Friday 3 February 2012

Bad Manners Maketh The Post Office

A visit was made to our local post office the other morning, you know the one I mean - next door but two to Asda. The place was absolutely thronged with ... one customer, aka my grumpy old man.

He'd gone to renew his road tax. He shoved his envelope containing all the necessaries through to the nasty b***rd that works there, and he shoved it back saying 'you're not disabled are you?' ... This didn't bother grumpy in the least - he just took out the contents and passed them through individually. Because unlike the rest of us - with slightly thinner skins who'd rather go 2 miles out of our way for the services a post office has to offer - grumpy just ignores him, declaring that he's the same with everyone.

He went on stoically to exchange pleasantries while he was being served - as this is the kind of person he is - but clearly this type of behaviour is frowned upon in this particular establishment, Grumpy remarked that it was cold in there (zero heating for customers) and you couldn't hang around. Mr post office replied 'well we don't want you to hang around.'

Definitely time for this grumpy post office person to bog off into retirement so the place can get some custom back. Other post offices in the area are aware of this, ahem, gentleman's deplorable customer service methods, and are quite pleased that we all go further afield.

Langley mill post office was for sale last year, with the price being dropped at least twice. All seems to have gone quiet on that front which is a damn shame, because we could really do with someone who wants to do the job - maybe even with a smile ...

Update 9th February 2012:
The post office is still for sale ... now at a much reduced price of £175,000 ... will someone please buy it!

17 comments:

  1. "A visit was made to our local post office the other morning, you know the one I mean -...."

    No, I'm not really that sure Julie. :)
    So, just to make sure, I tried Google Earth with - "Post Office, Langley Mill, near ASDA".
    Amazing what you can do with Google.
    It gave me a picture of a bookmakers!
    The bookmaker was called Mark. It said he had a sister who worked at Netto and lived in 'Wesley Road' (I like that) and a brother who frequented the 'Railway Tavern' (I like that even more.) It appears the bookmaker's father was a Mr Jarvis who never,ever banked his winnings at the Grumpy PO.
    Amazing what Mr.Google knows!
    It is also amazing, what rubbish I can come up with when it is 'brass monkey' weather outside and I am confined to being only 15" from my 15watt PC!
    Cheers....B.
    Take care and keep warm. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Posted at 11:59 AM????
      Way passed my bedtime.

      Delete
    2. Hi Bernard, oh dear, if you're desperate enough to read any of our recent(ish) history, I hope the weather improves fast :-) ... Although it's snowing here as I type.

      If you'd nipped around to Wesley Street with 'Google Earth' and 'Street View', you'd have seen my grumpy old man. He regularly parked his car up there - the colour of which is described by one so called friend as Kermit s**t green - to call at Mark Jarvis bookies on his way back from wherever grumpies go.

      The old post office and the bookies have made way for Asda's petrol station.

      And I've found out the latest price for our post office ... £175,000, it was for sale at £250,000 this time last year.

      Delete
  2. Avoid this place at all costs, Heanor may be further but worth the trip. At least they smile & exchange pleasantries

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Dayvee,
      Don't worry, until someone else - ANYONE - is installed in Langley Mill Post Office, I won't be going in there.

      Delete
  3. This made me laugh! I've always said that the dreadful couple who run the post office need to get lost and make way for some people who actually understand what customer service is.

    I'm glad I'm not alone.

    ReplyDelete
  4. No one is alone Tim, deeda deeda deeda deeda. May the force be with you

    ReplyDelete
  5. I am thinking of buying it but have no idea of the area...is it worth it?

    ReplyDelete
  6. The post office has excellent potential for being a good business. It's ideally situated in the busy Asda precinct and quite large enough to sell a variety of products. The nearest post office is at Heanor approx 2 miles away.

    What is sadly lacking is any real customer service and friendliness. Anyone who bought it would do well to advertise the fact that it's under new management.

    I for one - and I'm sure many others in the area - would return as a customer rather than go out of my way to avoid it if someone else bought it.

    I hope this helped and I didn't sound too much like an estate agent trying to sell it.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Thanks Julie, you've provided with accurate knowledge:) Do you have an email I could email you on personally?

    Also do you know if a McDonald's will be opening soon in the precinct?

    I , as a potential buyer would be interested to hear what other services/products customers would like available to them at that post office...as for customer service, I hear you all and you'll definitely have that :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. A McDonalds is being built just across from Asda, not sure when it's due to open.

      If you want to email me then leave me your email in a comment (which I won't publish and make public), then I'll email you my address.

      As for other services/products, I'll have to ask around or even open it up for discussion on here in a new blog post.

      Now we've sat here talking about it we realise that Asda and Home Bargains (in the Acorn Centre next to Asda's precinct) seem to have most products covered ... but not the convenience of a small friendly shop where you can buy your stamps, pay your bills and post your parcels along with all the other post office services :)

      Delete
  8. The date that I heard regarding the opening of McDonalds was early in the New year, maybe February, but all this bad weather we are having could have an effect on that, we shall see !

    ALI (Gladstone St)

    ReplyDelete
  9. Just hope you don't mind me adding to this........been to the above said post office today, 19th march 2013 and was appalled at the service. The most unfriendly, unhelpful, rude man served me, well I say serve, but that's an understatement. Talk about making you feel unwelcome!. After his attitude finally got to me I lost it and told him not to bother. However I didn't shout or swear as I was leaving he called after me "idol sod'. I actually went back and informed him that I worked full time, but was off today. How dare the rude man make assumptions about me, whether I work or not has nothing to do with him! Diabolical service. Hope they sell the business sharpish. I will never set foot in there again. They don't derserve to be in business.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Oh dear anonymous. I assume that you're referring to one half of the couple who are supposedly making an exit. My grumpy went in today and was served by a (new) very polite and helpful lady ... but he did say that the nasty couple were both serving too.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Yes I am referring to one half of the couple. The branch was incidentally empty when this happened. I did notice another lady in the background, as well who I hadn't seen before. I didn't get chance to speak to anyone else though........unfortunately!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Mmmmm supposedly exiting.........the sooner they exit the better, can't happen quick enough. Hopefully the new lady may be the new owner, who knows. Good riddance to the other two!

    ReplyDelete

Be nice, I'm very sensitive.