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Message
From: Shirley Hailstone:
Sent: 01/09/2016 .18:
To: Joe Connor . ; Alisdair Cameron
Bogerd: GRO.
cc: Wendy
Subject: FW: Missing euros/potential system issue
Attachments: Horam 650458 SSRT Report 010916.doc; image003.png; image004.png; image005.png
All
As promised, please find attached report for Horam (Kirsten Fernforth).
It is Wendy’s intention to speak with Kirsten tomorrow to discuss findings.
I will update you on the outcome of the call.
Regards
Shirley
Shirley Hailstones
> Support Services Resolution Manager
Post Office Limited
Guildhall, 57 Queen St
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From: Shirley Hailstones
Sent: 30 August 2016 12:16
To: Joe Connor; Alisdair Cameron
Cc: Wendy Mahoney
Subject: RE: Missing euros/potential system issue
Hi Joe
We have now received & analysed the archive data.
Wendy is currently writing up the full case report which should be concluded by COP Thursday 1° Sept.
Just to give you an idea of findings, however the full report will be shared with you & Al on Thursday.
Key Findings
* Data confirms that 2000 euros received 26" Aug 2015 were never booked into the branch
There is no evidence in NBSC call logs to show that Kirsten was advised to inflate euros
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When the euros were introduced to the stock unit on 14" Oct 2015, there was a £1492.98 gain declared in the
account which was posted to local suspense and then cleared immediately to cash (advising the system that she
has withdrawn the cash)
The branch is not declaring ONCH correctly: they are using the day before to estimate cash usage. This is
making it difficult/almost impossible to have a true reflection of when discrepancies have occurred in branch
e There was a surplus of £3731.05 declared 15 Oct 2015, but was then reduced by £3700 within less than a
minute to show a surplus of £31.05
* All branch transactions have been analysed from when the euros were first introduced (14" Oct 2015) until
ONCH was declared on the 15" Oct (this is the timescale that Kirsten is alleging the surplus
disappeared). Analysis of the transactions in comparison with the ONCH reported show that this surplus was
not in the branch.
Conclusion
The surplus is showing present in the branch on the 14", however it is not in the branch by the time the ONCH was
declared on the 15". We can therefore assume that during this time, there must have been a corresponding error
carried out in branch or user error (where it be true or deliberate) must have occurred. Point to note: Data shows that
Kirsten was only present in the branch for less than an hour early morning on the 15" and therefore is unaware of staff
activity.
NB: Andy Winn (Former Dispute Resolution Manager) has investigated this prior to Wendy & has concluded the same.
It’s Wendy’s intention to speak with Kirsten on Friday before she finishes up for leave.
Regards
Shirley
Shirley Hailstones
4—_> Support Services Resolution Manager
Post Office Limited
Guildhall, 57 Queen St
Glasgow
G1 3
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This email message is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorised review,
use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited.
If you are not the intended recipient please contact me by reply email and destroy all copies of the original message.
From: Joe Connor
Sent: 30 August 2016 08:56
To: Alisdair Cameron
Cc: Wendy Mahoney; Shirley Hailstones
Subject: RE: Missing euros/potential system issue
Thanks Al — Wendy/Shirley can you let me have an update on this one please?
Joe
Joe Connor
Head of Shared Services
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120 Bark St,
From: Alisdair Cameron
Sent: Tuesday, August 30, 2016 8:54 AM
To: Joe Connor <
Subject: FW: Missing euros/potential syste!
sue
FYI
From: Angela Van-Den-Bogerd
Sent: 05 August 2016 10:32
To: Alisdair Cameron ¢°
Subject: RE: Missing euros/potential system issue
Al,
The latest is on this is that we have had all the details we need from Kirsten the postmistress but due to the incident
happening last year we need archived data. This typically takes a fortnight to receive from Fujistu so should be with us
any time now. Kirsten is happy that this is being investigated properly.
Depending on what we find in the investigation it’ll probably be about two weeks from receiving the archive data before
we can conclude this case.
Thanks,
Angela
1 Floor, Ty Brwydran,
Atlantic Close, Llansamlet
° Angela Van Den Bogerd
Director of Support Services
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This email message is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged
information. Any unauthorised review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended
recipient please contact me by reply email and destroy all copies of the original message.
From: Angela Van-Den-Bogerd
Sent: 04 August 2016 20:02
To: Alisdair Cameron
Subject: RE: Missing euros/potential system issue
Hi Al,
Wendy from my Resolution team had arranged to call the postmistress on 27" July to obtain the detail to investigate the
issue. I’ve requested the latest position and will revert as soon as I have it.
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Thanks,
Angela
1% Floor, Ty Brwydran,
Atlantic Close, Llansamlet
Sw.
° Angela Van Den Bogerd
Director of Support Services
Confidential Information:
This email message is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged
information. Any unauthorised review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended
recipient please contact me by reply email and destroy all copies of the original message.
From: Alisdair Cameron
Sent: 04 August 2016 17:09
To: Angela Van-Den-Bogerd
Subject: FW: Missing euros/potential system issue
Angela, where are we on this? Thanks Al
From: Paula Vennells
Sent: 26 July 2016 15:29
To: horam.papershop'
Cc: Wayne Cowan <
{Alisdair Cameron
Bob Collins
7 ANB!
Subje Missing euros/potential system issue
Dear Kirsten,
Thank you for flagging this - I hope I can help. This has clearly taken too long to resolve and I would be as
frustrated as you are.
We are usually very good at resolving such issues, with 6m transactions a day we have to be!
I have copied Al Cameron CFO and Angela van den Bogerd, Director of Support Services. I know they will do
their best to get to the right outcome.
Thank you for your patience,
Best wishes,
Paula
Paula Vennells
Chief Executive
Post Office Ltd
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Sent from my iPad
Dear Paula,
I am writing with an issue I have been having in branch and I wonder if you can help. I
seem to have hit a dead end with every other avenue available.
I have been running our Local Plus branch since September 2014. In August 2015, we
had a pouch of euros delivered to our branch, which was not input properly onto the
system, so didn’t show in the stock. It was picked up in a subsequent balance. I called
Chesterfield and Bristol to try and locate the pouch number, which would have rectified
the problem, but no one was able to give me this information.
By the October balance, I called the NBSC to find out what I should do, as I didn’t want
to falsely declare the stock holdings. I was told to over declare the euros and wait for a
transaction correction to balance this out. In good faith, I did this, but was unable to
settle centrally, as we didn’t have a suspense account set up (this had already been
flagged by our trainer Sara Mitchell when we started the previous year). The only
option, therefore, was to settle to cash. Sara has been amazing and such a huge
support to us throughout our time here —I can’t thank her enough.
In subsequent daily cash declarations, there was no surplus of cash, which there should
have been to the tune of £1400. I raised this with Sara, and she visited the branch and
took copies of the balance paperwork. As the euros were showing back in stock, we
wondered if maybe that had rectified the problem, but Sara raised this with IT and the
issue was referred to IT systems. On numerous occasions, we have both chased this,
and calls have been closed on us without resolution, or explanation.
By Christmas we were flat out (our nearest main branch had been closed since April, so
we had plenty to do). This entire issue was put on the back burner.
In April this year, a year and a half after commencing trading, our suspense account
was activated, generating a transaction correction for the missing euros. I have since
met with a brick wall of “I’m sorry, we can’t look back more than six months”. I called
NVCS again and was told that I shouldn’t have overdeclared the euros, and should
have waited for the transaction correction, which was contrary to the advice I had been
given by them. I was also told that they, or Chesterfield would have been able to give
me the missing pouch number. Again, I had tried this, with no result. I am now being
chased by the accounts team for the £1400. In actual fact, they are only asking for
£450, as we made a silly error in branch with a Santander transaction that I put cash in
to cover, as I thought it would be rectified quickly. Indeed it was, but it’s now being held
as part payment for the euro error.
NBSC and Sara suggested we forward all the information to Andrew Wynn, but it seems
that a balance statement saying “settled to cash” is sufficient for them to take that as
read, and further investigation has not been made available to us. The discussion was
that our system showed a £3700 gain the following day. This is because I run the cash
declaration as it was on the previous day to keep a track of how much cash we have
used before amending it to show the true value. We also asked for an intervention audit,
and this I guess showed that we were running an office that doesn’t have any financial
issues, but nothing more. The auditor suggested that the information needed to check
what happened sits in our hard drive, but again, no one seems interested in taking that
on. I have since been offered an instalment plan to “pay back” the money — I never took
it and firmly believe there is some glitch in the system that just made it disappear. It’s
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fairly much a whole month’s salary. We operate the branch in line with o
— that’s 76 hours per week over seven days. With an average salary of!
month at the moment, that equates to just overisro! an hour...
I am confused and disappointed that one small error made by us is going to cost a
month’s salary, yet the set up errors with our suspense account and bad advice given
by the helpdesk, and whatever issue there is with the system go by with no one
accountable?
My team have worked extremely hard under stressful conditions (whilst the main office
nearby has been shut), and we serve an ageing community that relies exclusively on us
for Post Office services. I love the work that we do, but I feel totally let down by the lack
of back up from the Post office in general. We all make mistakes, but most of them
shouldn't cost a considerable chunk of salary.
Apart from the £1400 I am being asked for, I cannot begin to estimate the cost of the
hours spent on phone calls, emails and lost sleep that this has taken. I feel like I’m on
trial, and guilty until proven innocent, which no one seems able to assist me with. It’s a
shame — I know I’m a good Postmaster, and we are running a successful office, which
would otherwise have closed when the former Sub-Postmaster retired. We have
increased sales in many aspects of the business, and Branch Standards have advised
that we are in the top 4000 branches in the country for performance, and have no
issues in branch. I’m seriously considering selling up, as I could work as a relief for
people like me who are struggling with a system that doesn’t do much to support them.
hop hours
In summary:
We made a mistake.
We asked for help.
That help didn’t come.
It's going to cost me £1400 that I really don’t have spare.
I’m not sure what you can do to resolve a potential system problem. It could take
months. What I am asking is that this sum be written off in recognition that we are doing
our best, and have been failed by the system in getting a resolution. I am exhausted
with dealing with this. My integrity is bashed from it being implied that I took the money.
I didn’t. That is all.
Many thanks
Kirsten Fernforth
Postmaster, Horam
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