I got banned from the Post Office!

[doobyooby]

Took a fat A4 envelope to the post office today, have been there loads and have ebayed thousands of items in my time so have seen a lot of bad service at post offices over the years, including them not listening to what you ask for.

Asked for "first class large letter signed for"...£4.45 says he.

I said "that's expensive, it should be two pound something".

No, £4.45 says he and he prints out the label and sticks it on while I am trying to work it out.

I'm thinking about it and I ask him if that's the large letter rate and he says "no it's the small parcel rate".

So I ask him to cancel it....and he refuses. Says he can't. "The system won't allow it."

So I replied, calmly, that "I asked for large letter rate and yes, the system does allow a cancellation as I've seen it done many times before and please can he cancel it". I take my parcel back to look at it and to check it is no bigger than the large letter slot,.....and he demands I give my parcel back to him as he can't cancel it and therefore I should pay the £4.45 or he's keeping the parcel. The parcel has the only copy of my signed Will in there so I'm not having him just keep it and not send it off!

So I said, "well yes you can cancel it, I've seen it done before, you made a mistake as I did say large letter, and you just need the label to do it", and I peeled it off (plastic envelope jiffy so easy to peel off without damage) , but he demands I give the whole envelope back so he can keep it.

I replied that no, "the envelope is my property, not your property, I hadn't asked for small parcel rate and I wasn't going to pay it and therefore he should cancel it on his system using the label I had just given back to him" (undamaged)

.....and he told me "to get out of his shop and never come back!!!"

Which is a pain because it's my local. So, AiBU? It's only a couple of quid but I hate the post office and it's upselling and the way they don't listen to you when you say large letter, it happens regularly. Being told to never go back to his shop like I'm some sort of thug or criminal. I never even raised my voice let alone swore. I know I could complain but the post office authorities will do f all. This why I usually use one of their competitors but wanted the signed for thing today. Ffs,

Yanbu. I find post office workers almost as bad as council workers.

Jumped up little jobsworth twats with overinflated senses of importance. Usually with little person syndrome.

He probably threw you out because you were right.

you can pay and print the signed for stamp at home and pop it in the post box, it’ll get scanned at the depot. The only problem is if it goes missing, you don’t have a proof of postage. Another problem is that if you take the ready paid envelope to PO, this guy will hate you even more as they get nothing from the on-line purchased mail but still have to process them.

Complain to PO about this branch though, twitter is the most efficient method.

I run a small on-line business and dropping of my parcels to my local PO is the bane of my life. The postmaster and mistress are great but there’s couple of other staff who usually look like they’re chewing wasps. They don’t try to cheat on the prices though.

PO’s make more profit by selling more expensive services such as guaranteed next day etc. A regular mail earns them only pennies.

Bridgetreilly - the ones you buy only valid for up to 100g, OP’s package was more than 100g. And it was signed for

Makes no sense at all because even if he kept your parcel, he would still have to cancel it on the system. Unless he was going to post it for free for you 😂

Is there anybody at the Post Office Head Office you can complain to? X

We used to live in a village where an utterly bizarre woman ran the post office. On one occasion she refused to serve me (well within opening hours) because she was doing the hoovering. On another occasion she tried to charge me £5 “for her time” to sign a form for me to open a Post Office account!! And when I refused to pay her a fiver she refused to sign it! With that one I complained to the PO HQ and got a proper apology.

I don't know why but I found this thread compelling reading! I've turned into my dad

Me too Duck, I know two Post Offices where I can imagine this happening.

Wow...really makes me appreciate my local post office even if sometimes you can end up queuing for a while

The workers are polite, efficient and immediately give you the price of both first and second.

Working behind the counter definitely seems to do something to some people.
There’s one near me that’s part of a newsagent. Women owner is lovely when serving in shop, but turns into a sour faced misery guts the minute she’s behind the post office counter. What is it about post offices that does this to people.

My local is also to be avoided. Sent two identical parcels on two separate days. One went as small letter the other went as large letter. Different people doing it each day but it did blooming fit through the small slot! Didn't have the confidence to query it though

My nearest post office used to be famous locally for their rudeness. It started with a letter to the local paper & then the tales of their hideousness come flooding in. The two worst offenders have now left.

Don't use Hermes, they're dreadful.

For those of you saying complain to head office. How? I've been on their website and it gives you an online form to fill in which they say they will respond to within three days. But I can't see them calling up this franchise and telling him to un-ban me.

I just tried to go to another post office, they don't open til 9am which is when I'm at work. The other guy takes post office stuff from when he opens at 0730 and even on Sunday's, that's why it's so convenient what with no queue as well.

I'm thinking of walking back in there and telling him I've spoken to x and they've said he can't ban me because of y. But I don't know what x and y should be.

@Lordamighty there's an idea.

This is strange - I got shouted at by a very similar sounding man for a very similar reason a few months ago!

Post Office and bus drivers are using the same employment agency round here, I think.

He sounds bonkers. For some reason i have an image of the chuckle brothers to me, to you in my head when i read your post
Is he always there? Can you go when he's not if he isn't?

@BloodyHellBeryl how do I find out when he is there and when he's not , without going in to check?!

Could you say to them that you have spoken to head office and they told you to continue using that post office and if he has a problem with that, he needs to ring head office?

A lie of course but sometimes the less said the better?

My post office are lovely. They always go out of their way to find the cheapest option for me, and double check when I ask for something expensive (next day delivery on a Saturday? Are you sure? It costs a fortune...).

Doesn't help you, but it is your specific post office (or post offices) not all of them.

But I can't see them calling up this franchise and telling him to un-ban me

Post Office exercises a high level of control over subpostmasters. They aren't typical franchisees. Indeed, the relationship is very close to employment. So a complaint may well produce action.

Doobyooby. I don't know? Check through the window?
Now got visions of you with hood up and scarf pulled up to furtively peer through the window while pretending to read the for sale postcards
sorry, not helpful.

Post Office exercises a high level of control over subpostmasters. They aren't typical franchisees

Most franchises exert a high level of control when the issue affects brand reputation. The reason why a franchise is valuable is that you are able to trade using the master company's brand, and that's often main asset the master company has. They guard that jealously (or indeed zealously) both for their own sake and for the sake of the wider franchisee community.

Burger King and McDonald's in the UK are mostly operated directly, I think, but in some territories they're largely franchised: mess about while operating one and you'll find yourself running a no-name burger stall so fast your french fries won't touch the side of the deep fat fryer.

I just had no idea that you could be banned from a post office! Omg the woman Hoovering