Status: 11/17/2022 1:32 p.m
Netzagentur boss Klaus Müller complains about “quality problems” at Deutsche Post when it comes to the punctual delivery of letters. The legislator is required to enforce consumer rights in the group.
The head of the Federal Network Agency is concerned about Deutsche Post’s problems with letter delivery. The situation is “an annoyance for ordinary citizens” and also “unacceptable for the circulation of documents,” said Klaus Müller, President of the Network Agency, of the “Mediengruppe Bayern”. He sees “qualitative deficits” in the delivery.
Delayed delivery could result in “tangible disadvantages for people and companies,” according to the head of the authority. Müller criticized that, unlike in the telecommunications or energy sectors, the network agency did not have a “sharp sword” to enforce the quality standards against the post office. “It should be examined whether sanctions by the Federal Network Agency would help to improve the situation.”
Plea for more consumer rights
Just a few days ago, Post boss Frank Appel stipulated more time for the delivery of letters – and even campaigned for a change in the law. For the consumer this would mean that the waiting time for letters could be longer. “Does every letter – or more than 80 percent – actually have to be delivered the next day?” the manager said.
The traffic light coalition wants to modernize the postal law in the current legislative period. “As part of the change in the postal law, the Bundestag can now decide whether to give the regulatory authority something to enforce consumer rights in the post office,” said Müller.
High sick leave and record profits
Complaints about letters arriving late or not at all had increased recently. By the end of September, the Federal Network Agency had received 1,030 complaints from Rhineland-Palatinate alone. In the whole of the previous year, there were only 640. The Post justified the problems – especially with letter delivery – with staff shortages, among other things because of a high level of sick leave and because of the tight labor market.
In Deutsche Post’s core business, domestic mail and parcels, sales stagnated in the third quarter at EUR 3.9 billion. Earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) fell by three percent to 290 million euros. At the same time, the entire group is benefiting greatly from the international express and freight business, which enabled Swiss Post to increase its profit by 13 percent to EUR 1.2 billion.