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Topic: Post Office rant!  (Read 6098 times)

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    • Becca Jane St Clair
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Post Office rant!
« on: November 24, 2008, 10:34:17 PM »

Today, Tim and I went to the village post office to mail some things home to my mom that are for Christmas presents. Twice.  We had to go back because my big box was too big by .2kg to be a "small parcel" and would have been too expensive, but if we split it into smaller packages they'd all qualify as "small parcel" and be cheaper  (and it was true. It was £25 cheaper after splitting it up). 

Anyway.

The first time we were at the Post Office, the woman proceeded to flirt with Tim in front of me.  Asking him really personal questions I felt were out of line for a Postal employee (even if they were a friend!) to be asking.  And then she refused to let me pay for my stuff with my US credit card because it didn't have a chip.  She claimed it "wouldn't accept" my card when she didn't even frigging try to swipe the thing.  When they had a problem with swiping it at another place, the clerk just manually typed in my number and it went through no problems.  But, Tim was nice enough and paid for my postage.

We went home and split my large package and went back to the post office where the woman flirted with Tim again, and this time completely ignored me!  TIM had to ask her for the custom forms because she ignored me when I asked, and she said to Tim "oh, did you get it all sorted" as if they were his packages to mail! 

I'm just so annoyed and can't figure out if this was a dis on me being American, a dis on Tim dating someone who is American, or just a rude woman. 

http://blog.beccajanestclair.com

Met Tim Online: 2004 ~ Met IRL in the US: 6/2005
Engaged: 23/09/2009 ~ Married:  05/11/2009
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Re: Post Office rant!
« Reply #1 on: November 25, 2008, 03:43:08 PM »
Bee-atch!!!


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Re: Post Office rant!
« Reply #2 on: November 25, 2008, 03:50:18 PM »
I would have gone postal on her and told her that's how it's done back home.

[KIDDING FOLKS!!!!]

That was definitely out of order, though. I would have insisted she speak to me, and possibly not had Tim there the second time. Sorry for your bad experience!
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Re: Post Office rant!
« Reply #3 on: November 25, 2008, 03:54:37 PM »
Welcome to England and their version of customer service!!!!!! ;D

Demanding that the postal clerk speak to you is only going to make matters worse...

Village post offices are tricky places....you're probably just considered an "outsider" at the mo and will need to prove yourself before you're received with open arms!

"When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford." - Samuel Johnson


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Re: Post Office rant!
« Reply #4 on: November 25, 2008, 04:50:28 PM »
Welcome to England and their version of customer service!!!!!! ;D


I will assume that this is a joke.

This is an example of one woman being a cow.  However, at least they had the decency to tell you a way to post everything cheaper - that is quite rare, as usually post office staff are told to try to make as much money out of customers as possible.


Vicky


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Re: Post Office rant!
« Reply #5 on: November 25, 2008, 05:03:26 PM »

Village post offices are tricky places....you're probably just considered an "outsider" at the mo and will need to prove yourself before you're received with open arms!

Yeah, it kind of worries me once I'm here not just as a visitor how she'll treat me because I send a lot of packages!


This is an example of one woman being a cow.  However, at least they had the decency to tell you a way to post everything cheaper - that is quite rare, as usually post office staff are told to try to make as much money out of customers as possible.

Vicky

She may have suggested it because of Tim, who knows?
http://blog.beccajanestclair.com

Met Tim Online: 2004 ~ Met IRL in the US: 6/2005
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Biometrics Submitted: 28/12/2009 ~ Spousal Visa Application Submitted: 12/31/2009
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Re: Post Office rant!
« Reply #6 on: November 25, 2008, 05:19:38 PM »
However, at least they had the decency to tell you a way to post everything cheaper - that is quite rare, as usually post office staff are told to try to make as much money out of customers as possible.
We had someone at the Post Office give us this tip as well. Very nice of them.  :) Although annoying to have to repack things!


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Re: Post Office rant!
« Reply #7 on: November 25, 2008, 05:27:06 PM »
i know what where you are coming from as my husband is an avid ebayer so trips to the post office were twice a week sometimes, well when i moved here i was ignored as well! now i do the posting for us both and I'm still treated as some sort of strange person! Usually i get told that i need custom stickers and airmail stickers (which i always put on before i leave the house so i have to tell them there already on) which always gets a look! Second the gentleman that works there on some days always asks me where I'm from then precedes to remind me (yes every time!) of that horrible day in 1963 (I'm from Dallas) in to which i just nod my head! sheeesh! ::) ::) ::)






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Re: Post Office rant!
« Reply #8 on: November 25, 2008, 05:29:32 PM »
We had someone at the Post Office give us this tip as well. Very nice of them.  :) Although annoying to have to repack things!

Ugh, I was so annoyed, but it was better to repack it over paying nearly twice as much for postage.  And I was able to separate the packages so my aunt got her stuff mailed to her instead of to my mom first.

i know what where you are coming from as my husband is an avid ebayer so trips to the post office were twice a week sometimes, well when i moved here i was ignored as well! now i do the posting for us both and I'm still treated as some sort of strange person! Usually i get told that i need custom stickers and airmail stickers (which i always put on before i leave the house so i have to tell them there already on) which always gets a look! Second the gentleman that works there on some days always asks me where I'm from then precedes to remind me (yes every time!) of that horrible day in 1963 (I'm from Dallas) in to which i just nod my head! sheeesh! ::) ::) ::)

Yeah, it really concerns me that the trend will continue. But it is a small village, so I don't know. On one hand, she probably does know Tim well enough to talk to him like that....on the other hand, it just annoyed me the way I got treated! 

http://blog.beccajanestclair.com

Met Tim Online: 2004 ~ Met IRL in the US: 6/2005
Engaged: 23/09/2009 ~ Married:  05/11/2009
Biometrics Submitted: 28/12/2009 ~ Spousal Visa Application Submitted: 12/31/2009
Spousal Visa Issued: 31/12/2009 ~ Move Date: 21/1/2010


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Re: Post Office rant!
« Reply #9 on: November 25, 2008, 07:52:28 PM »
I will assume that this is a joke.

Vicky

No this is an American comment on an American forum about customer service...... it's not the first and I very much doubt it'll be the last....

But I think Anna is dealing with one of the cons of village life...(which is why I lasted about a year in a village before moving somewhere else.)
"When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford." - Samuel Johnson


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Re: Post Office rant!
« Reply #10 on: November 25, 2008, 08:36:06 PM »

But I think Anna is dealing with one of the cons of village life...(which is why I lasted about a year in a village before moving somewhere else.)

It probably *is* a village thing....but the thing is, I really don't think we'd be moving away from here anytime soon after I moved here....unless we decided we needed a larger house for a family or something.
http://blog.beccajanestclair.com

Met Tim Online: 2004 ~ Met IRL in the US: 6/2005
Engaged: 23/09/2009 ~ Married:  05/11/2009
Biometrics Submitted: 28/12/2009 ~ Spousal Visa Application Submitted: 12/31/2009
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Re: Post Office rant!
« Reply #11 on: November 25, 2008, 08:56:02 PM »
It probably *is* a village thing

I don't know. I lived in a village for five years and loved it ... and never had any problems of this sort. Besides which, I think customer service at post offices is normally fabulous, particularly in small villages where it's more personal. From what you describe, maybe it was a bit too personal in your case!  ;)

To me, it just sounds like an inappropriately flirtatious woman who just happens to be British and just happens to work in the post office. They exist in all countries and they work in all sorts of places. If I were you, I'd just shrug it off. I mean, she was out of order but it's not the worst thing in the world.
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Re: Post Office rant!
« Reply #12 on: November 25, 2008, 09:07:43 PM »
*nods* I mean, I'm not calling her out and saying she was rude to me/ignored me solely because I was American, but it's one of those puzzling things where I really couldn't figure out why she wouldn't attempt to run my credit card and why she ignored me.
http://blog.beccajanestclair.com

Met Tim Online: 2004 ~ Met IRL in the US: 6/2005
Engaged: 23/09/2009 ~ Married:  05/11/2009
Biometrics Submitted: 28/12/2009 ~ Spousal Visa Application Submitted: 12/31/2009
Spousal Visa Issued: 31/12/2009 ~ Move Date: 21/1/2010


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Re: Post Office rant!
« Reply #13 on: November 25, 2008, 10:15:46 PM »
No this is an American comment on an American forum about customer service...... it's not the first and I very much doubt it'll be the last....

Actually, you have a point.  I regularly try to shag my male clients in front of their girlfriends. 

Must be a British thing after all.


Vicky


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Re: Post Office rant!
« Reply #14 on: November 26, 2008, 10:00:56 AM »
I apologise for straying from the topic of this thread.  

Does anyone know what the cutoff/dividing line is for packages?  At what point/size/weight do they jump to a more costly rate?  I've looked for information on the Royal Mail website and am still not sure.
I have a lot of packages to send to the states and want to save every pence I can.
I know when sending boxes from US to UK it was cheaper to send one large box than several small ones.  It sounds like the opposite is true from UK to US.  


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