The next plan for privatisation: rampant inefficiciency.

[TrueBlueTerrier]

The next plan for Royal Mail privatisation: rampant inefficiency.

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Well, I'm holding the fort until Zetetist decides to return from the Labour shin-dig. So I thought I'd share my recent experience with a Government-run institution.

Last month, I tried to open a one-year fixed bond with the Post Office, for pretty much my entire savings. So I took the cheque down to the local branch with a form filled in, and they sent it off and told me I might get asked for ID at a later date.

The next week, I got a letter asking for identity verification, as I had been told to expect. I had to provide one proof of name and one proof of address: the former was fine as I could use my passport. However, there was nothing I could obtain on the proof of address list. I’m not a homeowner, so I don’t have any utility bills in my name; I don’t drive, so no driving licence; I don’t pay tax or have insurance in my name; I don’t have a current account, so I don’t have a bank statement from within the last three months. So I went back to the branch with a wad of vaguely related documents and the employee sent off the details from one of my savings account statements having messed with the date to make it seem more recent.

It didn’t work, though; about a week after that I got some kind of mysterious blanket letter saying there was a problem with my identity verification – exactly what kind wasn’t made clear. So it was back to the branch again, and this time I spoke to a chap who rang up the central office and then told me a utility bill in the homeowner’s name with their signature to say I was also resident at that address would be fine.

I went back the next day – September 17th – with the required sheaf; I’d been told I needed to send it by the 21st. It was sent off.

Then a few days later, I got a letter dated the 18th which said I hadn’t returned ID verification soon enough. Obviously it had crossed in the post with the stuff itself – but the due date still wasn’t supposed to have passed until three days later than the letter was sent. They thoughtfully sent my cheque back too, so I took it down the road to the Halifax and got a two-year bond there instead.

On the four occasions I visited the Post Office the staff were very helpful and were able to deal with everything in an official way. But all the correspondence I received from the central office was unilluminating and ill-organised. As well as getting their cut-off dates confused, one of the letters told me that I could provide a bank statement from within the last six months when the others needed one from within three. Sensible.

So while, in the face of closures, local Royal Mail employees are doing their best to work efficiently, the faceless drones up London way are deliberately working as unhelpfully as possible … to strengthen the case for privatisation?