Omg So Angry At Local Post Office

[newbie]

We have 8 parcels to send. Took them into local post office where we were asked what was in them. Please bear in mind we have used this post office many times and they know our faces. We told them that nothing on the prohibited list was in them. They insisted on knowing what was in them and we refused to tell them because quite frankly it is none of their business. (I hasten to add we had sold a few things on ebay shoes, xstitch kits etc). Even though some of the parcels were in fact flat and came under the large letter category they would not send the parcels. Just spoken to Post Office customer services who says there is no legal obligation to declare what is in them. But they have no control over counter staff and gave me another number. I rang that number and explained and apparently a new 'directive' today says that we have to tell them what is in the parcel. So it seems from now on everybody and his mate will know what you are sending if you use the post office. The stupid thing is we could lie and say it is teddy bears or something. If I was the sort of person who wanted to send any prohibited items I am hardly likely to declare it am I. This is just totally ridiculous and the sooner we get competition for Royal Mail the better. If the counter staff had explained about the directive I might have understood but I was told either tell them or they would not process the parcels. So needless to say I walked out. I already use another service for parcels (and I don't get asked what is in them). Does anyone know of a viable cost effective service where letters and small parcels can be sent please?

[snags]

''a box full of butt plugs or dildos?''

Actually it's a box full of Kong dog toys (breaths a sigh of relief):

http://glasgowdogtrainer.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/dog-kong-toys.gif

[bert_h]

I can't see that it matters what you reply, when they ask you what's in it. It looks like one of those legal niceties where, if there's trouble afterwards about something prohibited, they can show (by the circulated directive to staff) that they 'took all reasonable steps' to prevent it being sent - despite the obvious fact that those reasonable steps could never succeed against some customer who was determined to post it.

[Octavius]

I imagine its along similar lines to 'did you pack this bag yourself' questions at the airport.

http://www.royalmail.com/termschanges

[Maydup]

I'm pleased you warned me Newbie. I rarely send a parcel but when they ask me what's in my sister's birthday present at the weekend (DVD) I will say Teddy Bear too.

[newbie]

Canary - if you are going to comment on a posting perhaps you should read all the posting before you comment. I did NOT say I was sending sensitive stuff but commenting for those who might.
Eddie51 - thank you for your constructive comment - I do already use Connect+ but I was checking to see if there was an alternative to the Royal Mail it would appear not

[Svejk]

Maybe they want to know which parcels contain jewellery to cut back on overtime payments. ;)

[Kramer21]

"From now on I am just going to say teddy bears or toilets when asked"

"I'm pleased you warned me Newbie. I rarely send a parcel but when they ask me what's in my sister's birthday present at the weekend (DVD) I will say Teddy Bear too."

Jesus, some people just do not think things through but good luck getting your insurance company to pay out if your parcel goes missing and when you cannot supply a receipt or proof that your non existent teddy bear costs as much as an expensive gift.

Maydup what exactly is the reason you need to lie to the p.o about your sisters present unless you just enjoy being difficult and making workers lives harder for no reason at all? In this world of terrorism or just in the spirit of health and safety for the workers surely a normal person would understand the rules and be happy to contribute in any way they can?

[kylesmum]

I wouldn't want the queue hearing what I had in my parcels nor I suspect would they want me to.

The PO/RM are simply covering themselves, I rather doubt the counter staff are very interested either apart from following guidelines.

Thanks for the heads up though, I would have been bemused the next time I sent a parcel.

[Buenchico]

>>>the sooner we get competition for Royal Mail the better

While I would agree with that statement, the Post Office and Royal Mail are now entirely separate. While there are plans to privatise Royal Mail, there are no plans to privatise the Post Office and it's likely that you'll still have to take your mail to the Post Office irrespective of whoever is running (or competing with) Royal Mail since there is no other really large network of agents readily available to accept mail into the system.

However . . .

>>>I was checking to see if there was an alternative to the Royal Mail it would appear not

Most branches of W H Smith, Ryman and Staples (together with SafeStore and Access Self Storage) are now agents for DHL:
http://www.dhlservicepoint.co.uk/storelocator/index.htm

[yogasun]

This must be a new directive. Sent OH to post office with little gift for my German friend. When he came back to car he said 'You didn't tell me they would ask what was in it' ! I didn't bother (it was an apron) as they usually just say 'Is it worth more than'..? (whatever).
He didn't know! Luckily the assistant could feel it was just a cloth item and accepted it. The person behind said 'Perfume' for her parcel and they wanted to know exactly what volume!

[newbie]

Just a small update. Took the parcels to our main post office in the town - and the manager served us - no questions asked at all. Go figure!

[spudqueen]

I work in a Post Office and can tell you that in July the Dangerous Goods Act came into force. This started in January for goods going abroad, but in July for inland parcels. This has come about because a lot of inland post goes airmail (for example if you are sending something from Liverpool to Exeter that would go by air) and the Civil Aviation Authority has just granted Royal Mail (and no other carriers) a licence to carry small amounts of dangerous goods by air. Dangerous goods can include perfume and nail varnish (both flammable) and lithium batteries (apparently these can set on fire if crushed) as well as other item. Post Office staff now have to ask what are in parcels (or packets, or large letters if obviously goods and not just a letter) to ascertain if they contain a dangerous good. It doesn't mean that you may not be able to send the parcel, sometimes the staff have to put a sticker on the parcel to warn that it contains small amounts of dangerous goods. You might find that staff do not ask every customer, this would be because that customer might be a regular customer and they know exactly what they are sending (eg they may sell handbags). The CAA are going to be sending mystery shoppers into Post Offices to check whether the staff ask what is in the parcels (and we don't need detailed information just the basics eg it's a book, not it's Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone!). If staff are found not to be asking the question then the CAA have the authority to stop that particular Post Office from taking in mail, which is a huge amount of work that Post Offices do. You may be angry now, but you would be a lot angrier if a plane crashed on your house because something in the hold had set on fire. This is basically what it is all about, safety.
And yes, you can lie, but all parcels are being scanned at the sorting offices and if they are thought to contain dangerous goods then the parcel will be destroyed and you will only be informed of this if you put a return address on the back of the parcel.
And please remember, Post Office staff don't make these rules up (the bosses do that!), and they don't ask you these questions to annoy you, they ask the questions because that is what they are told to do.

[Svejk]

What a marvellous,comprehensive answer,SpudQueen. And straight from the horses mouth,as it were. Shows AB and,indeed, the whole internet at its best.
And no, I haven't been paid for this endorsement.........................yet.

[Maydup]

Thank you Spud, I feel better informed now. Shame the staff cannot explain that, even if briefly. It would help us to feel less defensive when asked what might be a very private or potentially embarrassing question.

Imo, rather than asking whats in the parcel they would be better off asking whether it contains this, this or this?

[EDDIE51]

As I said there are cheaper alternatives to the Royal Mail for parcels but nothing for a letter.
Just sent a parcel to Scotland ,(North of Inverness,) by CollectPlus and it took 10 days! Post office is normally very fast for Scotland normally next day for 1st class.

[DJHawkes]

you should try sending stuff as a DHL agent, it's the freakiest bizarrist task you'd ever come across, people send very odd things and as they are mainly leaving the UK and going to places with names you not only can't spell, but can't even try to pronounce as they possess no vowel, it is mind blowingly annoying. they are not allowed to send such alot of stuff it creates problems.

[newbie]

Spudqueen - thanks for the comprehensive answer - and I sort of get it. But the people in the post office know us - we are in there regularly. The woman who served us was just a jobsworth. If the rules had changed why did she just say so in a polite manner instead of throwing a leaflet through the slot and saying read that. In fact the leaflet said we only had to declare what was in the parcel if it contained anything prohibited. So that really did not help her cause.

Maydup - You seem to see where I am coming from I understand that the staff are only doing their duty but a bit of common courtesy and sense is all that is needed.

Moral of the tale is do not use a sub post office go to the main ones.

Anyway rant over life really is too short :)

[EDDIE51]

newbie, you say 'use a main post office' everywhere I know has closed the 'Big' Post Offices that was a post office and nothing more, they are all what we used to call sub post offices now, most of them seem to be at the back of a W H Smith Newsagents. Only Cambridge city centre still has a traditional post office of the places I go to.

[vulcan42]

What is the point of asking if
A we can lie
B they scan the parcels.

[EDDIE51]

I have just asked a neighbour who works as a post office counter clerk about this. The answer is quite simple.
They only have to ensure that no banned items are being posted, but there is a long list of stuff and people especially the elderly take time to read it, this holds up the queue. It is far easier for them just to ask ''what's in it please'' as they know what things are banned than to wait while people read through the list and fumble for their glasses etc. There is no need to answer the question you can just say it is private and ask to look at the list but it saves quite a lot of time if they just say what the item is. Seems just common sense to me. As said, it is down to the fact that even a lot of inland mail goes by air now and a lot of things are banned from airmail. Someone mentioned perfume which is banned as it is alcohol based and inflammable, aerosol cans are banned as well.