The Post Office

There has been much talk recently about Post Office 'rebranding' and entering the 21st century. Behind all the management jargon, however, the Post Office has become much more than simply a place to buy stamps or cash benefits. Just some of the services available through Longden Post Office are explained on this page. For more extensive information, you should visit the websites of The Post Office and The Royal Mail.

Postal Services

Despite all the changes, the Post Office still retains its primary function as a place to send mail. We can offer a number of post options:

• First and Second Class inland and overseas mail.
• UK Special Delivery: Guarantees delivery by 1:00 pm or 9.00 am on the next working day, with up to £2,500 compensation.
• UK and International Registered delivery: Mail signed for on arrival with up to £ compensation. You can track the progress of your package online.
• UK forces mail: For sending post to a UK military base abroad.

To calculate how much your post will cost to send, why not try our simple Postage Calculator

Last collection from the Longden Post Box is at 17.00 Monday to Friday, 10.30 Saturday and 14.45 Sunday.

Banking and Finance

Pension and benefit books are being replaced by Post Office cards. To withdraw money, take your card to the Post Office and follow the instructions from the cashier. You will need to know your pin number, which you will have been given soon after you received your card.

If you are a member of Lloyds TSB, Alliance and Leicester, Co-Op, Cahoot, Barclays or Girobank you can cash cheques, deposit money and make withdrawals using your bank card.

National Savings does a number of savings schemes such as ISA's, and you can pick up information on any of these from the Post Office

Paying Bills

Council tax, water board and electricity bills can all be paid at the post office. Just bring a swipe card (if you have one) or the bill and it will be paid immediately and stop all those brown envelopes hitting the doormat!

Of course, the savings stamp schemes for Vehicle Tax, water, TV licence etc. are still running and these can also be used as a method of payment.

Holiday and Leisure

If you are going abroad, don't forget you will need both insurance and foreign currency. From the post office, you can pick up and E111 insurance form and apply for foreign currency and traveller's cheques at 0% commission. When you return most of your currency can be re-exchanged, again at the 0% rate of commission.

For those of you who prefer to spend time at home, why not get hold of a fishing licence, required for use of any rivers in the UK.

The Post Office have teamed up with Bunches, to offer 'Bunches by Post', an economical and reliable flower delivery service.

Other Services

As you are reading this, you are probably already 'Online'. For a small fee you can arrange to have any goods you order through the internet stored at the Post Office, so that you can collect them at a time convenient to you.

What we Can't Do

Unfortunately, there are some things smaller branch offices are not equipped to deal with.

• Vehicle licences: although there appears to be a lot of demand for this service we are deemed to be too small an office to carry out vehicle licence payments. Your nearest Post Offices are either Radbrook Green or Pontesbury.
• Parcels Priority Post: as we are not on a Royal Mail Parcels collection route, we are unable to offer priority services either for Inland or Worldwide parcel post.
• P.O. Boxes: the application form for these can be found online at Royal Mail or can be picked up from the main Shrewsbury branch.

Payment

The following methods of payment are accepted:

• Cash
• Signed cheques, supported by a valid cheque guarantee card
• All major Debit and Credit cards