complain to. I have made a complaint but I know what the outcome will be, fobbed off as usual.

My complaint is that local post office branch constantly overcharge and sell overpriced products when cheaper options are availab;e. Mainly to pensioners.

You haven't searched very hard, a simple Google search would tell you it's OFCOM