Post Office - Postage

[Beswad]

Has Royal mail introduce a new rule where any package weighing over 3kg must be sent by Parcel Force because postman don't like lugging any bulky items into their vans?

That's what I was told by my local post office today by the counter clerk. I argued that I'd checked with Royal Mail's website it gave men the option of 1st class standard, 1st class recorded and standard parcel. All these years of I've been sending large packages, some over 4kg, by this 1st class recorded at my old local post office without any complaints. Has this is new one with it's new clerks made up this new rule?

[Baldric]

Looks like they do up to 20kgs

http://www.postoffice.co.uk/standard-parcels

[Beswad]

I think I have good reason to complain to head office about these lazy post office clerks.

Thanks Baldric. I'll print this out and shovel it to theis information in their faces next time.

[spudqueen]

I work in a Post Office and am often amazed at the stories my customers tell me. One afternoon last week a lady brought in a parcel saying 'I can post it now I've found the post code for the address it's being sent to'. I said that we don't need the post code, we can try and look it up (doesn't always work with the daft Post Office system), but it is only advisory not compulsary to put a post code on. It turns out that she'd gone to a different Post Office in the morning who'd refused to take it with no post code. Now that is sheer laziness as she was sending it standard parcel and we have to input the address (post code and house number) into the computer. Without a post code we have to put the full address, so for the sake of typing in a couple of extra lines of address they refused to take it!
It would be lovely if all Post Office clerks were not tarred with the same brush, but there are some p*llocks out there.

[Beswad]

Thanks for the reply spudqueen. I wished more post office clerks were as efficient as you. It just happens this newly post office with its newly clerks at my local area appears to be very lazy and ill-trained. On many occasions they will not get out of their seats and take in customers packages for safe keeping, instead they instruct customers to leave parcels outside the counter until collection time. In my opinon this is poor practice and risk potential theft. They wouldn't leave cash outside on the counter, would they?

I don't normally like to complain but this is the second time I've had grievances with this post office clerk who previously refused to issue me a certificate of posting instead instructed me to write down the address on of the recipient on the receipt. What kind of stupid advice was that? As it happens the package was lost and the recipent made a claim and I had to make a refund explain the situation to Royal Mail when the claim was brought up.

Anyway I have wrote to the head post office regarding these experiences I've had with this particular post office and hopefully they will take action.

[spudqueen]

Well done to you for reporting this Post Office. Bad practice in one reflects on all of them.