Post Office puzzle

Alison Prince

I love the Post Office, I really do. It’s a treasure to all of us, and the Government is treating it extremely badly. But some of its little ways can be hard to understand. When a book posted by a friend had not turned up after ten days I phoned Brodick Sorting Office to ask if there was any way to trace it, and they said, ‘Anything undelivered goes to Ireland.’

After another week, a card arrived, saying an under-stamped package could not be delivered because there was money to pay on it. I logged in to Royal Mail with a password used before, but got spat out as an unknown person, so stuck the required stamps on the card and sent it back to Brodick. Brodick told Ireland. Ireland sent the book to Arran. Brodick delivered it. The package was by now fairly scuffed and battered, having been in transit for nearly a month.

The French farce process does not involve the sender, who is unaware that the package was under-stamped the package, so is likely to do it again. The addressee has to guess whether the article in Ireland is something wanted or not, but can only find out by paying a £1 handling fee as well as extra postage. Perhaps it’s an innovative way for the PO to make a bit more money. If the Government hadn’t stripped it of handling pensions and licenses, we’d all be happier.