Post Office assistant charges me incorrectly and insists I don't make complaint

[PurpleStarrySocks]

I took a large letter into a branch of the Post Office to post to make sure I had the right postage on it before posting it.

The Post Office assistant said how much it'll be, then I promptly paid. As he handed me the receipt, I remembered that when I looked up how much the postage would be, it wasn't as much as he'd just charged me. So, I asked the Post Office assistant whether I'd been charged the large letter rate or the small parcel rate. He said large letter, then took my large letter again, put it through the plastic gauge thing the Post Office have and confirmed it was the size of a large letter.

I showed him the receipt, which showed that I'd been charged for a small parcel. The Post Office assistant said the computer automatically chose small parcel and not a large letter and that there wasn't anything he could have done and that he didn't do anything wrong. He then repeatedly said "I told you it was x amount before you paid." I agreed that he had, but that it shouldn't matter, as it's now come to light that I'd been charged the incorrect amount. He made it seem like it was my responsibility to know I'd been charged correctly before paying. I think I should be able to trust that a Post Office assistant charges me the correct amount.

The Post Office assistant kept saying he couldn't choose 'large letter' or 'small parcel' and that the computer chooses automatically. I said I'll take it up with the Post Office. He then kept telling me he'll lose his job if I made a complaint and that a colleague of his had lost his job for this reason. He offered to pay me the difference out of his own pocket, which I declined initially. However, he kept going on about how he'd lose his job if I made a complaint, so I felt I had no choice but to take his money just so that I could leave. The Post Office assistant looked in his wallet, didn't have the right money, so gave me the money from the takings. I felt so uncomfortable having this played out while other customers were waiting.

This Post Office is local to me and has recently come under new management. I'd never had any issues with them, or any other Post Office, in the past.

My questions are:

1. Is it true that the Post Office assistant couldn't choose between a large letter and a small parcel? It seems unlikely to me, as how can the computer tell what size the parcel is based on the weight?
2. Shouldn't I be able to trust that a Post Office assistant charges me the correct amount for postage and not rely on me to know whether I've been charged the correct amount before paying?

Your title is misleading, it implies they have scammed you lots of times. Not a one-off mistake. I wish this is all I had to worry about. If they are scamming a few pence out of people good luck to them.

YANBU op, I don't understand a lot of the flack you're getting, he was unprofessional but at least you got the difference back.

This I actually gave up reading the full post cuz it’s such a non issue so dull

It's a scam. These labels can be cancelled and refunded if a mistake is made. The assistant would not have to refund you out of his own pocket.
Doing this to multiple customers per day would add up to a tidy amount every week.

The poor guy, likely on a low wage during a cost of living crisis, tried to pay you the difference out of his own pocket and when he couldn’t you got your money back a different way… and you’re still not happy. Would him losing his job even be enough for you? Maybe they should bring back hanging

Default would be small parcel, the assistant should have changed it to large letter, he probably forgot to do this, the transaction could have been reversed. For anyone who would like to challenge me, I'm an experienced P.O. manager and I'm not prepared to argue with anyone who isn't 😜
Of course you shouldn't have to check the cost first but mistakes do happen, we're all human, I think the assistant handled this badly.

I wouldn’t be able to bring myself to ruin someone else’s day for the sake of 89p.

Surprised so many people are happy to pay £2 extra for everything they buy! Must all be mega rich with money to burn. Presumably you will happily pay £5.50 for a coffee instead of £3.50, just because the staff member "makes a mistake"? Or does it only apply to postage?

The employee should have refunded you and started again, or called the manager if he wasn't sure how to do it. If the employee faces getting the sack for a sinple error or not knowing how to issue a refund, this is not the OP's fault.

Please please tell me it was not 89p

Thank you for explaining! I was hoping someone who actually works at a Post Office would come on to clarify matters! The Post Office assistant agreed I was charged incorrectly, said he can't select large letter or small parcel and that he couldn't reverse the transaction. I agree that we all make mistakes, but the Post Office worker did not say he made a mistake. He told me he hasn't done anything wrong and put the onus on me to check the price before paying.

So if you are short changed in a shop you wouldn't mention it in case it upset the member of staff?

I used to work in a shop and gave the wrong change fairly often...it didn't ruin my day if someone politely pointed it out ! In fact I would apologise to them, correct my mistake and move on. What kind of snowflakey world are we living in where it "ruins someone's day" to do their job properly?!

Hope you bought something nice with your 89p!

I too am surprised by all those who would happily be overcharged for stuff.

We use Royal Mail click and drop every day for our business so probably slightly different to their system but they change things without telling us new charges etc all the times for overseas things so wouldn’t surprise me.

By my calculations the difference would have been either £1.09 (for 2nd Class) or £1.49 (1st Class)...

Either way the way the PO assistant handled it was weird.

He’s probably just not trained how to do a refund. I’ve worked for the post office for a year and a half and I still have to ring my manager to do one as I very rarely have to do it and the post office systems aren’t that simple. Most post offices are within shops so it’s not the assistants main job so staff aren’t as knowledgeable as main post office staff usually. Also there is no way you can scam the post office doing that because it’s done on the system which is checked against the till multiple times of day.

Why is this a scam?

I was overcharged by just under £2. I wouldn't want that to happen to someone who was struggling to make ends meet. To people who are struggling financially, I suspect comments like "just let it go", "you need to get out more", "you ruined someone's day" etc are all rather insulting. The customers may well be struggling with the cost of living crisis as much as the Post Office assistant.

This...

Op have you STILL not moved on

It's a non issue now.... done with ..

I think this is weird!

One time I was about to pay for postage for a parcel return then realised the retailer gave me a free return label QR code. The post office assistant was a tiny bit annoyed as they had already partially processed the transaction, and had to peel the paid label off my parcel, but they sorted it out regardless. I’m not sure if I had paid for the postage at that stage but presumably they have a refund process like any other retailer

Really not sure why everyone thinks the OP should accept being overcharged for something.
What’s odd is that the PO assistant couldn’t legitimately refund the difference, should be easy enough to do.

Are people missing the point that - this didn't actually happen? To the Post Office assistant.

😂😂😂

I'd assume it was a genuine error the first time.

In future ask them to tell you before you agree to pay.