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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Rude post office staff, shall I complain?

89 replies

neverendingannoyingcold · 09/12/2011 14:31

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! Shock

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... Blush

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 Blush) 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. Hmm

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?

OP posts:
CarolCervix · 09/12/2011 14:53

Bollocks

BrianButterfield · 09/12/2011 14:54

Last week a woman at the main PO in town got arsey at me because I asked if a package could go as a large letter instead of as a packet - I had sent lots of similarly-sized packages in the weeks before and 90% of them fitted through the large letter slot. She huffed and puffed and, in order to show me that it was not a large letter and couldn't fit through the slot, pushed it through the slot twice, I kid you not. Then, having proved her point Hmm insisted it was a packet. I took it to the other PO instead where the young man serving me sent it as a large letter, no problem, and even looked disappointed when the other package I had wouldn't fit through as well!

Original poster
neverendingannoyingcold · 09/12/2011 14:54

LOL at cupofteaplease Grin !

OP posts:
TardlyWhiptrack · 09/12/2011 14:55

A good one is:

'Poor you! Is everything ok? You know, I'm happy to make a really detailed complaint to your branch manager about your unacceptably rude behaviour to customers, if it might help with getting whatever's bothering you sorted out?'

HUGE smile :)

Pendeen · 09/12/2011 15:02

neverendingannoyingcold

".. By this time, I am sweating and really dreading .."

You sound far too nice to be let out on your own. :)

Give the old bat the dead eye, cold voice treatment next time.

mumblechum1 · 09/12/2011 15:07

The one in our local town isn't really staffed by rude people but god are they sloooooow, often the queue is right out on the street outside.

Our village one on the othr hand is staffed by two nice,helpful ladies who are never anything but pleasant, and there's rarely more than one or two people in the queue.

Original poster
neverendingannoyingcold · 09/12/2011 15:11

pendeen
I get flustered by the smallest of things: Not having the right change ready when buying things, not putting my items into the shopping bag quickly enough at the supermarket, constantly thinking that DCs are in other peoples' way when we're out and about... Blush Sometimes it's hard to be me... Grin

OP posts:
cookingfat · 09/12/2011 15:41

At my local PO, they're all friendly apart from one. I usually get here. She doesn't speak, makes a catbum face at everything and wears lots of frosted blue eyeshadow. I do what hully posted upthread - man, she hates me. OH YES, she also throws packages behind her into the right bag. I want to say 'good job they're not breakable, isn't it?' but am coward.

hermionestranger · 09/12/2011 15:51

The PO next to where I used to take DS2 to baby massage actually has a sign up saying that "THIS IS NOT AN EBAY OFFICE AND IS ACTUALLY A POST OFFICE!" Brilliant! I take all my ebay crap items to the one near school or the one in the village I live in. Both of these seem to understand that people wanting to use the PO and spend money there is a good thing. although my local one did recently tell me off for having the temerity to want to use illegal (his words) tender. It was a Scottish £20 note! Grin

TestAnswers · 09/12/2011 16:05

The woman does sound pretty awful! I think the time to complain has passed a bit now though. I now deal with people like this by completely stopping and asking them what I have done to offend them. Never had to go beyond that point as an apology/excuse and much better service has always followed (not saying I have done it that often!) - but I have mentally rehearsed the next step!

BrianButterfield · 09/12/2011 16:42

What exactly is the problem with people sending eBay parcels? Surely online shopping has been a boon to the Royal Mail? (Am happy to hear straight facts about this from people In The Know, actually).

SoupDragon · 09/12/2011 16:47

TBH, you sound like a bit of a nightmare customer - couldn't you work out the cost of sending the UK ones yourself and just ask for X stamps? It's not rocket science.

youarekidding · 09/12/2011 17:04

Grin @ cupoftea yes please do and report their reactions on MN

YANBU, although my post office they are generally OK, one member of staff can seem a little miserable when I pop in at 5pm after work but I just out that down to it being that last half hour until finishing time.

Original poster
neverendingannoyingcold · 09/12/2011 17:07

soupdragon

Nightmare customer??? For having arranged cards in piles according to country, size, letter in them/not in them and for having provided all the necessary information?

As for working cost out myself: How am I to know a) how much my letters weigh, b) what size they are according to the slot thingy which measures size???

Sorry but I don't happen to have these tools at home...

Do you happen to work at a PO...? Hmm

OP posts:
thepeoplesprincess · 09/12/2011 17:09

You people are wicked. See how chirpy you all feel when your menopausal hormones are doing the conga and your vadges are drier than a dead Ethiopian's toothbrush.

lljkk · 09/12/2011 17:11

I'm on friendly chatty terms with the gals in our post office.
I have been flogging loads on Ebay so go in there almost daily of late.
We laugh about it. Even discussed today whether we'd ever recognise each other outside of the building.
Honest.

springydaffs · 09/12/2011 19:08

I swear, you are all going to my local post office. You must be. The staff there are unbelievably rude, to the point that I have to brace myself to go in. There is one, probably the manager, who is so rude and frightening - personality disorder material, no matter what you do it's wrong, you're stupid, and he SHOUTS in a welsh accent (calls everybody darlin) what you've (supposedly) got wrong so everybody can hear. Why are PO staff so rude? Is it power? (about what ???) I@m convinced I'm overcharged for my overseas mail and the £18.50/£6 story seems to confirm that.

princess, I could hope you have the most horrific menopause imaginable but that would be mean and two wrongs don't make a right.

TheFrogs · 09/12/2011 19:30

There's a guy who works in our local post office, has worked there since I was a little girl and in all that time I think i've seen him smile twice! He has always been so rude, I dread going to his window although it is quite fun when i'm in a decent mood, to see just how much I can irritate him (taking a parcel, letter and cheque and generally just breathing is a good start).

SoupDragon · 09/12/2011 19:53

No, I don't work in a post office Hmm Not entirely sure why you would make that strange assumption.

I am, however, capable of using scales and a ruler to see how big and heavy the cards are. Generally it isn't much of a challenge.

FestiveFriedaWassailsAgain · 09/12/2011 19:57

My local PO has a sign in the window saying Ebay Stuff welcome. And they are not miserable> most important, they often has cheap Dime/Daim bars Grin

FestiveFriedaWassailsAgain · 09/12/2011 19:58

often have, even

JamieComeHome · 09/12/2011 20:04

I do think there is something funny about people who are monumentally rude. If you can do it, just keep very very calm and have a little smirk on your face like you know something very embarrassing about her. If nothing else it will make you feel better

stuffthenonsense · 09/12/2011 20:05

Hmm yes its pot luck in my local post office too, do PO staff not realise that if customers didnt use their services they would probably be unemployed.
Im always careful to make other peoples day as easy as i can but i swear if THAT woman is rude to me again, then i will be posting odd shaped/sized parcels that are shoddily wrapped to MYSELF every day, just to wind her up

JamieComeHome · 09/12/2011 20:06

The guys in our local PO (brothers) are really nice. It's a very community-focussed place. Does really good greetings cards too

Ripeberry · 09/12/2011 20:10

Are all these rude PO people in cities? All the PO people in my area (rural) are very friendly. They have to be as everyone knows everyone's business and if you P*ss off the locals they are good at getting their own back Xmas Wink

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