Condition and performance of Castleford town centre post office.

Dear Mr Wallis,

Your ref: AJME-8NUKZZ

Thank you for your request for information received on 22 November 2011,
which we are considering under the Freedom of Information Act. Under the
Act you should expect a reply from us to be sent by 20 December 2011, which
is twenty working days from receipt of your request.

If for any reason we are unable to provide you with a full response within
that time, we will contact you explaining the reasons for this and giving a
revised date by which we will reply.

If in the meantime you have any questions or would like to contact us about
your request, please contact us by telephone 01923 215110 or alternatively
email or write to us at the address below. Please be assured that we are
giving this our attention and will get back to you shortly.

Yours sincerely

Andrew Moore
[Royal Mail Group request email]
1st Floor, Bunhill Row Wing
148 Old Street
London
EC1V 9HQ

Post Office Ltd is registered in England and Wales. Registered No. 2154540.
Registered Office 148 Old Street, London, EC1V 9HQ. Post Office and the
Post Office logo are registered trade marks of Post Office Ltd.

"A. Wallis"
<request-93994-c8aa1e73@whatdoth To: FOI requests at Royal Mail Group <[Royal Mail Group request email]>
eyknow.com> cc:
Sent by: "A. Wallis" Subject: Freedom of Information request - Condition and performance of Castleford town
<request-93994-c8aa1e73@whatdoth centre post office.
eyknow.com>

22/11/2011 11:26

Dear Royal Mail Group Limited,

Has the post office at Sykes Street, Castleford, West Yorkshire
been inspected in any form for customer service, for example
waiting times and the environment within the post office, or has
any complaints relating to customer service been investigated? Both
within the years 2010 and 2011. If so, what were the results? If
another public organisation is responsible for this information,
please let me know its contact details.

Yours faithfully,

Mr. A. Wallis

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Dear Mr Wallis

Ref: AJME-8NUKZZ

I am writing in response to your email received by Post Office Limited on
22 November 2011, which I am dealing with under the terms of the Freedom of
Information Act 2000.

In your email, you have requested information about Post Office® Castleford
branch, Sykes Street, Castleford for the years 2010 and 2011.

I can advise you that Post Office Limited does hold information relevant to
your request. We do review the performance of our branches, and have
undertaken both Retail Standards and Mystery Shopper visits at Castleford,
reviewing aspects such as our customers’ first impressions when entering
the branch, finding information and the service our customer receives when
being served. I must stress that these reports are only a small part of the
management process for our branches.

There are eleven reports for the period you have requested; the reports are
produced across a sample of branches and are taken at different times of
the day and month and as such are not directly comparable and show only a
small snapshot of the overall performance of a branch. Post Office Limited
use Retail Standards and Mystery Shopper reports for management purposes
only as they help with the overall performance management of a branch,
howvere Post Office Limited believes that the commercial interests of both
the Subpostmaster and Post Office Limited would likely be prejudiced in the
event that this information was disclosed.

An example of how the Subpostmasters and Post Office Limited’s interests
would likely be prejudiced by the disclosure of this information is how
competitors could react to the availability of the information. Post
Office Limited competes in a highly competitive market place, with only a
limited number of products and services available solely through our
network. If disclosed this type of information could possibly be used by
competitors, who may not release this information themselves, to target
their marketing or product offering in the catchment area of a particular
branch, putting both the Subpostmaster and Post Office Limited at a
competitive disadvantage.

In this respect Post Office Limited believes an exemption is provided in
Section 43 (2) of the Freedom of Information Act, concerning likely
prejudice to commercial interests. As information has been exempted under
Section 43 (2) of the Act, a public interest test applies.

Post Office Limited acknowledge that there is genuine public interest in
the performance of our branches, however it would be irresponsible for us
to disclose to the public information on branch reports if that information
is only a snapshot of time and the number of reports is very small. In
addition, there is also public interest in ensuring fair competition and
allowing Post Office Limited to operate on a level playing field with
competitors. Therefore, in our view the overall public interest lies in
maintaining the exemption and withholding the requested information.

In respect of customer complaints and subsequent actions, I can advise you
that although we do hold information on a small number of complaints
received, the majority of these complaints relate to specific products and
not customer service. However, where the complaint related to the
performance of the branch the Subpostmaster was informed and raised the
issue with his staff.

I am sorry that I cannot provide you with all of the information you have
requested on this occasion, however, I have noted your concerns about the
standard of Castleford and have provided a copy of this response and your
request to the Area Manager responsible for the branch.

If I can be of further help or you have any queries about this response
please contact me via the email address [Royal Mail Group request email].

If you are dissatisfied with the handling of this response, you do have a
right to request an internal review. Internal review requests should be
submitted to:

Head of Information Compliance
Royal Mail Group
Company Secretary's Office
100 Victoria Embankment
LONDON
EC4Y 0HQ
[Royal Mail Group request email]

If, having requested an internal review by Royal Mail, you are still not
satisfied with our response you also have a right of appeal to the
Information Commissioner at:

Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
Telephone: 01625 545 700
www.informationcommissioner.gov.uk

Yours sincerely

Peter Johnson
Information Manager

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