Topic ID 5907
Despite the occasional long wait, which I have to say is no where near as bad as I used to find it, going to the post office in Hertford has become a pleasant experience due to the friendly service I now find there. One character (I believe he is called Karran, but I may be wrong) dealt with customers swiftly, efficiently and courteously but always with time for pleasantries. And other staff there are equally as good. I used to dread having to make a visit to the post office but whatever they have done to change things for the better has obviously worked.
Reply ID 80540
Have you been drinking?!!
Reply ID 80544
You're right - it is much better. The only thing I find strange is that sentry box thing around one of the booths. Is that for privacy?
Reply ID 80545
quote:It's very important to maintain privacy when you strip off for a whole- body photograph for the new EU Passports introduced on April 1st.
Originally posted by newgirl
You're right - it is much better. The only thing I find strange is that sentry box thing around one of the booths. Is that for privacy?
Reply ID 80546
Dear Arty - life is not a "Carry On " film, you know ! [;)] I think the poor lady behind that particular booth might get a shock when you turn up [:0][:D]
Reply ID 80548
Oh great! I was just eating my lunch and now you have put a picture in my mind of Arty in his birthday suit standing in the post office. Thanks!
Reply ID 80584
quote:Sadly, it's often bit of a Carry On when you arrive at the Post Office and find the queue stretching out the door. That's when the humour kicks in to alleviate the boredom ...[:(]
Originally posted by newgirl
Dear Arty - life is not a "Carry On " film, you know ! [;)] I think the poor lady behind that particular booth might get a shock when you turn up [:0][:D]
Reply ID 80585
. . . . 3 . 3 . 3 . Topic number three please . . . . .
Reply ID 80591
I too have been served by Karren, (spelling!!) and his manner is excellent, he really takes pride in his work and nothing is too much trouble. Shame the lady at Kingshill in Ware can't be like him.....
Reply ID 80593
I have found June in the Hertford office to be very helpful. I know what you mean about the lady in the kingshill branch. Having encountered her twice I vowed not to return.
Reply ID 80978
The place is ****E ! Wouldn't be so bad if there were adequate seating arrangements for the old and infirm. A 20 minute standing with a gammy leg is no fun... The word that's beem edited rhymes with TIT with an "E" on the end of it.
Reply ID 80982
quote:Agreed. The queue was wrapping around the inside of the building today. Luckily I only needed stamps so went to WHS. I've never understood why organisations think it's OK to make people queue for such periods of time. A lack of competition and inflexible staffing arrangements probably go some way to explaining it.
Originally posted by tiger.1000
The place is ****E ! Wouldn't be so bad if there were adequate seating arrangements for the old and infirm. A 20 minute standing with a gammy leg is no fun... The word that's beem edited rhymes with TIT with an "E" on the end of it.
Reply ID 80984
I've also experienced the excessive queues at the main PO and it drives me to despair, regardless of whether the person eventually serving me is blessed with adequate customer service skills. When the operating system is this bad then no amount of polishing will make the turd shine. Today, I had an urgent parcel to despatch by special delivery and used the PO at Sele Farm where I waited no more than a minute. The added bonus was that I didn't have to pay any parking fees and had an option to pop into the local shops, if required, without fear of being ticketed.
Reply ID 80985
The local shops at Sele Farm are excellent for exactly those reasons (parking and good shop variety in small pace) and I love the little post office there.
Reply ID 80986
shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...or everyone will know.
Reply ID 80988
Or you could try Bengeo, not such good parking as SF I know and only the CO Op but for me a better choice than the main PO. I use them for everything except Car Tax which they can't do over the counter so I do that on line. Not been in the Fore Street PO for years doesn't sound like it has improved from the last time I went!
Reply ID 80993
Lol Carlos, that's exactly what I thought :)
Reply ID 80994
Good point. Don't want more people up there or the parking will become an issue. Sorry.
Reply ID 80995
I still think the staff at the Post Office do a great job. Their knowledge of the various differing services is very good and they treat the customers well. They have to deal with an organisation that does things like drop a tardis in front of one of the counters. What sort of logic is involved in building a cubicle in the middle of the counter front?
Reply ID 81005
The logic in building the cubicle is dictated by a nimbo who earns more than the nimbo who wouldn't take a reduction in his/her £203,000 per annnum salary !
Reply ID 81010
quote:I understand your sentiment. However, this is a Catch 22 situation. When people don't know and don't use such local services, resulting in the usage being below the corporate requirement, then organisations like the Royal Mail are often too quick to close down these vital community services. If I'm passing through Bengeo then I will also use the PO there too. Not only because the queues are short, as Marilyn recommends, but also because I remember the successful campaign to prevent closure of this community asset only a couple of years ago. I have also found the counter staff at both these locations to be readily forthcoming in advising me of different service/price options for my needs - in fact, more so than I ever have at Fore Street.
Originally posted by carlos fandango
shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...or everyone will know.
Reply ID 81193
My major gripe with the Fore Street branch is that they seem to be incredibly blind sighted to the queues when it suits. Last week I spent over half an hour queuing in there at 3pm, so not peak time, with 13 people behind me. This would have been fine except that there were only 2 people serving, yet I counted a total of 5 members of staff - one serving the foreign currency till, two on normal service but two seemed to just be randomly wandering around, tidying the 'shop' area behind them, picking up rubbish etc. Surely there has to come a point where priority puts a queue of 13 customers above a bit of paper on the floor?? 99.9% of time I will use the Bengeo PO - even when they have queues they are quicker than Fore Street, the only time I use FS is on a Weds afternoon when I forget that Bengeo is shut! I try and give as much business as possible to the Bengeo branch since the issues with them possibly being closed - the smaller branches need our support and without footfall they will all be closed down. Can only imagine what the queues will be like in the main POs if they shut all the sub offices!
Reply ID 81197
We were telephoned this week to see if we would consider advertising on the TV screens there. We said no...but on reflection maybe we should have said yes, based on the number of times someone would view our advert while waiting in a queue!
Reply ID 81202
I wrote to Post Office customer services a while back asking why customers attending the Bureau de Change at the Fore Street Branch got preferential treatment over other customers who were waiting, particularly as I had never noticed a Boeing 747 taxiing along Fore Street, waiting for the passenger to change money. I received a reply stating that this system actually speeded up the queue as it took that person out of the general queue. I replied that this didn't happen, as it was one of the tellers who had been serving at one of the other postions who left to attend to the foreign exchange, thereby leaving less cashiers to deal with the waiting hordes. They didn't reply. The obvious reason that they do this is that there are plenty of other places in the town where you can get foreign currency, but no-where else really that you could send a package overseas for instance. I also once asked at the branch why this happened. The reply: "Dunno, it's just what we're told to do". As far as possible I now do everything I can online.