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Closures and unfair charges are mark of a diminishing PO service
• THE accidental closure two years ago of the main Post
Office in Belsize Park, should not be confused with the additional
imminent closure of the small post office in Belsize Village
which will take place in a few days time.
Both closures are reprehensible and indicate the hopeless
mismanagement of the Royal Mail and Post Offices Ltd, services
in this area, and their total disregard of the needs of local
people.
Due to our complaints our MP Glenda Jackson has been ‘pursuing
the matter’ of the mistaken closure of Haverstock Hill
Post Office, on our behalf for two years.
In 2005 Royal Mail had assured her that the Post Office on Haverstock
Hill would be re-opened “within three months”.
There are so many managers responsible for this mess that one
hardly knows who to complain to.
They all make the same promise but we are still without a post
office on Haverstock Hill, which catered for at least 3,000
customers. Its closure took place because POL did not realise
that Jitendra Patel who had successfully run the business for
over 10 years, owned the lease of the shop. As a result, when
he got tired of being a post-master, he changed the shop into
a Bagel Shop.
POL could not negotiate a successor last year with another shopkeeper
who was very willing to run a sub post office. Meanwhile at
least four shops have changed hands on the Belsize Park ‘high
street’ without as far as we are aware, any offers being
made by POL.
They need to realise however, that they are still under an obligation
to keep their word. Consequently we are now considering investigating
the possibility of consulting ‘higher powers’ such
as the Ombudsman.
Gene Adams
Chair, Belsize CAAC
Lawn Road, NW3
• Owing to a slightly confusing address, postal inefficiency
and to human error, letters addressed for others often come
to our block and letters addressed for us often land elsewhere.
I regularly re-deliver and I am grateful to all who bring my
mis-delivered letters to me.
In the past, Hampstead sorting managers were very apologetic
as well as sympathetic.
Indeed, one supplied me with a hand-written postal code map
to assist with my voluntary postal activities.
However, the Royal Mail service these days prompts the question:
do they run a fair business or do they just simply exploit?
A fortnight ago, second class mail addressed to me was apparently
heavier than the sender (who was not marked on the envelope)
assumed. I had to go to the sorting office where I was supposed
to be paying £1.50 for the mail. I was not even allowed
to touch the envelope without paying.
Having just spent over 40 minutes re-delivering mail wrongly
brought to me, I refused to pay £1.50. Having refused,
apparently my sorting office would send the letter from London
NW3 to Belfast where it would be opened. If there was an address
for the sender inside the envelope, it would be taken from Belfast
to the sender.
If there was no address inside the envelope, Royal Mail would
destroy the letter. Surely it would have made more sense to
ask me for the extra 10p which was missing from the inaccurately
paid postage?!
I am now planning to keep all letters wrongly delivered to me
and to insist that Royal Mail collects each wrongly delivered
letter for the sum of £1.50.
Agnes Kory
Bela Bartok Centre for Musicianship
Finchley Road, NW3
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