Trouble at the Post Office

Hootsmon

I went along to my local PO at the beginning of the month as I usually do to pay my monthly electricity and gas card monthly payments. I think it was Friday the 1st, but I can't be sure so give or take a few days either way.

It's a stranger serving me today at the PO , a new girl barely, out of her teens.

I hands over 40 for gas and 40 for electricity 80 total. The young girl is struggling to get the machine to work....she also appears to have trouble with the receipts.....she has to phone her Manager on speaker phone to talk through replacing ink cartridges, the whole thing takes about 10 minutes meanwhile a queue accumulates and gets a little grumpy....the queue watch the scene unfold....

she tells me she can't get the receipts to work and I get her to check that the transaction definitely went through alright. She goes back to machine and tells me everything went through OK. So for the 1st time in my life I leave a shop without the receipt.

A few weeks later I get a reminder bill letter from the electricity people informing me that my bills for June have not been paid. I put 2 & 2 together and immediately phone the gas company, yup, they are the same, no bills paid in June.

I go to the PO and explain situation to the Lady manager. I normally go in on the 1st Monday of a new month but it can vary....so I tells the Manager it was the 4th of June this all unfolded but the Manager herself was working the shop that day. Shit, I can't be exactly sure of the date

Anyways, the Manager tells me there is nothing she can do as the tills for any given day were never over by £80 and she can't find  my card numbers for the gas and electric on her daily cash receipts.........I am not surprised as I am not expecting there to be any register of payments. As the Manager can not find an overpayment of £80 she considers the matter closed I guess

I finally met the teenager today in the shop and she remembers the situation well. Yes she recalls the trouble with the machine and as I "interrogate" her she says Yes she remembers me giving her the money! Fucking BINGO ......

The Managers face drops like a stone and I point an accusing finger and say that 3 people have just witnessed that but the Manager is sticking to her guns......the tills don't show 80 over so there is nothing I can do

( I say in private to the Manager that did it not at some point cross her mind that the girl took it? I would have been none the wiser about this 80 quid payment if the fuel companies had not got in touch with me)

I explain the bottom line .as I see it, to the Manager......I hand over the money through those little payment windows, which the girl remembers but not how much, and from this point the money vanishes from the face of the earth.  Are you not responsible for the money Mrs Manager once it is in your office? She doesn't think so 

I pops off to the police and they say if the girl remembers receiving the money, the money would be their responsibility not mine, but it would be a civil matter

any thoughts guys?

Phil_aka_Pip

never leave without a receipt. take your money back if you have to

DanR

I would guess they have CCTV in the shop?

Request to see it.

The girl has clearly said she took the money so I can't see her saying that if she stole it.

goldtop

When technology fails, insist on a written receipt.  If they can't/won't, then ask for your cash back.

Too expensive to chase, I fear.

underdog

DanR said:

I would guess they have CCTV in the shop?

Request to see it.

The girl has clearly said she took the money so I can't see her saying that if she stole it.

Yup request CCTV prove you paid it, their problem from there.

Dopesick

The girl wasn't trained properly, CCTV may have caught you in the shop and the girl says she took the money...but I doubt the manager would be budging either way.

Just hope and pray the CCTV has good enough footage I guess.

Hootsmon

DanR said:

I would guess they have CCTV in the shop?

Request to see it.

The girl has clearly said she took the money so I can't see her saying that if she stole it.

Well she had to say that otherwise why would she be giving me a receipt

Hootsmon

I requested  CCTV footage today but the Manager said it was not on and in todays confusion and anger I have forgotten her reason why

Fretwired

I doubt the girl took it. More likely the till was 'over' by £80 and someone else took it. Have you asked who cashed up that day?

I'd write and complain to the Post Office and claim you can't afford to lose £80 and that you have your gas and electric company chasing you. I'd state the girl who served you can vouch for you whilst the manager couldn't care less.

Social media also works if you are a member of your local news group. Mention the story and I bet the people stuck in the queue will remember it.

Adam_MD

hootsmon said:

I requested  CCTV footage today but the Manager said it was not on

 How very convenient.  To echo others above complain higher up the food chain and keep complaining higher until you get a result.  It’s such a small amount of money (to them not you) that they’ll sort it for you eventually.  

StormshadowGuitars

Ditch the cash and pay on card in future

fob

Go over their heads before anything else. Politely, but firmly, put down the order of events and insist they sort it out and say that you have no quibbles taking it to a small claims court, just on principle.

skunkwerx

Phil_aka_Pip said:

never leave without a receipt. take your money back if you have to

Dont do that!! 

You know they took your money but you cant prove it, and even so it would still be theft which will land you in police trouble guaranteed. 

Could be either the girl, or whoever cashes up. 

If the girl had put it in her pocket, she should have lied when you asked if she remembered it. She’ll also know there is cctv watching the tills (probably). If she has any sense she’ll also know its a bill payment so therefore you are obviously going to come back when your suppliers said they didnt recieve payment. 


Whereas whoever is cashing up in the back out of sight, would see the tills arent balanced and think they’ll put the £80 in their pocket and no one would ever know. 

Its gone in someones pocket though otherwise their cashing up records would show they are up £80. 

Hmm, is it a chain? If so contact their head office explaining the entire thing. 

If it turns out theres no proof you actually did pay it, then its an expensive lesson learned I think bud. 

If you can next time pay by card. Atleast your bank records would show a payment to the firm even if your not given a reciept. 

wolsnah

In hindight, ask for a written receipt as proof of handing over the cash. Our post office is more than happy to do that when the technology fails. Doesn't help you here unfortunately

underdog

hootsmon said:

I requested  CCTV footage today but the Manager said it was not on and in todays confusion and anger I have forgotten her reason why

I find that very hard to believe in a post office.

skunkwerx

https://www.gov.uk/request-cctv-footage-of-yourself

Thats your rights re requesting cctv evidence. 

You have a right to see images of yourself under the data protection act. But I’m not sure if the girl is in it if they are actually liable to show you. 
it may be the police who need to request it if thats the case. 


You have to put it in writing. So definately put it in writing and send it to the cctv operator/owner/officer, which could be a member of their head office (i know in our shop thats the case). 

Now you’ll atleast have a written reply stating its not working or they’re refusal and reason why. It will add up in your case against them. 

If they arent privately owned, if the cctv isnt on or not working, they’ll no doubt have to inform their seniors and give a reason. So if they havnt done that, more in your favour. 

Hootsmon

What is not helping is I can't be sure about dates.......requesting footage is not likely in this case

What is pissing me off is the Manager telling me that they agree they took some money and promptly lost it and don't have a clue where it went to but I can fuckin' well sing for it

Hootsmon

I could not sleep last night for going over the original transaction scene in my head.....then it came to me, INK, it was the ink cartridges she could not get working. The show down was today....a 30 minute show down

It's been a while since I have had a set to in the public and in an odd sort of way pleased with myself for standing my ground against 3 non believers and managing to keep calm(ish) and not get too nervous. A LOT of people were standing by loving it 

Kilgore

The Post Office IT system (Horizon) is notoriously unreliable.

Hootsmon

What would Sherlock Homes think?

Tills were not over for by 80 quid on any day and the Gas and Electricity peeps most definitely did NOT get their dough....the manager says in all likelihood I did pay the money but they cant account for it

She looked me straight in the eye and said with a incredulous look on her face  " What do you want,do you expect me to pay £80 to your gas and electricity now?

rossyamaha

hootsmon said:

What would Sherlock Homes think?

Tills were not over for by 80 quid on any day and the Gas and Electricity peeps most definitely did NOT get their dough....the manager says in all likelihood I did pay the money but they cant account for it

She looked me straight in the eye and said with a incredulous look on her face  " What do you want,do you expect me to pay £80 to your gas and electricity now?

Yes. Yes you do.