Post Office Apologises to MP for Rothienorman Failure

Post Office officials have apologised to Banff & Buchan MP Eilidh Whiteford for their failure to communicate properly with Rothienorman residents last month when the Mobile Service was unavailable.

The lack of service also affected Cuminestown, where the Mobile Service also calls five days per week.

Local MP Dr Whiteford contacted Post Office management after concerns were raised with her by local residents at the end of February, and the service was restored by the end of that week. However, Post Office chiefs have now issued a formal apology for the lack of service at that time.

In a letter to the Banff & Buchan MP, Post Office spokesperson Linda Bonar said:

“Please accept our sincere apologies for the recent failure of the Post Office mobile service and for the inconvenience caused to the residents at Rothienorman. The mobile service van had been experiencing problems and had been booked in for a service and MOT which had brought to light faults that needed to be rectified before the van could be considered roadworthy, however this doesn’t excuse the lack of communication with Rothienorman residents when this problem occurred.

“The issue regarding communication with the residents has been addressed with the Post Office manager responsible for this mobile service.”

Commenting, Eilidh Whiteford MP said:

“This is a welcome acknowledgement from Post Office management that they fell below their service standards on this occasion.

“The service is greatly valued by residents in Rothienorman and Cuminestown who speak to me about it and the staff who run the service do an excellent job. However, on this occasion it appears both staff and customers were let down by a failing on the part of the Post Office to let people know what was going on.”