Goddamn Post Office!

[swee'pea99]

II just wasted 10 minutes of my life filling out an endless series of goddamn forms (including registering, providing all my details, all my recipient's details) on the goddamn post office site to try to pay for a stamp online, ending up with no option but to open a 'prepay account', which I must credit with a minimum of £3.50, which is no bloody use to me because I want to buy £2.25's worth, not £3.50's worth. Why can't I just buy what I want, like with any other bloody organisation?! Gaaaaaah!

<and breath>

 

[snorri]

Breathe In...... 1.......... 2........ 3.......... 4....... 5.........and hold it..........1........2..........3.........4.........5 and let it out.........1.....2........3.......4.......5....

 

[Sharky]

I'm impressed, an endless stream of forms in just 10 minutes!

 

[alicat]

Thanks for the warning - I was thinking of buying some stamps online but will now steer clear!

 

[gavroche]

You can always WALK to your local post office and buy over the counter. It is quick and efficient.

 

[snorri]

You can always WALK to your local post office and buy over the counter. It is quick and efficient.

.......but that would take a long time for some of us, why not cycle?.

 

[Lullabelle]

I rarely ever use our local, it isn't very welcoming but I suppose some still use it to collect their pension so they are worth having around.

 

[mybike]

You can always WALK to your local post office and buy over the counter. It is quick and efficient.

Post office?

 

[swee'pea99]

You can always WALK to your local post office and buy over the counter. It is quick and efficient.

I would. But they closed down my local post office, because you can do everything online now, apparently.

I have just got back from walking to my (less than altogether) local post office, and it all went fine, so that's good.

But seriously, why should I have to register, let alone open a 'pre-pay account' in order to buy a stamp? Why can't I just, I dunno, buy a stamp?

How much do you want to buy?
Pay by paypal/credit card/debit card.
Done.

Is that not how it should be?

 

[StuAff]

Stamps are available from a wide variety of retailers, not just post offices......

The online postage stuff is really intended for customers who are sending multiple items- eBay sellers and the like. If you want a stamp or a book of stamps then you're better off buying at the counter.

 

[jonny jeez]

You can always WALK to your local post office and buy over the counter. It is quick and efficient.

You wann get yourself one of them pushbike things.

 

[swee'pea99]

Stamps are available from a wide variety of retailers, not just post offices......

The online postage stuff is really intended for customers who are sending multiple items- eBay sellers and the like. If you want a stamp or a book of stamps then you're better off buying at the counter.

Well yes, so it appears. But why should the site only work 'for customers who are sending multiple items- eBay sellers and the like'? Why can't it work also for people who, like me, occasionally want to send, as last night, a single item to New Zealand, for £2.25. I can get stamps at my local newsagent, but they have no facilities to tell me how much this is going to cost to there, nor do they sell stamps in anything other than the most basic formats: first and second class, small and large. The post office site potentially lends itself perfectly to the needs of people like me, and it could be set up that way. Why isn't it? Because the entire mindset of the organisation is still that of the monopolistic public sector dinosaurs of the '70s: this is how we do it, and if you don't like it you can fark off.

 

[StuAff]

Well yes, so it appears. But why should the site only work 'for customers who are sending multiple items- eBay sellers and the like'? Why can't it work also for people who, like me, occasionally want to send, as last night, a single item to New Zealand, for £2.25. I can get stamps at my local newsagent, but they have no facilities to tell me how much this is going to cost to there, nor do they sell stamps in anything other than the most basic formats: first and second class, small and large. The post office site potentially lends itself perfectly to the needs of people like me, and it could be set up that way. Why isn't it? Because the entire mindset of the organisation is still that of the monopolistic public sector dinosaurs of the '70s: this is how we do it, and if you don't like it you can fark off.

Firstly, Royal Mail does have a price finder http://www.royalmail.com/price-finder that would have told you exactly how much it would be to send. Secondly, your post office (Post Office is now an entirely separate organisation since Royal Mail was privatised) does not need to have 'stamps in anything other than the most basic format'. They can and do print out labels with the individual price for each item. Anything other than your basic 1st or 2nd class doesn't need you to put a stamp on it if you go to a counter (or 'post and go' machine in branches with those). And if they don't know pricing, they should- you can and should complain, the branch should have all the necessary information on postage to pass on to you & they didn't- simple as. No need to be rude about the entire organisation.

 

[phil_hg_uk]

I would. But they closed down my local post office, because you can do everything online now, apparently.

I have just got back from walking to my (less than altogether) local post office, and it all went fine, so that's good.

But seriously, why should I have to register, let alone open a 'pre-pay account' in order to buy a stamp? Why can't I just, I dunno, buy a stamp?

How much do you want to buy?
Pay by paypal/credit card/debit card.
Done.

Is that not how it should be?

But you are talking about Royal Mail & that just wouldn't inconvenience the customer enough like when you have to pick up a parcel "oh I am sorry sir we are only open when you are at work"

 

[jayonabike]

Working for Royal Mail I get stamps free. You can have one if you like. Just send me a stamped addressed envelope and I'll pop it back in the post........