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Topic: Post Office rant!  (Read 6096 times)

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Re: Post Office rant!
« Reply #30 on: November 28, 2008, 06:15:58 PM »
I agree with you completely, but I've noticed it gets done frequently, particularly if we're at a pub and ordering drinks.

I haven't noticed it that much, but maybe because we don't stand at the till or in queue together like that.  For example, we just got back from the shop to pick up a few things and he paid for everything (because almost all of the stuff was for him) so I just stood off to the the side till he was done. Sometimes I am the one doing the paying while he is waiting by the door.

When we are at the pub, we take turns going to the bar to get drinks.

I don't think we've ever gone to the post office together. If one of us needs something, we just go ourselves.

If it were me, I would probably pay the most attention to whomever was paying.
« Last Edit: November 28, 2008, 06:18:22 PM by sweetpeach »


Re: Post Office rant!
« Reply #31 on: November 28, 2008, 06:24:40 PM »
OK. OK. I know that I always say that I work in a shop and then launch into some defence of some ill-behaved cashier but um, actually I've done this.  Not on purpose but I have.  And it's not because I'm flirting because I'm not.  But it's just because if you have regular customers or people you know you just have a way of talking to them and you know them and when they bring their partners in it's like they're not even there.   But in my defence, I do it when women bring in their husbands.  I just totally ignore them.  And I've noticed my  co-workers doing it too. 

But anyway, under no circumstances should you be rude back or confront this woman.  Especially if it's a small village where you're going to want to use the post office.  If you're never going to step foot back in the post office, then go ahead.  It's just that otherwise your Christmas packages are goin to end up in Timbucktoo. 
Just be polite and perservere and eventually you'll be a regular and they'll be used to dealing with you as well as your boyfriend.


Re: Post Office rant!
« Reply #32 on: November 28, 2008, 06:38:55 PM »
It's just that otherwise your Christmas packages are goin to end up in Timbucktoo. 

 [smiley=laugh4.gif] Funny..but so true!


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Re: Post Office rant!
« Reply #33 on: November 28, 2008, 06:46:47 PM »
I'm personally not bothered by someone flirting with my husband, but I can't stand it when a woman completely ignores another woman and just talks to the man. As though it is assumed that the man is the intelligent one who handles everything and the woman is just there for decoration.  It would be annoying if a man did this, but it's usually women who do this which makes it 100 times worse, like she is disrespecting her own gender.
I totally agree with this--the part about ingnoring the woman, etc. 

The woman who was flirting with my husband was ignoring me and it was pretty much a come-on, telling him he was cute, etc.  So yeah, I was angry. 
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Re: Post Office rant!
« Reply #34 on: November 28, 2008, 06:51:31 PM »
But anyway, under no circumstances should you be rude back or confront this woman.  Especially if it's a small village where you're going to want to use the post office.  If you're never going to step foot back in the post office, then go ahead.  It's just that otherwise your Christmas packages are goin to end up in Timbucktoo. 


Sounds pretty unprofessional to me. Why does SHE need to learn to be polite back? She was the one coming in as a customer and directly speaking to the post office worker! The worker needs to do her job! May sound harsh, but seriously. If customers are speaking to me, I speak back to them! I don't ignore direct questions, no matter how well I may know their partners. Just my own experience after 20 years in various customer service jobs.
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Re: Post Office rant!
« Reply #35 on: November 28, 2008, 06:59:09 PM »
Sounds pretty unprofessional to me. Why does SHE need to learn to be polite back? She was the one coming in as a customer and directly speaking to the post office worker! The worker needs to do her job! May sound harsh, but seriously. If customers are speaking to me, I speak back to them! I don't ignore direct questions, no matter how well I may know their partners. Just my own experience after 20 years in various customer service jobs.

Because she is moving to a tiny village with one post office.  I'm fairly sure that this woman wasn't doing it intentionally. I know from my experience dealing with customers that it is VERY difficult to deal with two people at the same time and it is natural to start talking to the one you know.
And SHE needs to be polite because no good would come of her alienating the only post office in the village.  What's the point?  And no matter how wrong the woman at the post office might have been it's her that's going to end up looking bad if she makes a big scene.  AND what on earth ever happened to just doing the right thing and being the better person?  Really?  The woman DID help them by suggesting that they re-packed their packages.  Her crime is that she was a bit flirty.  That's not exactly outrageous.  Chalk it up to everybody having a bad day and the next time go alone or send your husband if it bothers you that much.  Life's too short.


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Re: Post Office rant!
« Reply #36 on: November 28, 2008, 07:02:03 PM »
I suppose. Just irks me, I guess.
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Re: Post Office rant!
« Reply #37 on: November 28, 2008, 07:04:35 PM »
I suppose. Just irks me, I guess.

Why?  It didn't even happen to you.


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Re: Post Office rant!
« Reply #38 on: November 28, 2008, 07:06:34 PM »
Same reason it bothered you enough to come in here and post about it as well! Just cos, I guess. :)
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Re: Post Office rant!
« Reply #39 on: November 28, 2008, 07:09:05 PM »
Same reason it bothered you enough to come in here and post about it as well! Just cos, I guess. :)

People advising the OP to have a go at the post office woman bothered me because it's bad advice.  The original story didn't bother me.



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Re: Post Office rant!
« Reply #40 on: November 29, 2008, 07:22:33 AM »
Yeah, but I'm not going to have a go at her, so it really doesn't matter anyway.

I don't really agree with you, though.  I mean, I agree with you on not going after her or being nasty, but I see no reasons that could justify her actions.  I've worked plenty of retail jobs that had specific customers, including spending  2 years as a bank teller, and I would never ignore one person just to talk to the one I felt "more familiar with"...especially if the one I didn't know as well was the one actually conducting the business.  It'd have been completely different if I wasn't the one trying to mail stuff and I had just come along with Tim.  If I hadn't been the customer, I'd have expected to be ignored. 
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Re: Post Office rant!
« Reply #41 on: November 29, 2008, 07:46:36 AM »
Yeah, but I'm not going to have a go at her, so it really doesn't matter anyway.

I don't really agree with you, though.  I mean, I agree with you on not going after her or being nasty, but I see no reasons that could justify her actions.  I've worked plenty of retail jobs that had specific customers, including spending  2 years as a bank teller, and I would never ignore one person just to talk to the one I felt "more familiar with"...especially if the one I didn't know as well was the one actually conducting the business.  It'd have been completely different if I wasn't the one trying to mail stuff and I had just come along with Tim.  If I hadn't been the customer, I'd have expected to be ignored. 

I'm not saying she was right.  I'm certainly not saying it was good practice.  Some people are really bad at their jobs.  Or maybe it was just one of those days.  Or maybe you pissed her off in a previous life.  But, like I said, it's not worth getting upset over. 


Re: Post Office rant!
« Reply #42 on: November 29, 2008, 09:43:04 AM »
One thing nobody has mentioned yet is that in villages (and in towns as well) the "sub-post offices" which are within smaller shops are not actually staffed by Post Office employees. The shop owner ("sub-postmaster") is on a contract with Post Office Limited to provide postal services and the person who serves you will not actually be employed directly by POL in the same way as staff in the big city post office branches. Staff will receive a certain amount of POL training to do with the postal side of things, but such things as standards and styles of customer service are very much in line with the prevailing situation as set by the shop owner, and can vary considerably.
« Last Edit: November 29, 2008, 08:15:23 PM by contrex »


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Re: Post Office rant!
« Reply #43 on: December 14, 2008, 12:21:43 AM »
See here

http://sg.royalmail.com/portal/rm/PriceFinder?catId=23500532&gear=pricingcalc&campaignid=PI0081&intcampaignid=PI0081

Bst to have a decent digital set of scales and sort it out at home before going to the post office..


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Re: Post Office rant!
« Reply #44 on: December 14, 2008, 12:00:27 PM »
And then she refused to let me pay for my stuff with my US credit card because it didn't have a chip. 

Depending upon how much fuss you wish to make about it, this is something which often needs to be pointed out to sales staff (not just at the Post Office but at any store) and you might want to insist that they check this with a manager or supervisor.

Many have gotten so used to the "chip & PIN" system on U.K. cards that they seem to have forgotten that it was only a very short time ago it was still normal to swipe the card and then sign the voucher, and not that many years ago when small establishments would still do the whole process manually on an imprinter. 

The merchant agreements for MasterCard, Visa, etc. usually state that by signing up for card services you agree to accept all applicable cards bearing the name.  The documentation supplied by the bank to the merchant will set out the procedures they are supposed to follow for "unusual" situations. 
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