Customer Charter 2008

Our Service Standards and Delivery Aims

Guernsey Post delivers to over 27,000 addresses across the Bailiwick, 6 days a
week. In a year we handle over 70 million items of post.

Guernsey Post is a commercial utility wholly owned by the States of Guernsey and
regulated by the Guernsey Office of Utility Regulation. We are committed to continual
improvement in service delivery and customer relations in our core business, namely
the provision of a secure, reliable and efficient postal service.

Guernsey Post's Customer Charter makes a major commitment to the residents and
businesses of the Islands against the background of our continuing drive to improve
our service and to develop closer relationships with all our customers. This Charter
sets out the standards that Guernsey Post's customers can expect, explains how you
can obtain information and what to do if standards are not met. Additionally it
explains what services we offer and how you can help us to serve you better.

In summary, we undertake to:

• Make posting facilities easily accessible and appropriate to the community needs.
• Make letter deliveries to each local address six days a week, except for Bank Holidays.
• Collect post from all posting facilities six days a week and despatch it, except for Bank Holidays.
• Publish clear and current information on competitively priced, secure and reliable services that include a range of economy and time specific choices for domestic, UK, European and International destinations.
• Report on our performance, against the standards set by the Office of Utility.
• Provide Customer Service contact details in all communications throughout our retail branches and on roadside posting boxes.
• Provide a professional, courteous and considerate service at all times.
• Monitor customer satisfaction with our services and seek improvements in all areas to best achieve your needs.
• Respond swiftly and efficiently to customer enquiries and complaints.
• Exercise the utmost integrity in providing services, not disclosing any information about our customer swithout their consent, except as permitted by Law.

We endeavour to offer a comprehensive range of products to satisfy demands for economy, and time specific postal and associated services.

Clear service and product conditions, prices and standards are published and are available throughout our retail branches and are published on our web site. Where we are an agent for a service, such as FedEx, the terms and conditions of that service are available for you, should you require them, at the time of transaction.

Before we make changes in our prices, services or compensation in areas which fall within the terms of our postal operator's licence, we will consult with the Regulator who is there to ensure that best interests are achieved for the Islands.

Price changes will be announced through the media, published at retail branches,
and on our website.

Postal Services

Our retail staff will advise you on the wide range of postal and associated services available from Guernsey Post branches. These currently include standard, recorded and priority mail services internationally, parcel services, philately, Easy Pay bill payments, Moneygram and cash2account. More details are available on our website, or from Customer Services on telephone 711720.

We also endeavour to maintain easy access to stamps outside our own retail branches. There are currently over one hundred supermarkets, garages, stationers and local stores that stock booklets of stamps for local and UK addresses.

However, every Guernsey resident should have a Guernsey Post retail branch within a 2-mile radius of his home. Their hours of opening are clearly displayed at each premise, are published on our website and in our Service Guides.

All branches are closed on Sundays and Public Holidays.

Posting Facilities

Roadside posting boxes are provided at locations appropriate to the community need and usage. Their collection times are clearly displayed together with our Customer Service contact details.

We make a commitment to collect and dispatch mail from all posting facilities six days a week and offer a same working day local delivery. We record the collection of mail from post boxes daily so that performance can be monitored.

Public and Bank Holiday arrangements are published at retail branches and in the Guernsey Press.

Guaranteed and Priority Services are available at all of our retail branches and should not be posted in pillar boxes.

Sometimes usage of a roadside posting box may fall away and it then becomes necessary to balance the costs of clearing and maintaining the box against the reduced customer convenience. In these cases a box may be removed.

Developers of new properties may apply to us for a new pillar box.

We make letter deliveries to each local address 6 days a week, with the exception of Bank Holidays. The delivery rounds start from about 9am and should be completed by about 1pm, depending on the volume of mail and other operating issues.

We ask that our customers provide and maintain a suitable and secure letterbox, that is accessible to delivery staff, and that delivery to the property is safe. Details of preferred mailbox sizes are published on our website and are available from Customer Services on 711720.

Where we are unsuccessful in delivering an item of mail, for example where the item is marked "unknown at this address", we scrutinise the address and attempt a second alternative delivery if appropriate. Otherwise we follow procedures, depending on the item type, origination and service used as stated on our website. Where we are an agent for the service used, such as FedEx, that operator's terms.

 

Measurement And Reporting

• Actively listening to customers is very important to us.
• We monitor customer feedback, measure customer satisfaction and are flexible in seeking constant improvement to services or procedures where needed.
• We regularly monitor the quality and reliability of our service.
• We use an independent research company to measure the delivery performance of inward and outward letter mail between the islands, Jersey, IOM and the UK.
• We undertake an annual Bailiwick-wide business survey.
• We consult with Postwatch Guernsey.
• We have established the Alderney Post Partnership Board.
• We monitor our performance against the published regulatory standards and publish the results every six months on our web site and through the retail network.

From 1st October 2003 quality of service targets formed part of the Guernsey Post postal operator's licence and we report regularly against its targets to our regulator. We also publish them at six-month intervals. We submit to the Regulator an annual return for the previous 12 months. Our measurement systems are also subject to independent audits from time to time by the Regulator. This report is available to view online or from Customer Services on 711720.

 

Enquiries and Complaints

Our Customer Services department is open from 8.30am to 5.00pm, Monday to Friday and Saturday morning from 8.30am to 12 noon. Our Customer Service team is trained to assist you and can advise on our full range of products and services including their acceptance criteria and service standards.

Enquiries can be made, by either the sender or the addressee, in writing by post or fax, by telephone, by e-mail or by completing an enquiry form available throughout the retail network and on our website. Customer Service staff can also be consulted in person at Envoy House.

All calls made to our main telephone number (Switchboard 01481 726241) and Customer Services (01481 711720) are recorded for the purposes of training, security and customer satisfaction. Recordings are protected by the Data Protection Law (Bailiwick of Guernsey) 2001.

The subject may request a copy of a recording by writing to:

The Data Protection Officer
Guernsey Post Ltd
Envoy House
La Vrangue
St Peter Port
Guernsey Post
GY1 1AA

If you have a complaint about our service we wish to know about it. We view complaint resolution as an important part of our continuous improvement process. We monitor and report on the handling of all complaints and compensation claims received.

 

Lost or damaged items

If you used one of our services and are dissatisfied because of loss or damage, or a
time/day-definite service has failed, we can offer you compensation as appropriate
and as published in our service guides and on our website. Please contact our
Customer Service team or fill out an enquiry form at any of our retail branches.

 

Contact Details:-

Customer Services
Guernsey Post Ltd
Envoy House
La Vrangue
St Peter Port
GUERNSEY
GY1 1AA
Tel: 01481 711 720
Fax: 01481 712 082
Email: custserv@guernseypost.com
Website: www.guernseypost.com

Unresolved Complaints

When a complaint remains unresolved, either because you are dissatisfied with the outcome, or the target time for resolution has been exceeded, you can decide to take the matter further.

To do so an approach must be made to the Trading Standards Service of the Commerce and Employment Department (contact details below). Trading Standards will act as an impartial body and will attempt to find a fair outcome for all parties if it identifies that we have not adequately resolved the matter. If Trading Standards believes we have acted reasonably, you will be informed of this.

However if the complaint still remains unresolved you can ask that the matter be referred to the Guernsey Office of Utility Regulation (OUR), which, in turn, will receive a report from the Trading Standards Service. Both you and Guernsey Post will receive copies of the report. OUR will progress the complaint in whatever manner it considers appropriate. The Trading Standards Service will periodically report to OUR to provide details of complaints it has received under this procedure.

Nothing within this scheme or process is intended to prevent you as a customer from seeking resolution through the courts.

Contact Details:-

Consumer Adviser
Trading Standards Service
PO Box 459
GUERNSEY
GY1 6AF
Tel: 01481 234 567
Fax: 01481 235 015
Email: ts@commerce.gov.gg
Website: www.gov.gg/tradingstandards

 

General Terms and Conditions

General Terms and Conditions are available online or from Customer Services on 711720.

 

Feedback

Your comments on this charter are most welcome. Please direct any feedback to the Customer Services Supervisor at: custserv@guernseypost.com

Or mail:-

FREEPOST
Guernsey Post Ltd
GUERNSEY
GY1 5SS

Or use our Online Enquiry Form.