The closure of post office branches has led to many challenges for users of the service, but not much attention has been given to what happens to the lobbies it kept.
A post box lobby is a stand-alone unit of post boxes, often not in close proximity to a branch.
While postbox holders at traditional post offices can engage branch personnel about what is going to happen to their post after the branch has closed, those who rent boxes at a lobby are often left in the lurch.
Rekord readers who rent post office boxes at the Queenswood lobby are asking what is going to happen to their post.
The lobby box renters said they do not know where their post has been sent in the last eight months since their lobby was closed and they don’t know who to get answers from.
The Queenswood lobby was by the gate behind the Queen’s Corner shopping centre in Soutpansberg Road.
The boxes were removed during the Post Office business rescue process.
Anoosh Rooplal and Juanito Damons were appointed business rescue practitioners to the Post Office when it was placed under administration last July.
They were tasked with developing and submitting a plan to rescue the Post Office and also to get it endorsed by its creditors in December 2023.
The Queenswood lobby box renters said they have no way of knowing where to collect their post.
One elderly renter said nothing was communicated to them about where to fetch their post or even that the lobby would close down.
She has been waiting for eight months for news on the urgent documents that she has been expecting from overseas.
Spokesperson for business rescue practitioners Louise Brugman said further restructuring has reduced the post office branch network from 1 023 to 653.
“We are closing approximately 235 branches,” she said, adding that three lobbies have also closed down.
She said mail in the closed branches will be redirected to alternative branches.
But where does this leave the Queenswood lobby renters, which according to one resident had more than 800 boxes, because there is no branch in the area to redirect their mail to?
Brugman said the Post Office would convert post box customers to street delivery customers.
“All the mail is delivered to their household or physical address,” said Brugman, adding that customers who have paid for paid for their box lease for this financial year will be refunded.
However, she said such renters would have to apply to the business rescue practitioners for a refund.
“How do they claim for this? The practitioners will advise on the way towards reimbursement and refund,” said Brugman.
She said from January 4 to March 22, the CCMA facilitated the retrenchment process phase of the rescue plan.
The obligatory 60-day process was extended when the CCMA ruled that further negotiations between the employee committee, employee unions and the post office was appropriate.
“It was further agreed that retrenchment payments would take place over eight months in three tranches. Some 4 700 retrenchment letters have been issued to staff to date,” she said.
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