Rude post office staff, shall I complain?

[neverendingannoyingcold]

So I take my 15 or so Christmas cards to the local post office...

I?m the only customer, I go up to the desk and greet the lady with a cheerful ?hello?. She stares at me blankly.

I have a pile with UK cards, other half are to another EU country. I hand her first pile, tell her exactly what I want - "second class, these cards have letters in, these don't [re weight]" bla di bla... She starts huffing and puffing, making a big commotion of seeing if cards fit slot etc. Just generally looking/acting pissed off.

Then I hand her part of the pile (with same sized envelopes, as I have three different sizes) to EU country, more tutting and displays of annoyance. She starts sticking stamps on in random places!

I get nervous when I notice I have missed an English card (we are now on EU cards), I bring myself to ask her, could I please have another 2nd class stamp. She rolls eyes.

At this point my son grabs one of the toys, she IMMEDIATELY announces ?Put that back if you're not purchasing it!?.

By this time, I am sweating and really dreading to ask the next question, if I could please have a strip of selloptape as two of the remaining envelopes seemed to have come undone. She bangs the sellotape down on the counter in front of me.

I notice that there is another card that should go to the UK and not to the EU country but am too intimidated to point this out...

When paying, I put the card in the wrong way (no instructions on this machine though I usually put it in the wrong way anyway ) she barks "wrong way!"

When I get home and rant at tell DH about it, he says this behaviour is outrageous (I never notice at the time, only when I step out of the situations...), I should complain to her manager.

Went back to post office today to enquire. She?s not there but colleague tells me the grumpy bitch lady in question IS the manger.

I would love to write a crafty letter but what?s the point if SHE?s the manager...

So: Should I complain? And who to?

[KateFrothers]

She probably has piles. Huge ones the size of satsumas and she may have been uncomfortable sitting down.

Or she might just be a bitch.

Buy your stamps in the supermarket for UK cards and stamp yourself and get your dh or sh when he's big enough to do the EU ones and stay at home and put your feet up.

[PaintYouByNumbers]

Go abover her, she is just the branch manager by the sounds of it, there will be an area manager that she will report to IYSWIM

She sounded like she was a right bitch had a serious attitude problem!

[peggotty]

I think they train post office staff to be rude. I've never met a pleasant one yet.

[squeakytoy]

It is a default setting for most post office counter workers to be arsey. The nice smiling helpful ones are indeed a rarity.

[OrmIrian]

Very rude indeed!

Did she try and make you use a faulty plastic knife too?

[Quenelle]

One of my colleagues, a 30 year old bloke who's not known for his timidity, won't go to the post office any more because he's scared of the women who work there.

It must be a shit place to work if they're all so miserable.

[roundcornsilkvirgin]

post office staff are also awful. Fact.

[HexagonalQueenOfTheSummer]

I complained to Royal Mail about a really rude man working in our local post office. He huffed and puffed and once accused me of touching a parcel when it was on the scales to try and change its weight, when I said I hadn't he said "You did", and he used to sometimes serve me without saying a word and bang coins down on the counter when I got my change etc.

Royal Mail sent me some books of stamps with a letter of apology and the bloke has been more polite since. I would definitely complain.

[YusMilady]

The woman at my local PO is monumentally rude and arsey. People come from miles around just to experience her cats bummery. She will literally blank you - a cheery hello is met with total silence. I just think it's funny. She's miserable - not me.

[roundcornsilkvirgin]

always awful

[roundcornsilkvirgin]

touching a parcel when it was on the scales to try and change its weight
wouldn't that make it heavier?
the numpty

[roundcornsilkvirgin]

my grin won't work!

[squeakytoy]

not if you push the parcel up a bit with your finger... ;)

[roundcornsilkvirgin]

or my

[Hullygully]

Funnily enough the woman in our weeny local post office is the most miserable rude cow on earth. I have a lovely little game now of being so overwhelmingly friendly and warm and loving that she is horribly discomfitted. She absolutely hates me.

[picnicbasketcase]

One of the chaps who works in my local post office is lovely, always smiley and polite. Tries to sell you insurance and phone landline every time you go in, but that's just what they're told to do. I've never noticed any of the other staff being particularly catsbummish either actually. My town must have an unusual post office.

[MissMollyCoddle]

My local PO is like that, miserable and rude every time I go in.

The best thing you can do if the rude woman is the manager is to take your business elsewhere, if you can (no good if you are rural I realise)I now go to the next nearest PO where they are lovely, helpful, always open the door for my buggy and generally make you feel welcome.

There is now talk of the rude PO near me closing from lack of business, I wonder if the manager realises its because no one likes going in there!

[MenopausalHaze]

My PO staff are lovely - really lovely - and I realise I'm lucky about that. I bombard them daily with ebay shit and stupid questions and pre-paid stuff that they don't make money on - and still they smile at me! But I sympathise because I have met some like yours OP and all I can suggest is that you speak to them in a manner that suggests that it would be unwise for them to fuck with you. Firm but polite and if you do find yourself having to dither do so as if it was your God-given right to do so!

[MincePieFlavouredVoidka]

Sounds just like our local PO.
Then they wonder why people dont use them.

[TheFestiveKnid]

All the staff at the three local(ish) village post offices I use are lovely. [smug]

[squeakytoy]

Everytime I go to my local post office (which is almost daily) there is some drama

This week

Customer: I want to send this parcel to New Zealand by surface mail.

PO Woman: thats £18.50

Customer: It cant be, it would only be £10 to send it by airmail.

PO Woman: surface mail is £18.50

Customer: Are you sure? that cant be right?

PO Woman: Yes. £18.50

Customer: Can I speak to your manager, that really cant be right.

PO Woman: No.

Customer: Well I want to speak to your manager.

Eventually after at least 5 minutes of this going round in circles, and a huge queue building up, the manager came over to see what was wrong..

PO Woman: this customer says I am wrong

Manager: it will be £6 for surface mail...

Customer: thankyou! I knew it was wrong

PO Woman just shrugs.. no apology.. nothing... just a scowl.

[cupofteaplease]

How strange, the staff in our local PO is, on the whole, unfriendly and bordering on rude too!

When I take in eBay packages, they visibly narrow their eyes, even if there is no cue.

I long to say, 'I'm sorry to inconvenience you with my mail, I obviously confused this building with a post office.'

[cupofteaplease]

Cue? I meant queue, obviously!

[DoesNotGiveAFig]

One of my best friends is a postmaster and is lovely. So there.

[oreocrumbs]

Oh I've just found a nice post office! Had a similar pile of cards and the man was really nice and even entertained DD for me while I cocked my post up sorted it out! Will send my post from there in future

However at my local post office they are awful.