Letters and Packages - The number of consumer complaints about Post is increasing significantly
Due to delayed or lost letters and packages, there have been significantly more complaints to the German Post Office in the first half of 2024 than before. A total of 20,184 postal complaints were filed, which is a quarter more than in the previous year-end period, according to the Federal Network Agency.
Approximately two-thirds of the complaints were about letters, and one-third were about packages. Eighty-eight percent of the critical comments were directed at market leader DHL and its mail division Deutsche Post, while the rest pertained to competitors. If the complaint level remains high in the second half of 2024, there could be as many postal complaints as ever before at the Bonn regulatory authority.
Fines soon possible
The Federal Network Agency currently has limited power - it can only warn the Yellow Giant and urge it to improve. However, as part of the Post Law reform, the agency will soon have a sharper sword at its disposal. It will then be able to impose fines and compulsory payments and thus increase the pressure on the Bonn logistics conglomerate.
However, the reform also provides that the Post will have less pressure when transporting mail. Currently, 80% of the mail thrown in must be there by the next working day, but in the future, the first obligation will only apply from the third working day after delivery - then 95% must be there. This means that consumers will have to be a little more patient than before.
Few complaints in relation to mail volume
The number of complaints increased significantly in the second half of 2022, as the Post had to deal with personnel shortages in some places. The company took measures to address the problem. However, this was not decisively successful, according to the complaint numbers.
However, the complaint ratio in relation to the total volume - a total of 15 billion parcels and letters from DHL in 2023 - is negligible.
Furthermore, it is likely that the complaint-friendliness has become better known over the years - the higher numbers may therefore at least partly be due to the fact that some people did not turn to the Federal Network Agency before because they did not know about the complaint channel.
Reaction from DHL
In response to the half-year figures, a DHL spokesperson states that the statistics from the company's perspective are not representative. "Many of the complaints attributed to us have nothing to do with the performance of the German Post."
Many delays were due to business customers, whose mail was only handed over to the post office with significant delay by our competitors. "Nevertheless, every complaint is one too many, and we regret it when customers are not satisfied with our performance."
Consumers can also file complaints directly with DHL. The company spokesperson reports that his company received more reclamations in May and June than before. There were unexpectedly many parcel shipments and letter volumes were high during the European election period, leading to delays. In some places, there were also a large number of employees who were sick, which temporarily slowed down the processes.
- Despite the higher number of complaints in 2024, German Post AG, specifically its mail division Deutsche Post, faced the brunt of 88% of these criticisms, as mentioned by the Federal Network Authority based in Bonn.
- With the Post Law reform, the Federal Network Agency will gain the power to impose fines and compulsory payments on companies like German Post AG, increasing the pressure on them to improve their services.
- In response to the increased complaints in 2022, DHL, one of the postal services in Germany, acknowledged that every complaint is significant, even if some were due to factors beyond their control, such as late delivery of mail from business customers or high volumes during the European election period.
- While there has been an increase in complaints, the complaint ratio in relation to the total volume of parcels and letters delivered by DHL in 2023 is relatively low, suggesting that the company's overall service quality may still be satisfactory for a large majority of its consumers.
