New format Post Offices need to improve, says Consumer Focus Wales

A new smaller format of Post Office being trialled in Wales needs to improve, according to a report by Consumer Focus Wales.

Post Office Locals are run out of shops or petrol stations and offer core services of traditional Post Offices.

Consumer Focus Wales said the new format could help secure the post office network in rural areas, but there is confusion about what services are available.

In a report called Staying Local: the Future of the Post Office Network, the consumer watchdog found that while there are clear benefits for customers in PO Locals, consumers also have concerns.

Findings show that people welcome the longer hours, convenience and friendly service. In particular, convenience was important to those customers who lived in isolated areas with little or no alternative services nearby, and elderly customers who spoke of mobility issues and a lack of transportation.

But people also said that they had concerns about privacy, the range of services and products, and knowing what their local service offers.

Some customers interviewed expressed concerns about the capability of some staff in Locals to undertake more complex transactions such as mailing heavy parcels, and pension withdrawals, highlighting a need for better training and support for employees.

Rebecca Thomas, post specialist at Consumer Focus Wales, said: “Post offices are a vital service for local communities in Wales. Before Post Office Locals are rolled-out across Wales, it is crucial that the Post Office delivers a model that meets its customers’ needs, both now and in the future.

“Our research highlights important plus points but also warning lights which must be urgently addressed. This is a major shift away from traditional sub-post offices. Post Office Locals have the potential to offer the consistent and reliable service that consumers rely on – but there are many areas that need to see improvement.”

Consumer Focus Wales has claimed many as one-in-five dedicated sub-post offices could be replaced with the new format branch.

A Post Office spokesman welcomed the research.

He said: “This report, and others compiled recently by the consumer body, recognise that customers using our new-style branches are really welcoming the longer opening hours, convenience and friendly service on offer.

“Feedback from these pilots from both customers and sub-postmasters is helping to shape our thinking in advance of developing these models so that they can be available more widely after summer 2012 in places where they can enhance customer service and promote greater sustainability of the Post Office.”