Macclesfield Post Office

Reviews

• EM

  Ellen McCombe

  6 days ago
  1.0
  Having ordered (and paid for) a quantity of Euros on a Wednesday and received written confirmation that they would be available in the Macclesfield branch from 11 am on the Friday, arrived mid-afternoon with appropriate identification to collect them. After queueing for the customary quarter of an hour – the Foreign Currency desk was shut - showed my order to the customer service assistant at the counter who, took one look, and told me rather brusquely that I would “have to come back tomorrow”. After informing him that that was not possible he “hummed and hahed” then disappeared, without explanation, into the enclosed back office for approximately 10 minutes. Upon returning, he explained that the currency stocks were locked in a safe to which none of the staff on duty had the relevant code! At around 3 pm on a summer Friday afternoon! I enquired as to what the Post Office “Plan B” was in this situation e.g. a reciprocal arrangement with the banks or building societies offering the same service in Macclesfield perhaps and was informed that none existed! He was clearly not wanting to take responsibility for this challenging situation, so I asked to speak to his manager. Received the information that the manager was called “Mandy” - he claimed, I felt rather disingenuously not to know her second name, - but that she was not expected in the branch that afternoon. A case of POETS day perhaps? This request again necessitated the clerk to retire back to the inner sanctum for a further 10 minutes. Being in my late 70s and obviously walking with the assistance of a stick (as well as having had spinal surgery last December) had by this point been obliged to stand for 40 minutes and was beginning to really struggle. Fortunately, other members of the ever lengthening queue noticed my predicament and kindly suggested that I make use of one of the chairs on the other side of the shop. With some effort I managed to carry/drag the chair to the counter. The clerk emerged to say that he was attempting to obtain the necessary code over the telephone which understandably necessitated another trip “out back”. Finally, without any apparent outside involvement or intervention, and after waiting for over an hour, the counter clerk finally, rather sheepishly, emerged with sufficient currency to meet my order. As if to add insult to injury the whole, quite significant, order was discharged using €20 notes - as mentioned at the time, this was the equivalent of paying for a pint of beer using tuppences. The perfunctory apology offered for my inconvenience gave the impression as to being one that had been trotted out on many previous occasions. Patently, there are serious internal control failings apparent within the Post Office for obviously my pre-ordered currency had not been “made up” ready for collection whilst denying staff members access to the safe in a branch bestrewn with innumerable advertisements as to the merits of their foreign currency services is completely absurd. In both my personal and professional life as a qualified accountant for over half a century I have had a great many occasions on which foreign currency needed to be bought or sold but can honestly state that this hour or so spent at the Post Office was by far and away the worst transaction ever experienced. Having outlets within Macclesfield such as Tesco’s or Sainsbury’s possessing a dedicated foreign currency booth “manned” for the working day I really cannot see why anyone in their right mind would choose to order foreign currency from the Post Office - I certainly never will again!
• WW

  Wanderer

  Sep 19, 2026
  1.0
  Queues are always horrendous. Staff are great when you get to them but always an extremely long wait.
• RA

  Robin Atherton

  Sep 18, 2026
  1.0
  Only one poor lad working on a Friday with queue of people nearly 20 deep. Shocking planning.
• EW

  Elizabeth Welsh

  Aug 30, 2026
  3.0
  Queues
• GS

  Gemma Sparkle

  Aug 19, 2026
  1.0
  Absolutely disgusting service!!!!!! Poor Chinese guy constantly on his own whilst other 2 ladies in back gossiping

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