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Updated: Royal Mail Public Counter in Woodbridge Meadows to Close, Says Staff Member

Published on: 21 Oct, 2024
Updated on: 23 Oct, 2024

The public counter at the Guildford Delivery Office and Mail Centre in Woodbridge Meadows is said to be closing.

By Hugh Coakley

A member of staff at the Royal Mail Delivery Office and Mail Centre in Woodbridge Meadows has corroborated a report from a Dragon reader that the public counter is to close but they did not know when.

Asked to confirm whether the public counter was to close a Royal Mail spokesperson said: “We have not had any information that the Guildford Delivery Office is closing,” but made no mention of the public counter. Further clarification was sought but no further answer received.

Update October 23. Following publication of this article on Monday (October 21) The Dragon received a further response saying: “We have not had any information stating the public counter at Guilford Delivery office is closing.”

The counter deals with public enquiries and is a collection point for parcels of recipients who were not at home to receive them. This service will be done online and by telephone in the future.

It is understood that the office will continue to sort deliveries from GU1 to GU5 postcodes.

Guildford Delivery Office and Mail Centre in Woodbridge Meadows

Dragon reader, Fumike Ishiguru, said: “The woman there told me it is going to close. Everything will be online and I know most even not elderly cannot cope online. There are many issues dealt with at that office, how can it close? I went there as someone posted a card with an old stamp cut out and stuck on. I had to pay £5.

“It can’t be the whole sorting office where post is sorted but someone said maybe [the] area [is] needed for more flats.

“If there are problems, I don’t know how it could all be sorted online as a lot of people can’t do online or have no access to a computer.”

The Guildford Dragon has contacted the Communications Workers Union requesting a comment on any associated staff redundancies.

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Responses to Updated: Royal Mail Public Counter in Woodbridge Meadows to Close, Says Staff Member

  1. M Durant Reply

    October 21, 2024 at 8:56 pm

    Many people don’t have access to online services, and when they say you can do it over the phone my experience is they hardly ever answer the phone. People who use cash are treated like second class citizens.

    The same issue is with the NHS they tell you to do everything online but it is not always possible for a lot of people and it got hacked several times.

    Also, it is discriminatory not to give options for people that for whatever reason can’t be online. An example of this are internet addicts. Saying to someone who suffers from internet addiction access to an important service is online is discriminatory it is like telling an alcoholic that to use the service they need to go inside of the bar and get a drink!

    With the regards to the need for flats, if I am correct most of the flats built in that area are flats for students, not for the local community but they have allowed the very large Porsche centre to be built nearby.

  2. F Ishiguro Reply

    October 22, 2024 at 6:48 am

    There were only three staff at the sorting office counter. I heard one had been made redundant and gone, one leaving, and one woman left.

    I went there in the past to sort problems with post being held, charges and so on. It is not straightforward so will be difficult to sort just online.

    Surely, it will add to the postman’s job to re-deliver and collect charges etc

  3. Jim Allen Reply

    October 22, 2024 at 9:01 am

    So just how do you collect a parcel ‘on line’? Go to the railway station and stop a train? Stand in the middle of road on a white line? Collect it from the nearest washing line!

    Royal Mail Parcel collection on line has not been thought through.

  4. Nathan Cassidy Reply

    October 22, 2024 at 11:21 am

    The joys of privatisation. Even Thatcher didn’t want to privatise the queen’s head, but that was fine for Vince Cable. Thank you Lib Dems.

  5. Susan Fox Reply

    October 25, 2024 at 1:13 pm

    As soon as people reach pension age public services, and I include the NHS, regard them as problems who should do what they are told, not dare to question decisions which are made without consultation.

    From roads which are impossible to cross with speeding motorists to deliveries where because one is “ancient” one must be at home waiting and, of course, everyone must have a smart phone and/or access to the internet.

    Where has respect for the individual gone?

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