Dunston Post Office
c/o
P:Popov
_GRO
Ms Paula Vennells
Post Office Ltd POST OFFICE LTD
100 Victoria Embankment
London EC4Y 0HQ
07 AUG 2012
5 August 2012
CHIEF EXECUTIVE'S OFFICE
Dear Ms Vennels,
Is Post Office Ltd stealing my money?
I am a Subpostmaster at Dunston Post Office in Gateshead, fad no. 225 320
1 and I pose this question with all seriousness. I have been having a problem
with unexplained shortages for more than 2 years. I had put in place a system
of checks and double checks, so much so that we generally do not get any
transaction corrections.
The operation of the office was reviewed by a subpostmaster with some 30
years of experience to assess the performance and see any obvious
shortcomings. He did not discover any problems, but was not able to shed
any light on the unexplained shortages.
I had tried to get the Help line to help without success, I discussed these
problems and requested help from 3 different contracts managers over the
course of last 3 years to help me, but no help materialised.
With the unexplained losses increasing we started to do a cash balance twice
a day at lunchtime and in the evening, because my part time staff change
shifts at lunchtime. It did not stop the losses but at least captured them within
4 hours period and I know when they occurred.
To ensure that the money is not lost due to staff stealing, I had installed CCTV
system with two cameras on the counter with the staff agreement. After
spending countless hours viewing videos I can state that transaction were
carried out correctly and nobody took any money.
POL00143535
POL00143535
I attach a table of losses going back to August 2011 although I have much
records back to 2009 and from the distribution of the loses it is apparent that
the loses tend to occur in periods of heavy demand, particularly on Mondays.
We were settling all losses to central, mainly because I did not believe that
those losses were due to any mistakes made in the branch. Thus a
substantial backlog of ‘debt’ was accumulating in Chesterfield.
As I was not getting any help from Post Office Ltd. and the loses were not
sustainable, I decided by the end of 2011 to sell the post office. The sale was
going through and was to be completed on 3 May 12 but it was postponed by
POL,
Then on 2" of May our gateway computer ( 3 position office) failed completely
and we also lost ADSL connection. The ADSL was reinstated on 3 May by
replacing the ADSL hub. The gateway computer was replaced on 4 May 2012
at the same time as the audit team walked in.
The auditors have audited and ‘found out’ all the loses from Chesterfield and
whatever else was in the pipeline. I was suspended (for eight weeks), and
suspension was reversed once I gave undertaking to repay all these losses to
POL.
Once we reopened after the suspension was lifted, we served on the replaced
gateway computer. The remaining two computers had to be replaced within
24 hrs of opening due to a flash flood.
So now we are in the sixth week of trading with all equipment replaced and
we are balancing every day to a penny, we have not had one unexplained
loss since we re-started..
I know that you have a great faith in Horizon system which is working fine now
but we had serious problems before the equipment was replaced. I employ
the same staff who operate in the same manner and yet there are no loses
compared to daily loses for two/three years prior to equipment replacement.
I have been asking the contracts managers over last two to two and half years
for the equipment to be replaced as it seemed suspect but all those requests
were denied.
I hope that you will be able to satisfactorily explain why replacement of the
hardware has changed the situation so dramatically so that we are balancing
to a penny instead of losing thousands of pounds.
I believe that Post Office Ltd. has failed to maintain the equipment adequately
and it produced the loses. And if the loses were caused by the faulty
hardware, why would POL expect me to repay all the loses which was beyond
my powers to stop them. It was only POL who could replace the faulty
equipment.
POL00143535
POL00143535
During the suspension I did not receive any pay presumably because we were
not opened. But we have a Bol ATM for which Bank of Ireland pays every
month to POL for £300 of it to be passed to myself. I never received that
money.
Our variable pay is based on TRPs. On the day of suspension there was
about a month worth of TRPs on the system. When I was reinstated I did not
get any TRP related pay. Where have all TRPs gone? These TRP have been
earned by me and my staff. I had to pay wages for a month for those TRPs. I
had to pay wages for a month since resumption of the business without TRP
related pay.
And when I was suspended, it took over two weeks to get the result of the
interview and I had to wait another two and half weeks to resume trading.
Was this all part of a punishment that POL dispenses?
Or as I asked at the top of the letter: Is Post Office Limited stealing my
money?
And finally, would you answer the following questions:
41 Why did loses stop occurring once the equipment in my office was
replaced?
2. I was asking for help for 2 and half years. Why did I not get any help from
POL?
3. Based on experience of others, I asked for the equipment to be replaced
when heavy unexplained loses were happening. Why was it not replaced as
requested?
I look forward to hearing from you.
Yours.sincerelw..,
Cc
Rt Hon James Arbuthnot MP
House of Commons
London SW1A
POL00143535
POL00143535
POL00143535
POL00143535
DUNSTON POSTOFFICE - UNEXPLAINED LOSES
TPS
Thu 25/08/2011 ovosi2011 63.51 -$5.92 08/09/2011 -30.01 -78.09 1s709i2011-0.05 2.29
Fri 261082011 21.55 4.84 02/09/2011 -80.08 48.13 © og/e/2011 -181.79 -181.79, 16/09/2011 43-807
Sat 27iesi2011 7.58 03/08/2011 -36.31 10102011 -189.99 1710912011 -80.27
Mon 29/08/2011 05/09/2011 -34.23 -35.23 © 12/08/2011 -188.83 ——-288 19/09/2011 27.56 -27.58
Tue 3008/2011 15:51 5.38 06/09/2011 121.71 121.72 19/09/2011 -283.21 278.24 2oogizo11 ~408 409.4
Wed 3108/2011 422071 07/08/2011 -304.48 -304.23 14/08/2011 -278,26 -277.41 21/09/2011 -488.63 -478.27
1P7
Thu 22ios2011 12.79 2.38 2909/2011 -25.74 -121.36 06/10/2011 ~109.99 -109.65 teo2011 3745-656 pomozo11 14.8 11.88
Fri 23/08/2011 7.34 «6.02 30/09/2011 “110.79 O7/10/2011-119.35 -109.65 1aiio7z011 5986 -42.91 202011 -23.08 -22.86
Sat 2qiosi2011 4.52 or/io2011 -97.94 ogito2011 -108.73, 18/10/2011 -64.05 22/10/2011 -22.49
Mon 26/08/2011 5.07 -2.89 og/10/2011 "281.64 84.64 © 10/10/2011 -217.8 -200.76 17012011 -555.75 -585.75 2ato2011 1237 16.9
Tue 271092011 13.83 12.2 04/10/2011 -285,63 -277.45 «11/10/2011 300.55 -299.76 18/10/2011 -2586.74 -2586.82 25/10/2011 -16.99 -17.73
Wed 28/08/2011 -115.71 104.67 05/10/2011 -988.13 265.64 © 12/10/2011 -305.12 -299.71 19/10/2011 2585.63 -2595.81 2610/2011 -70.45 67.45
TPS
Thu 2702011 0.19 303.76 03/14/2011 yo12011 «089 4.94 a7i2011 0.05 7.03
Fri 28/10/2011 1.18 4/14/2011 aani2011 4223 5.21 18/11/2011 515
Sat 2oiio2o11 6.38 05/11/2011 422011524 s9t1i2011
‘Mon 311072011 67.38 63.35 7/11/2011 -280.83 -281.45 14/11/2011 218.74 20112011 90.33 128.13
Tue O1tt2011 83.17 -51.93 08/11/2011 298.95 -277.34 15/11/2011 -259.62 350.47 2211/2011 88.13 -78.19
Wed ozii2011 111.63 -152.12 og/11/2011 -280.67 -28067 16/11/2011 -420.28 -417.24 23/11/2011 -103.79 -94.95
TP9
Thu 24/11/2011 5.35 7 01/12/2014 40.34 08/12/2011 0.27 38 15/12/2011 0.05 8.79
Fri 25/11/2011 721 5.87 02/12/2011 34.07 = -29.4 09/12/2011 [55.26] 25 16/12/2011 (37.87)
Sat 2611/2011 5.87 03122011 76.96 10/12/2011 6.39 1711212011 99.71 -239.88]
‘Mon 28/11/2011 [21978.38] -1994.31 05/12/2011 19.06 -19.17 12/92/2011 7185.54) 49/12/2011 9.88
Tue 29/11/2011 -1986.37 -1985.11 06/12/2011 7885 13/12/2011 I 992.94 -206.43 20/12/2011 274182 224.68
Wed 30/11/2011 -1983.53 -1942.79 07/12/2011 13.86 -10.64 14/12/2011 [265.28] -861.7] 21212011 226.45 -226.46
POL00143535
POL00143535
DUNSTON POSTOFFICE - UNEXPLAINED LOSES
zanze011-0.83 -49.49 zorrzi011 «1.091243 0si01/2012»1.08_—-2.01 szior2012[ 7001] -30.07 19/01/2012 1 076
23/12/2011 992.75 -333.29 3022011 «399 -217.3 © og/ot/ao1z.-3.93[-85.02] 13/01/2012 98.17] -98.19 2001/2012 99.35 42.07
2anzi2011 -333.16 3111272011 -217.38 07/01/2012 -54.98 1a/o1/2012[ 135.78 21/01/2012 -233.92 56.09
26/12/2011 BH 02/01/2012 BH 09/01/2012 -84.07, I -14.94 16/01/2012 133.7 _-133.55 23/01/2012 67.36
27/12/2011 BH 09/01/2012 -367.18 -366.29 10/01/2012I 3151.84 17101/2012[-342.55] -431.55] 2410112012 -83.24 67.2
28/12/2011 -333.2. -334.95 04012012 365.25 s1/o12012I 286.75 18/01/2012 263.85 -422.55 251012012 67.85 41.76
26/01/2012 40 0.04 oaog2oi2_ 4.67 6.18 /02/2012 22 0 247 16/02/2012 110.73 200.24
271012012 68.35 -119.29 osvozi2o12[ 2994.22] -2994.36 40/02/2012 1.81 63 17/02/2012 89.64 102.12
28/01/2012 -123.29 o4/ozi2012 2984.41 111022012 138.39 48/02/2012 101.97
30/01/2012 -126.9 -121.4 os/ozz012 209041 -298523 13/02/2012 -76.48 © -90.2 20022012 «4.51 105.18
3101/2012 125.4 -154.51 o7/ozi2012 -2096.7 -2895.7 14/02/2012 -98.45 -127.93 2022012 7.94 11,78
1/02/2012 -154.56 -186.94 os/oz/2012 2963.56 -2984.57 15/02/2012 -108.11 -128.11 zgnzeci2 = 2071.82
23/02/2012 --39.17 100.31 orosi2012 109.45 = 589 0/08/2012 -100.12 -98.12 1503/2012 81-1542
2402/2012 -150.97 -185.08 0203/2012 485 «= 3042 -=—09/09/2012 -106.81 -244.97 16/03/2012 -85.89 -84.58
25/02/2012 -154.96 03/03/2012 60.48 10/03/2012 -260.99 17/03/2012 -185.59
27/02/2012 -254.95 -254.19 os/ogi2012 -10058 -141.19 12/03/2012 412.85 -414.64 19/03/2012 -265.53 -405.63
28/02/2012 -251.28 -26272 06/03/2012 290.28 -32856 «13/08/2012 -42463 ~425.18 2003/2012 320.74 380.71
29/02/2012 -253.77 -254.04 07/03/2012 -281.86 -374.86 «14/03/2012 -465.16 -485.72 2uosi2012 415.81 302.84
zaman 4042.4 2osizi2 = 64 5.88 oBioaz012 © 1100 TS7OST] 2042012405 -18:71 = 194042012 68.99 70.49
23/03/2012 31.06 -30.82 sosizo12 11.98 «881 6/04/2012 ° ° 191042012 -1876 18.91 2oroa2012 -70.68-70.54
24/03/2012 71.58 310372012 17.46 o7ioa2012 0 o saioaio12 = 18.71 21042012 70.57
26/03/2012 -361.4 -261.92 ovog2012__-81.82 -81.51 09/4/2012 ° ° 16/04/2012 -91.84 -109.41 2304/2012 -249.81 -250.69
27/03/2012 -362.08 ~411.51 osioai2o12[—172.07]_-170.51 10/04/2012 0 o 17/08/2012 -129.01 -251.41 24042012 -330.49 -323.73
28/03/2012 -361.47 -411.32 04/04/2012 1172.67] 1276.59] 1104/2012 -1469.13[ 1462.53] 18/04/2012 262.49 -252.32 25/04/2012 -513.45 393.55
26(04/2012 -100.11 -103.34
271042012 -102.35 102.59
28/04/2012 -101.97
30/04/2012 -224.52 -265.1
01/08/2012 -342.86 -437.86
02/05/2012