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karl*katz · ‎03-29-2014

I just got back from mailing something at a franchise Post Office ( Shoppers Drug Mart ) where I had an interesting experience.

There was a lady in line in front of me who looked to be in her mid to late 80s

The package she was trying to mail apparently had an invalid postal code.

She had a cell phone and called some one to find out the correct postal code but there was no answer.

She then asked the clerk if they could look it up and the clerk pulled out a postal code book and put it on the counter and told the customer to look it up them selves.

The customer said she had vision problems and couldn't read the small print.

The clerk responded with "well you will have to come back later when you know the correct code"

There was no one else waiting for service except me so I told the clerk I was in no hurry why don't you look the code up for her.

The clerk responded with " we are not allowed to"

I then offered to look it up and did so.

I also corrected it on the package.

The lady thanked me profusely and was able to mail the package.

I then said to the clerk " See it was easy even a blonde could do it "

BTW the clerk had black hair I am the blonde.

Why couldn't the clerk look it up?

Is there really a rule saying they aren't allowed to or was She just being a ( insert word of your choice here ) ?

nudibranch4569 · ‎03-29-2014

seems like she was being a lazy .....fill in the blank.

worrly · ‎03-30-2014

They can't look it up in case they make a mistake just like they can't package something for the customer or write the address. So if they put the wrong PC and the package does not get delivered or returned CP will get blamed.

It's up to the customer to provide the correct info. Even if they look it up, what if the address is incorrect to begin with?

femmefan1946 · ‎04-01-2014

Then the clerk should have apologized and explained her dilemma. Instead she makes her customer unhappy, and the postal system look bad.

All that was needed was a few kind words.

karl*katz · ‎04-01-2014

How come they are allowed to look up the HS codes for us but not the Postal Code ?

karl*katz · ‎04-01-2014

If the customer had been completely blind with a dog would they still have been told to look it up them selves ?

Talking of which why don't they have the postal code book in brail ?

worrly · ‎04-01-2014

If the HS code is incorrectly given I imagine it's "easier" to correct. Also there is only a few of them. But a parcel delivered to the wrong place. Good luck getting it back.

I was at the PO one time when a lady was **bleep**ing out staff for sending her Xpresspost to the wrong country. She got one of them to write it but told her Australia but meant England and it got returned. She was not old or infirm in anyway either.

worrly · ‎04-01-2014

True she should have explained why, but I didn't sense she was rude from what OP posted, just seemed "lazy".

karl*katz · ‎04-01-2014

Yes She should have explained her self better I didn't realize it was against the rules.

worrly · ‎04-01-2014

i don't think it's "officially" against the rules but it's just common sense because the clerk has no way of knowing it's a wrong or right but I'm sure CP wants to minimize any payouts they have to do. I'm sure if it came to it, CP would have to pay and then charge the outlet because it's their mistake because it's a legit loophole.

I sent a birthday card and got the address wrong by one house over. Luckily, I took a photo cos I'm **bleep** that way and realized that it was wrong after he didn't receive it. I sent a postcard asking them to send it back or deliver it 🙂 and it came back several months later.

They had opened it too! And the surprise was no longer there but it's all my fault to begin with. LOL.

puckstopshere · ‎04-02-2014

I mail exclusively at a Canada Post outlet in a Shoppers Drug Mart. I have seen the clerk (Kim who has been there for years) look up a postal code for a person - even if there was a line up. So, I would say either no rule - or a rule at your outlet. The clerk reports to the owner of the Shoppers, not Canada Post. If you have a concern, find out who the owner is and talk to him or her. In my Shoppers, the owner is also the head pharmacist and is usually there during weekdays.

Our clerk is the most helpful in the world. We have lots of immigrants who go there. Somehow or other, she always manages to figure out what they want, even if they speak very little English. We do have one jerk who works there part time. Wouldn't you know it, he is a retired Canada Post employee. I have been mailing thousands of items and the other day he starts telling me all the things I was doing wrong. If you take in a handful of envelopes and try to put them in the slot, he will rush over, grab them from your hand and say, 'here, gimmee those, otherwise I will just have to fish them out of the bin later".

karl*katz · ‎04-02-2014

I won't be complaining to Shoppers or Canada Post because I wasn't the customer effected.

Yes I know that I came here and complained but that was because I was wondering if any one else had similar experiences.

I only go to that particular office if I have to.

On the day in question I was picking up a carded item.

I usually go to a franchise in a 7-11 where they are helpful and friendly they even let customers help them selves to a free coffee if it is really busy.

I mentioned this imaginary unwritten rule to the clerk at the 7-11 today and he told me he had never heard of such a thing and that he doesn't need to use the postal code book he regularly looks up postal codes on his computer terminal for people.

karl*katz · ‎04-02-2014

Mr Pucks - you should explain to the Clerk that gimmee is not proper usage of the English language .

puckstopshere · ‎04-02-2014

you should explain to the Clerk that gimmee is not proper usage of the English language

I should explain to him that he is being a jerk.

puckstopshere · ‎04-02-2014

and the postal system look bad

I thought they could do that all on their own. I took a whole lot of abuse from a regular customer in England when I told him the new rate for oversized mail to the U.K. From $4.36 to $5.90 is a big jump (35%) and add tax on top of that.

pocomocomputing · ‎04-02-2014

@puckstopshere wrote:
and the postal system look bad

I thought they could do that all on their own. I took a whole lot of abuse from a regular customer in England when I told him the new rate for oversized mail to the U.K. From $4.36 to $5.90 is a big jump (35%) and add tax on top of that.

No sales tax on international postage over $5.

theafkgamer · ‎04-02-2014

Actually, address look up was a feature that was added to the RPO software very recently. I'm fairly certain that both SDM and 7-11 use the same RPO software, but until very recently the only way we could look up a postal code (besides using the giant postal code book) would be to start up a Change of Address request, enter in a piece of ID, and then use the address look-up feature. I'm not even kidding. Now it's available on the main POS screen. Many many years ago we had the ability to go onto 3rd party websites (Google, Facebook, etc.) but they got rid of that as well.

I've been working in a Retail Postal Outlet for the past 4 years to pay for university.

* RPO = Retail Post Office, SDM = Shopper's Drug Mart, POS = Point of Sale

karl*katz · ‎04-02-2014

Gee I would think they would at least let you go to the Canada Post website.

Having a company computer system that doesn't allow users to visit the companies own publicly accessible website is bizarre.

ilurkthereforiam · ‎04-03-2014

It doesn't matter if it has the correct postal code, because chances are that it won't be delivered to the correct address anyways unless it's a contract employee delivering it.