Forum Topic

Post offices

Now after all the banks closing - they now want to close the post places - great how our most needed places are going to close in many places - unbelievable what’s going on in our country …

Helen Bamberger ● 672d21 Comments

I think the norm when a dedicated post office closes is for a PO counter to be opened in a shop like Spar or W H Smiths.

Richard Greenhough ● 672d

Interestingly Richard ... the WH Smith branch in Hounslow High Street,which contained a Post Office Counter on the 1st floor,has recently closed.Rumours suggest that the premises will become a kebab eatery or a pizza palour ... which is consistent  with what's happening in Hounslow.Hounslow being the umbrella Borough under which Chiswick operates!

Jim Lawes ● 672d

Times are changing and the post office is losing a fortune not withstanding the billions the horizon scandal is costing us all. Time for a new model, if we don’t use it enough we lose it, everything has or is going digital banking, shopping, drop off points etc. no need for an expensive post office run by a very badly managed and over inflated head office.

Jayne Thorburn ● 672d

They should be in supermarkets.

Janice Evans ● 672d

Jim, I would be surprised if some other shop in central Hounslow doesn't take up the option of having a PO counter on their premises to replace the one in W H Smiths - it is one way of increasing footfall (and therefore sales) in the shop.

Richard Greenhough ● 671d

Given the (now) well publicised experience of plenty of sub postmasters in the last decade or two I can imagine some might be apprehensive about taking up the mantle. You’re probably right though Richard.

Andrew Jones ● 671d

I believe it is incumbent for the government to insist, or at least pressurize Fujitsu to pay a large proportion of the debt owed to the sub-postmasters.And quickly, these wronged citizens have been waiting far too long.

Denis I. Fox ● 671d

Don’t think it fair to out all the blame on  Fujitzu whilst horizon was the end to end system there are many third party plugins. Plus of course the behaviour of post office investigators was absolutely disgraceful. Don’t know if you have listened to any of the inquiry some of them couldn’t string a sentence together let alone conduct an investigation. The heaviest burden has to be carried by them and the post office. There will be very few prosecutions moving forward given what has happened and it will be done by the police.

Jayne Thorburn ● 671d

The Post Office runs at a profit .

Stewart Jones ● 671d

Sadly heavily subsidised by us the tax payer listen to the inquiry pretty shocking stuff and lawyers don’t come out well either. So absolutely time for a massive overhaul currently they are not fit to trade under the current structure.

Jayne Thorburn ● 671d

Used to have two local, and now none

Russell Pearson ● 669d

For Janice.  There is a post office inside Sainsbury in Devizes, Wilts.  It is also open on a Sunday.  The ladies running this P O are wonderful.  Always cheerful and helpful.  It works very well.Over the last six months it is the only PO I have used.  Chiswick PO became a nightmare - necklace returned using Recorded Delivery never arrived and could not be traced. I say no more.Sporting ticket sent to my godson in Putney, First Class and posted in the box at Chiswick PO  took 2 weeks to arrive 3 days after the event.  Fortunately it was scanned before posting and this was accepted at the gate.Change the day of delivery for a parcel and despite acknowledging the change, they still delivered  on the original day leaving the parcel beside our rubbish bin in the pouring rain and so the tale of woe goes on.

Elizabeth Ross ● 668d

Jayne, Fujitsu is the parent company, and has fully admitted their role in Horizon's faulty software. It has agreed to pay a fair share of the total debt owing to our sub-postmasters.To date a megre sum has been paid out by the previous government, and the main cause of the eternal "black hole" dear Rachel bangs on about.The ageing, abominably treated sub-postmasters are now waiting on the Labour government to hasten full settlement.

Denis I. Fox ● 668d

That's interesting Elizabeth, I never knew, it makes sense as I always buystamps at the supermarket and used to think it would be a good place for a post office.

Janice Evans ● 668d

The Mailbox Company on Chiswick High Road ... might be the solution for Elizabeth's type of query.

Jim Lawes ● 668d

It wouldn't surprise me if a large % of people who would have considered running a post office counter have been dissuaded to do so by the way the Royal Mail management summarily threw those who were so wrongy done by under a fleet of buses.So much was revealed about their attitude toward hard working and diligent people and about their own smugness and cursory dismissal of their claims of innocence.

Keith Iddon ● 668d

And just to add a little salt into the wounds-on the brink of midnight- not to forget the cursory dismissal of Sir Alan Bates by the bungee jumping, water boarding Sir Ed Davey.

Denis I. Fox ● 668d

I trust you mean paddle boarding!

Alastair Banton ● 668d

Water boarding nay have got to the truth far more quickly 😀

N V Brooks ● 668d

Freudian slip up?

Denis I. Fox ● 667d

So far lots of words from Fujitsu but no money offered, think they are waiting for the inquiry report before negotiating. There can be no doubt that the board and executives were appalling in how they managed prosecutions, let’s hope they get prosecuted they were not fit to govern. Absolutely the postmasters should be paid out immediately.

Jayne Thorburn ● 667d