How do I deal with rude staff at my local post office?

[chezzy]

Hi folks

This is not the first time I have raised the issue but could not find the previous post.

I am in a situation where my local post office has rude/unfriendly staff. During weekdays I am limited to

this Post Office. No matter what day, what time - even during the quietest times - the staff there can

barely utter a friendly word, a smile or even a thankyou.

Regardless I try to be courteous and organized. Seems to make no difference.

This alone is putting me off selling on ebay. I can't get my head around it. I have had enough

and this week when one of them told me bluntly to move aside I told them there was

"no need to be rude and you are always rude". They did not even look at me or respond,

completely ignored me.

Am at the point where I would like to lodge a complaint but not sure where? This is not a stand alone

Post Office, it is an agency/newsagent combined. Who are they accountable/answerable to -

Australia Post or is there a district manager who oversees these places?

Any help would be appreciated!

In the meantime I am thinking of having one posting day (Saturdays) and travelling to another

Post Office. Because I am not keen to give a single cent to my local one with their attitude.

Thanks in advance.

[helenm777]

I must admit I use 2 Post Offices. The staff there are always friendly and greet me with smile name. They are even helpful is leting me know if I can send cheaper.

Such a Shame others are not like these people.

Of course these are Franchise Post Offices.. not the big ones and many staff their own their own business .. so I can only assume they want customers to come back

[i-love-my-sheep]

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@helenm777 wrote:

I must admit I use 2 Post Offices. The staff there are always friendly and greet me with smile name. They are even helpful is leting me know if I can send cheaper.

Such a Shame others are not like these people.

Of course these are Franchise Post Offices.. not the big ones and many staff their own their own business .. so I can only assume they want customers to come back

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The staff at my little PO, which is a privately owned one, are fantastic. Nothing is too much trouble for them. Some days I have trouble getting out of there because if it's a bit quiet, they all want to chat! 20 minutes it took me to get out yesterday. I had to pick up a parcel and they said they didn't need to see my ID as they knew my address from all the parcels I post. I commented with "must mean I come here too much!". One of them finally worked out that I must be selling on eBay and they were all asking me about it and how it works. I was grateful when some other customers came in because I was actually in a bit of a hurry!

The main post office on the main street, I rarely go there. I only go there if I have to collect a larger parcel (my small PO only accepts small parcels - but will post any size). The staff are nowhere near as friendly, possibly because they are constantly run off their feet. It doesn't matter what time you go there the line is always out the door. Parking in terrible too, whereas the little one, parking is a breeze. Being in a side street, away from the main CBD means you can often get a park right out the front.

Last week I posted a parcel to a buyer who had bought multiple items. The weight was getting close to the 500g mark (495g), so instead of writing the address on paper and then taping it on like I normally do, I just wrote on it with permanent marker. I had taped all over the box, so the marker was used on tape. The lady behind the counter said that wouldn't be any good because even though it's permanent marker, it can still come off. So, she got an address label out of the drawer, filled out all the details and stuck it on for me. She reweighed it and it came to 499g! The main PO probably wouldn't have done that, they would have just taken the parcel as is.

[chezzy]

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@i-love-my-sheep wrote:

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@helenm777 wrote:

I must admit I use 2 Post Offices. The staff there are always friendly and greet me with smile name. They are even helpful is leting me know if I can send cheaper.

Such a Shame others are not like these people.

Of course these are Franchise Post Offices.. not the big ones and many staff their own their own business .. so I can only assume they want customers to come back

---

The lady behind the counter said that wouldn't be any good because even though it's permanent marker, it can still come off. So, she got an address label out of the drawer, filled out all the details and stuck it on for me. She reweighed it and it came to 499g! The main PO probably wouldn't have done that, they would have just taken the parcel as is.

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would have been easier/quicker to just put some clear packing tape over the handwritten texta address

[i-love-my-sheep]

She did suggest that, but as it was so close to going over the 500g, she said the label would be lighter than using enough tape to cover the address.

[chezzy]

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@i-love-my-sheep wrote:

She did suggest that, but as it was so close to going over the 500g, she said the label would be lighter than using enough tape to cover the address.

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Perhaps. I remember when PO staff used to 'turn a blind eye' to a couple of grams over.

[i-love-my-sheep]

The post office might turn a blind eye to a few grams over, but the sorting centre may not. I wasn't prepared to risk either myself or my buyer getting a bill for outstanding postage over a few grams. The PO didn't charge me for the label, so what's the big deal? 

[chezzy]

??

There's no 'big deal' - I was just reminiscing how PO staff USED to turn a blind eye if it was only a fraction over

*cue memory music*

[chezzy]

I'm sorry if you felt I was having a go at you - or your PO. I wasn't. I guess I am just remembering some of the good times and common sense of the past. At the moment I am feeling pretty discouraged about ebay and the postal system etc.....

[i-love-my-sheep]

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@chezzy wrote:

??

There's no 'big deal' - I was just reminiscing how PO staff USED to turn a blind eye if it was only a fraction over

*cue memory music*

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Memoriiiiies, light the corners of my mind.

Misty water coloured memories

Of the way we weeeeerrrrre

[bestcollectablesonline]

I've dealt with PO staff around Australia for the last 30 years and It's the luck of the draw - The reality is It can take a long time to get on good commonsense terms with some of them,  sorry, that's what's in front of you - go elsewhere or just persist. What will help is if you buy a box of registered labels for appropriate large letters and do half their work for them including putting all the stamps on the item that is required (get a charges booklet and work it out) Over time some of them will appreciate what you're doing, but dont bet on it.