| Address: East Khasi Hills, Meghalaya, 793003 |
I used to feel proud about the India post services. But the two incidents on two consecutive days at Post Office, Laitumkhrah, Shillong, Meghalaya have totally undermined these feelings once and forever.
In these two days, I learnt that they don’t care about people’s time, energy and even their dignity. Of course, the service that they provide it seems to be their mercy on us which is totally dependent on their own set of presumptions. I faced these incidents and I would elaborate my experience here.
On 18 July 2018 (Yesterday), I reached the counter and found it to be closed. The person told me it was closed while pointing towards the wall clock which showed a little ahead of 3:00 PM. But I was sure that I have reached before 3:00 PM. I checked my clock and then check Indian Standard Time on Internet. It was still 2:57 PM. I showed it to him but he denied stating that “I won’t do it. We don’t know about Indian Standard Time whatever it is. We only follow this clock. Go talk to Postmaster or come tomorrow.” I was annoyed by the way I was dealt but left saying that let your clock show 3:00 PM in morning itself; anyway, you don’t care whatever IST says. I really didn’t expect him to value those 3 minutes of his undone duty and next 24 hours of customer’s time. It wasn’t any problem for him whether it was sent today, tomorrow or never. I left.
Today (19 July 2018), I went again. This time counter was open. He looked at the package and refused to send it by speed post. For the record, the parcel was well wrapped and done in the best way it could be. I can bet that it was packed so good that it could survive harshest weather conditions. But he told to remove all the coverings and then pack it with cotton cloth and wax. When asked for the reason he talked to postmaster and she called us. She told us that she won’t accept it as it might get lost. We were shocked! She went on to say that go and post it from GPO. This came to us at even more surprise. What can be deduced from these two statements? Only two things: Either the post would get lost between this post office (Laitumkhrah) and GPO which is just 2 KM apart or She simply didn’t want to do it and was telling us to leave. I didn’t want to simply leave. So, I asked her to show where such rules are written. Her exact reply was “Go damn with the rules. Go Ask the Postmaster General about the rules.”
Meanwhile, the man on the table in front of her bellowed me to go saying Go, go, go… as if I were a street dog that has entered a sanctum. I felt humiliated and hurt. I left.
Thereafter, I went to GPO and sent that package.
But, this rude incident kept on whirling in my mind. On the way back, I went to that person and said “Sir you should not have treated me this way.” He ignored. I stood there and he kept on walking here and there. After few moments I was beginning to say something but he said “I have no time”. But what it felt was “Go do whatever you can do, I don’t care”.
I left and with no choice I am narrating it here. This is not the way in which one of the largest and oldest organizations in the country serves the people. I am deeply saddened and aggravated by such mean service ethos that I experienced.
Sincerely
A Customer
India Post customer support has been notified about the posted complaint.
