For months, residents have been complaining about not receiving their mail via the Post Office, even though their annual fees have been paid.
However, the complaints do not only pertain to not receiving mail. People complain about damaged packages and getting their mail months after it was sent.
We as residents rely on the Post Office for our monthly invoices, pay slips and other important documentation, either receiving it in our subscribed postal boxes or delivered to our homes. If it does not happen, we may find ourselves in a difficult position.
“There is no delivery at Goudrand. We were told to collect it ourselves at the depot in Roodepoort,” said Nelly Ntuli.
Some residents have tried to contact the Post Office, but either did not get any answers from the staff they have spoken to, or no one even bothered to answer the phone. Although technology enables one to track one’s packages, going to the post office with a tracking number in hand has left a bad taste in people’s mouths as they said they were confronted with rude Post Office staff, some of them refusing to go and look for the packages.
Peter Hartzenberg said, “My experience with Westgate Post Office has been a painful one. I have tracking numbers on two items that were sent from overseas, and I can see on the 17TRACK app that the items are there but they still don’t want to help me. Every time I ask them for help they use the excuse of the system being offline, telling me that the only way I can get the items is if I show them an SMS with the shelf number. These items were ordered from customers, but now I have to refund them and stop importing items due to the laziness of the staff.”
Iris van Niekerk also commented, “I live in a complex and collect the batch of post regularly (if any arrives) to distribute to the units. However, we are getting another complex’s post instead of ours. Where is our post going to? I kindly deliver complex Augusta’s post to them but no one is delivering St Augustine’s post to us in return. I have been to Honeydew Post Office to complain but was told that the person in charge of the post was out. He ‘comes and goes’ so I must come to complain when he is there. I insisted on leaving my contact details at the counter, which was took reluctantly. Nothing came of it. When we finally received a few letters once in three weeks, they were late.”
The Postal Services used to be reliable and one of the best ways to send or receive parcels and mail, but it is not the case anymore. Allegedly, some of the post offices are struggling to pay their municipal bills. “No service at Ansfrere Post Office, always offline, or no electricity, etc and they also don’t answer the phone,” said Mariet Labuschagne.
But not all is bad. The Record has also heard stories about positive experiences at some of the local post offices, with residents saying that some of them are still doing their utmost to render a quality service, “I received very good and friendly service at Florida Post Office when I fetched a parcel,” Cindy Tegnercommented.
“Rant en Dal Post Office is doing the best they can under the circumstances. They are helpful and very friendly, I salute them,” said Peggy Landman.
The Post Office was contacted for comment, but by the time the article was published, none had been received.
Do you believe that the Post Office is still providing a quality and unique service that no one else can provide? Send your comments to halisjec@caxton.co.za.
