LL Post Office

[stacey-lyn]

Given the often lengthy delays, I try to limit the visits to the PO to one or two a week. Yesterday afternoon, 90 minutes before closing, there were 22 people in the queue with 3 windows open and rather than opening another window to accommodate the growing numbers, one went off for his break. The line quickly lengthened to 28 including one woman with a plastered leg on crutches, 3 lots of mums with (understandably) screaming young children in pushchairs on such a warm afternoon. 1/2 hour later, even more customers had spilled out on to the street and still no extra staff. The manager was no where to be seen and despite several customers asking for extra staff, noone came out. It is a given that staff have breaks, but surely, not at peak times which seems like very poor customer service and mismanagement. The frustrated staff asked to put complaints in writing (however this hasn't worked at all in the past). My waiting time was 40 minutes. With the sub post offices all but gone, and the Village perhaps the only other option, surely there has to be an effective way to get the post office to respond to the obvious demand.

[Callie]

Hi Stacey-lyn, I too was stood in this queue yesterday for about 40mins, dreadful! Only half the windows were being served. The queue was right out the door along LL. It's been like this for some time now, not sure why so busy. We are 2 sub post offies down that I am aware of, one from E.D Rd & one from Crystal Palace Rd but they've been gone some years & there's still one by the library. Opening all the windows would obviously help though.

[Bic Basher]

If you can, use the sub-PO next to Sainsburys Local by the library. Wonderful service on Monday when I helped my mother apply for her freedom pass and while they have a queue, it's nowhere as bad as the main post office.

[Callie]

yes they are ok. I used to live top of Barry Rd & used them all the time but now I'm near LL I expect a decent service from them, I don't really want to go out of my way to post a small parcel

[Bic Basher]

For some reason the LL main PO has always been bad. Luckily I live at the FH end of LL, so I'll use the other PO inside WHSmith which is also open on Saturday afternoons.

[candp]

There is a post office tucked away on Crossthwaite Avenue (SE15, just off Sunray Avenue) where I have never queued more than 5 minutes. Discovering it was a godsend!

[stacey-lyn]

Thank you Callie, Bic Basher, candp and those who PM'd for your alternatives - I shall try them out. Btw, when I spoke to the manager a few months ago, he said that 3 of the senior & most experienced staff had left (all of whom I knew as I've been in ED for years): 1 forced into early retirement, another transferred to Brixton and the other promoted to another branch, which has only exacerbated the staffing problems. He offered no solutions. In any event, so rather than a nice short walk to my local LL PO with my parcels & post, before or after a stroll to the LL shops, bank etc. all in one local trip, it looks like it's the inconvenience of a commute. Not really good enough, is it, but I'd rather that than more of these frustrating unacceptable fiascos. Life's too short. ;-)

[indiepanda]

I usually go to the sub post office on Forest Hill Road - don't usually have to wait too long there. And at least being a newsagent I can buy my paper and read it while I am waiting.

[Giacomelli]

Take the bus to Peckham - the PO there is always empty and staff are friendly. ED is forever running out of forms etc.

[Ruffler]

candp Wrote:

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> There is a post office tucked away on Crossthwaite

> Avenue (SE15, just off Sunray Avenue) where I have

> never queued more than 5 minutes. Discovering it

> was a godsend!

Do you mean SE5?

[tallulah71]

Giacomelli - which one in Peckham are you referring to? Both Rye Lane and Peckham High St are always busy - although admittedly well-staffed. I agree with Indiepanda, (there is always a queue in there but) the staff are so lovely and you can browse your paper/mag while you wait.

[Giacomelli]

I have never waited more than 7 mins in Peckham.

[candp]

Whoops, yes i did mean SE5 Ruffler.

[Designerjooles]

I was one of the mums standing in the queue and waited 45 mins to be served. There were only 2 people serving for the majority of the time I was waiting.

Since moving to ED 10 months ago, I have yet to have a good experience in that office :(

[minder]

Oh no - Crossthwaite will be heaving now!

[mrure]

The sub Post Office near Dulwich Library is closed from 1-2pm as I found out recently when I tried it for the first time.

[Razors]

What does everyone expect- LL PO is very busy with the middle classes sending all kinds of tat over the world to their middle class pals, and it is they who clog up the PO.

Moaning about the queues etc is just another nail in the coffin for LL branch, and then another thread can be started to complain the PO has gone.

Common sense would dictate that unless absolutely necessary do not use the PO at any lunchtimes/Monday mornings/Friday afternoons/Saturdays and then you will probably find the wait not too onerous for your busy schedule.

I would much rather a PO where it is now than elsewhere.

[Worker]

"What does everyone expect- LL PO is very busy with the middle classes sending all kinds of tat over the world to their middle class pals, and it is they who clog up the PO"

zzzzzz

[stacey-lyn]

Oh dear. Not that sort of tosh again.

Just a couple of snippets from the Post Office website:

"Serving you for centuries, the Post Office? is committed to making your life easier so that you can concentrate on what really matters." "We are a commercially driven organisation that fulfils an essential social role."

What Worker said.

[Lu]

If it's anything like New Cross PO, half the problem is that each transaction takes twice as long as it should. Once you've finished what it is you went into the PO for, they then try to flog you top up for your mobile phone, their savings products, credit cards... All this when there's a queue of 20 people behind you waiting to be served. I feel sorry for the cashiers though, I imagine management make them go through this.

[Pickle]

I usually use the sub PO on Forest Hill Rd which is great. Went to LL main office on Monday and they were busy, but really friendly and doing their best. The young guy that served me gave me stickers for the kids which I thought was a nice touch.

Having stood in the queue watching for a while I was amazed at how rude the majority of people being served were. Must be a soul destroying job to sit behind glass all day dealing with people who don't even take the time to say thank you or smile.

[Sue]

Lu Wrote:

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> If it's anything like New Cross PO, half the

> problem is that each transaction takes twice as

> long as it should. Once you've finished what it

> is you went into the PO for, they then try to flog

> you top up for your mobile phone, their savings

> products, credit cards... All this when there's a

> queue of 20 people behind you waiting to be

> served. I feel sorry for the cashiers though, I

> imagine management make them go through this.

xxxxxxxx

Really?

I use the LL post office fairly frequently, and I've never once had anybody try to sell me anything - apart from what I went there for, obviously :)

[giggirl]

I think it should be a given that customers who need to fill out forms should stand aside to do it. I use the PO a lot and I arrive with my envelopes ready to be scanned. I literally only take seconds at the counter. If you need to fill out a form, borrow a pen, finish selotaping your package, or anything else that does not require staff input, then stand aside and let someone else be served. It's soul destroying to watch staff staring into space whilst waiting for customers to get ready to be served.

Don't get me started on people who are on their phones at the counter; that's rude to the staff serving them and to the people waiting.

The staff at Lordship Lane are good people doing their best. It's not their place to say "oh it's busy today I won't take a break". That's the thin end of the wedge. They have to eat and they have errands to run, just like everyone else.

[Designerjooles]

Attention Razors: I was sending a box of chocolates and a card to my father in New Zealand for his birthday. Yeah - I'm so middle-class for doing that! The horror!

Grow up and try to get that chip off your shoulder. Life is better when your happy.

[Loz]

Razors Wrote:

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> What does everyone expect- LL PO is very busy with the middle classes sending all kinds of tat over

> the world to their middle class pals, and it is they who clog up the PO.

I wish you would PO...