A post office in Jerusalem.
The customers are disgruntled (photo: Walla! system, Yanon Shalom Yathach)
At the beginning of the week, we published here the commission rates that the Postal Bank started charging for various POS services.
But the fees, as it turns out, are not the only thing that bothers the clientele of the Post Office in general and of the Post Bank in particular.
Since the "recovery process" of the Israel Post began, about 70 branches of the Postal Bank throughout the country have been closed according to estimates, and another 140 are "on target". Why is it necessary to estimate? Because there is no regular reporting.
According to the procedure, in order to close or " To "unify" a service branch of the Post Bank - it is necessary to update the application on the government website of the Ministry of Communications, and then with the approval of the Minister of Communications.
This is also explained by the former chairman of the Economy Committee, MK Michael Biton, who responded to the publication in Walla!: "Every branch that closes is obliged With the approval and signature of the Minister of Communications."
Really? The Ministry of Communications denies the words of MK Biton.
According to them, during the recovery process, there is no need for ministerial approval to close branches, as part of the "freedom of operation"
And as for reporting on the website?
Here, deliberate preparation is not required.
And despite this: an in-depth search we conducted on the website revealed that for five years no closures and requests to merge branches have been reported.
All the more so in the last year, when what seems like a wave of closures (as mentioned, one can only estimate) threatens the livelihood of hundreds of employees, not to mention a service available to the populations that need it the most.
The latest requests to close post offices reported on the official website.
Has not a single post office in Israel been closed since 2018? (Photo: screenshot, government ministries website)
Hijacking or streamlining for the public?
The office called for the closing of the branches and the mass layoffs "efficiency" that will save the public a lot of money.
But between the lines, it will send out about 1,500 workers to look for work, and keep thousands of the bank's customers away from receiving service.
How did the reform go in the committee that until recently was chaired by MK Michael Biton, who is considered a friend?
"It is a hijacking between government and government, the bank took advantage of it," claims MK Biton, "I strongly requested that they not harm the weaker sections - and we see this in the protocols as well But not only
the
closing of the branches hurts the weaker populations, but also the fees charged for the cash register services at the Post Bank:
E., with whom we spoke outside the post office in Jerusalem: "Everything costs more in this country, even what we don't have is taken.
I hope at least that the new Minister of Communications will sort this out - soon they will charge a fee for the air we breathe"
And there are also more difficult stories: Jenny, 50, from south Tel Aviv: "Almost all my adult life I've been at the Post Bank. All these years I've been dealing with the whims of this strange bank. I'm a mother of 5 daughters, I'm self-employed and work from home on recordings and transcriptions Income
and
expenses were always through the post office bank, the most I could withdraw from there was checks. Little by little, they also became a bank for everything. With the apps and the computer.
In recent times there have been a lot of changes, both banking and technological. They have a very strange behavior that if I Money in a certain payment, I put in the same amount of money - but they don't give me the option.
Temporary exception frame - 7 NIS per month.
The maximum is 500 per month.
There was a minus of NIS 220 in the account, and the check was not honored.
They are causing me a great deal of damage financially, I received a warning before the account was restricted.
Every month that I get a lot of commissions, it adds up to about NIS 15 a month.
From month to month it accumulates, I don't understand why we need an administration fee when we manage the account for ourselves?
It may seem like NIS 15-16 in total, but it has a great impact."
Jenny sharpens the plight of those who depend on the Post Bank to survive financially: "I was in bankruptcy, my partner recently with enforcement cases.
He needs a minimum account for his salary, but no commercial bank was willing to open one for him - not even the postal bank agreed, even this bank which is not yet private, the bank of the postal authority.
It will no longer be the public's bank."
We tried to find out with Jenny how she manages to survive financially:
"I have no idea how, but I'm how she manages to keep her head above water.
Sometimes you have to help good people.
Try to raise your head as much as you can.
Sad to say, but only those who steal succeed.
If you are not caught, if you are a rich man or a member of the Knesset, nothing will happen to you.
Only those below need to absorb.
For many years I raised 4 girls alone in a very difficult time.
I have 2 daughters with autism, I am on disability benefits.
Both in the household budget and treatments - they only take what is subsidized.
The luck is that they are high functioning - it is not easier, but less difficult.
The girls only get what the state gives, I can't give her anything beyond that.
We are both unhealthy people, but we are not entitled to disability degrees.
Trying to bring in side income, selling everything possible.
They try to be as frugal as possible, take from restaurants after a day, from what they have left.
And live knowing that there is always someone in a worse situation than me, as long as I get up in the morning on my feet and the girl has a sandwich I am satisfied.
Jenny reveals her frustration with the fee change, which for most of us was a snake for "small money": "The Post Bank makes a living from me, they live on my fees, which are very difficult to come by anyway. They send me text messages once a month, and they also send money for that. Every An action needs a handwritten signature. Every month they charge an account opening fee like in the first month. I receive 2 disability allowances from the bank, I realized that there are fees for that as well now."
More in Walla!
Pietro celebrates a round birthday and you enjoy a once-in-60-years sale
In collaboration with Pitro
MK Michael Biton: "This is a kidnapping between government and government, the bank took advantage of it" (Photo: Reuven Castro)
Liaison office response
The Ministry of Communications and the Post Office responded to the issue of rates by publishing the new price list, which shows that there are also reduced fees and there are also discounts and concessions for low-income populations.
Regarding the issue of closing the branches, the Ministry of Communications stated: "The Israel Post Company is in the midst of a revolutionary reform that includes recovery procedures and full privatization.
The reform is intended to optimize and improve postal services by redistributing post offices in accordance with the public's demands, and an accelerated transition to digital services, which dramatically reduce the need to physically reach the branches.
The minister does not approve the closing of branches.
This process is part of the postal company's freedom of action in the recovery process.
At the same time, the postal company is obliged to inform the Ministry of Communications which branches it intends to close, and if the Minister of Communications finds that the closing of a branch does not meet the distance criterion specified in the license or that its closure may overburden another postal agency, he can order the company in the interim period until privatization the full not to close the branch.
In any case, it should be noted that during the term of the incoming minister, there was no report from the postal company about the closing of additional branches.
The new postal license has not yet been signed by the incoming Minister of Communications and there he is expected to determine the new service conditions which will include a distance requirement from central postal units and additional service points and distribution centers that will be established.
It should be noted that the regulations for basic services, the rates of the Post Bank and the rates of the postal company were already approved in November 2022 and are published on the ministry's website.
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Michael Beaton
