Mystery shopper bid to keep Post Office on its toes (From Ludlow Advertiser)

Mystery shopper bid to keep Post Office on its toes

By Jack Blanchard »

WORCESTER councillors plan to use mystery shoppers to keep the pressure on the Post Office over its controversial move upstairs into Worcester’s WHSmith store.

FLASHBACK: A queue at Christmas last year. Long waiting times are among common gripes.

Members of the city council’s scrutiny committee have vowed to do whatever they can to try to force an improvement in the standard of service at Worcester’s main post office following scores of complaints from regular users.

Long waiting times and serious access problems were the major issues raised by Worcester people at two special meetings organised by the scrutiny committee to discuss the effects of the post office’s 2008 move from its Foregate Street home into the first floor of the High Street WHSmith.

Committee chairman Labour councillor Geoff Williams said that while the WHSmith move was unlikely to be reversed, it was important to keep pressing the Post Office to improve the service for residents.

He said: “Regarding the relocation, we have made our point and that decision has now been made.

“But what we have tried to do, and will continue to do, is try to ensure that the facility works in the best possible way for the users.

“So where there are shortcomings in terms of access, lifts, staff training and numbers of people manning the counters, those are issues we can keep banging on about.

“Our scope is limited but I think it’s important we keep returning and returning to this – the thing to do is keep up momentum.”

Post Office bosses at April’s scrutiny meeting caused outrage when they claimed the average waiting time for customers was just four minutes.

They also insisted the lift – which is crucial for providing access for disabled people – had been out of action on only a handful of occasions. Members of the public angrily disputed both points.

Coun Williams suggested volunteers, possibly from Age Concern, undertake mystery shopping exercises at the post office and record their experiences to present “robust data” to the Post Office.

And Liberal Democrat councillor Alex Kear suggested that the council join forces with other councils around the country facing similar problems to help raise concerns at a national level.

Coun Kear said: “I’ve heard of other places where this has happened and they’re having exactly the same issues.”

Labour deputy leader Councillor Paul Denham said both ideas should be moved forward straight away.

He said: “There are big advantages to us working nationally on this.

“Age Concern is a national organisation we could work with, and we could contact other councils in this situation.

“If we had a bigger group of us, this would give us more clout.”