Quote Originally Posted by distantcamera View Post
"What's in it?"
"A low powered air pistol."

First she tells me that you can't post that.

So after a bit of tutting she agreed to phone the "Helpline." She asks me whether the six inch long box contains a pistol or a rifle. After confirming it is a pistol she tells me that it can only be posted by Parcelforce48. I point out again that it says on the Royal Mail website that I can send it minimum First Class, but I want to send it Special Delivery. I load up the Royal Mail website on my phone and show her. Nope. She has to go with what the helpline says. So I ask her to call them back and ask why their information differs from the Royal Mail website. She does this and then produces a leaflet from behind the counter. This leaflet is new and does indeed say that you can post an air pistol Parcelforce48. It does not say that you can't post it by Royal Mail. She insists that it does say that. At this point I assume that she doesn't know that if words are in a different order they have a different meaning. In the end I gave up and left
Infuriating isn't it.

Post Office counters seem to attract a certain type of employee - generally a strange kind of bastard offspring generated during a nights dogging with a librarian, an SS officer and, sloth from Goonies.

My opinion on this doesn't always seem popular but, I wrap a parcel so that it'll survive a couple of days of the worst abuse that warehouse workers and couriers could throw at it, then, when I get to the counter, smile politely and lie through my teeth.

I'd think twice if I knew something risked going by air mail but, I've sent a fair few things so far and, absolutely everything has arrived intact.

The furthest was decorative wood and metal carvings (*cough* Daystate Merlyn) from Swindon to Northumberland.