Designed to irritate? (Post Office Travel Insurances)

Member Name: missbrowneyedgirl

Product:	Post Office Travel Insurances
Date:	07/09/01 (1930 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: great telephone customer service

Disadvantages: incompetent, slow, almost useless

Let me start by apologising to Loulou6... Sorry but they have done it again! "What?', I hear the rest of you cry, at least I thought I did, maybe it's just the voices in my head again! Well, the Post Office / Royal mail (I really don't understand where the division is) have REALLY annoyed me! Secondly I'd like to pit out that opinion isn't strictly about the Post Office's travel Insurance, but more about their Travel Services in general. Sorry Dooyoo, I couldn't find anywhere to put it! Right, are we sitting comfortably? Then I'll begin...

It started off looking quite promising, I must admit. You see I grabbed a last minute holiday to Ibiza to go on Sunday, then as a fortunate stroke of fate (or so I thought), the new Post Office advert arrived on the TV screen. With loud claims of how they charge no-commission on currency, and how you can get it straight away, I was a little excited (but some of that was attributed the holiday it has to be said).

I headed straight for what I thought was their website www.royalmail.com, found customer services phone number, and called them.

(ring ring)
Mrroyalmailoperative: Good Morning, Royal mail (or words to that effect)
Missbrowneyedgirl: Hi, I was wondering if I could order some travellers cheques and currency to collect today.
Mrroyalmailoperative: Ah, you need Post Office Counters. I'll put you through.

At this point I should have probably asked him what the difference was but I was so shocked that he had just put me through, as opposed to giving me another premium rate number to call, I thought I had better keep quiet.

(ring ring)
MspostofficeoperativefromNewcastle: Good Morning, Post Office Counters (or words to that effect)
Missbrowneyedgirl: Hi, I was wondering if I could order some travellers cheques and currency to collect today.
MspostofficeoperativefromNewcastle: Well, you don't have to order them you kno
w. Certain branches do them straight away for you. Where would you like to collect them?
Missbrowneyedgirl: Oh! Well Rotherham would be handy.
MspostofficeoperativefromNewcastle: OK. I'll call them for you and check they have what you need in.

So I told MspostofficeoperativefromNecastle what I wanted, and she put me on hold, whilst I told my workmates how deliciously helpful she was!

MspostofficeoperativefromNewcastle: Hello! They have them ready for you to collect today. You just need to take your passport with you.
Missbrowneyedgirl: Oh! I haven't got it with me.
MspostofficeoperativefromNewcastle: No problem. I'll call them back and tell them you'll come in tomorrow. is that OK?
Missbrowneyedgirl: Great, can I pay on cheque?
MspostofficeoperativefromNewcastle: Only up to your guarantee limit, but you can pay on any credit or debit card.
Missbrowneyedgirl: Great! I'll use switch then. Thank you!
MspostofficeoperativefromNewcastle: Have a great holiday! (Bless)

Wow! I was astounded! My bank had already told me they wouldn't be able to get my travellers cheques in time and the humble old Post Office could do it straight away!

Unfortunately, the next day was a very different story. It started well, the sun was shining and I decided to walk to Rotherham in my lunch hour. Ordinarily I would have driven but it was a nice day, and besides I wasn't going to be long... How wrong could I be?

Firstly I had to find Rotherham Post Office, which wasn't too hard with the help of Mrblueeyedworkandflatmate, who also kindly pointed out that I didn't have to queue in the ever-growing lunchtime human traffic, but I could go straight to the Bureau de Change counter at the back.

And there came the first problem. there was no assistant. I tried looking around helplessly for a while (always a good tactic when you're a girl, particularly if you need someone to chan
ge your tyre for you or something) and then I spotted a sign bearing the legend 'Ring bell for assistance'.

I promptly did, and again, and again and again over a period of about 10 minutes until the assistant popped her head out from the back. I was going to name and shame but instead let's just call her Toyah as it rhymes with 'annoy her' which I am sure were her intentions towards me. 'With you in a moment', she called. 10 further minutes later, and more than halfway through my lunch hour she arrived behind the counter.

Toyah: How can I help you?
Missbrowneyedgirl: I ordered some travellers cheques and currency from your Customer Service Line yesterday.

At this point Toyah looked very confused and even more so when I told her my name and explained that MspostofficeoperativefromNewcastle had called for me. Eventually Toyah decided that the best plan would be to ignore the previous 5 minutes of our conversation and start from scratch by asking me what I would like.

I gave her my order and she fiddled around in her drawers (the ones behind the counter as opposed to the ones under her skirt) for a while then pulled out some Pesetas. She carefully, and painstakingly slowly, counted them into a neat pile then checked I still wanted the travellers cheques I had asked for. I confirmed and immediately sent Toyah rustling through her drawers again.

'You need to fill out this form', she told me as she pushed an invoice-type slip through the gap under the glass. The form was a little complicated so after reading it for a while I asked Toyah exactly what I was filling in. 'Just you name and address at the bottom', cam the reply.

I passed the form back and Toyah asked to see my passport. I reluctantly handed it over and watched her puzzled, then suspicious expression as she compared Missbrowneyedgirl today to Missbrowneyedgirl at 16 complete with early 90s poodle perm includ
ing fringe. Praise the lord that the passport runs out next year!

'And how will you be paying?', Toyah eventually enquired. 'Switch I replied as I handed my card over. 'Oh', came the reply, 'I don't think you can pay on this card.' By this time a small queue had formed and the kind lady behind me pointed Toyah's attention to the sign on the wall. the sing, of course, told of how you can pay by Visa, Mastercard, SWITCH (does that say SWITCH, why yes!), Solo, Visa electron, cheque etc.

Toyah's expression betrayed her embarrassment until she managed to pull the trump card out. 'Yes but this says £100 on the limit', she proclaimed triumphantly. 'That's the cheque guarantee limit', I sighed. 'It doesn't apply to switch as the money comes directly out of your account. I spoke to Customer Services yesterday and they said it would be fine to pay on that card'.

By this point, which was dangerously close to the end of my lunch hour incidentally, I was starting to think I was some kind of bank robber/ professional fraudster trying to have the post office over. 'I'll just go and check' said Toyah, ad disappeared into the back room again.

Some (not very short) time later she reappeared with another lady, who I could only assume to be her manager. the second lady confirmed that the card was fine and disappeared again. Toyah went back to her drawers for some frantic rustling, then produced a pile of travellers cheques. Finally it seemed like I was getting somewhere! She counted them out, asked me to sign them (which is a chore but necessary) and looked as though she was finally going to end the ordeal and then she dropped the next bombshell.

'Right, I'll just have to get someone to put this card through because I don't know how to do it', and off she went again. Aaaaarrrrggggghhhhh! I can see why they have those glass divisions between t
he staff and the customers because if it wasn't there, I would have had to pull her lugs, and I'm not a violent person!

In summary, if I were you I just wouldn't bother with this service at all. As I said Customer Services on the phone were fantastic but at the front line it's incompetence all the way. I have since discovered that you can get your travellers cheques over the counter from a lot of travel agents so I know where I will be heading next year, and where I certainly wont even be considering! To save the 1.5% commission (which incidentally only applies to currency or non-sterling travellers cheques) it just really isn't worth the hassle.

And yes, I was VERY late back from lunch! Grrrr!

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