Magazine publishers complain about the loss of subscribers because the Post delivers magazines late. That is why the media association of the free press sees problems with the planned postal law reform.
Before a Federal Council meeting on the postal law reform, magazine publishers complained about the loss of subscribers because the postal service repeatedly delivered magazines late. The federal managing director of the Media Association of the Free Press (MVFP), Stephan Scherzer, said: “If the delivery quality is not right, the publishers will lose subscriptions if delivery is delayed.” The number of complaints then increases massively. “There are phases in which delivery doesn’t work.”
Scherzer emphasized how important subscriptions have become for publishers: These readers are the most loyal of the loyal. However, they are highly sensitive if their favorite magazine arrives a day or two later than expected.
Magazine publisher see themselves at a disadvantage
The background to the statements is the planned postal reform law. A vote is scheduled at the Federal Council today to determine the state representation’s position on the reform. The government had suggested that the postal service should in future have less time pressure when delivering items – i.e. letters, but also magazines.
Currently, the postal service must have delivered at least 80 percent of the items posted today on the next working day. In the future, there will only be a minimum value for the third working day after they are posted, then 95 percent. So letters will take longer to travel. This allows the group to reduce costs.
Criticism too Tax relief
There was also criticism among the federal states about the tax relief for the postal service. In the aforementioned postal law reform, the federal government wants to grant the Bonn-based company tax relief amounting to several hundred million euros per year by changing the rules. That would put a lot of pressure on small competitors – often regional mail services run by publishers who also deliver newspapers. After the vote by the state representatives this Friday, it is the Bundestag’s turn and probably the Bundesrat again in April.
Scherzer explains: “When it comes to the delivery of subscriptions, the postal service is a quasi-monopolist. And the postal service’s competitive advantage over private providers is further expanded by the tax gift. This is incomprehensible.”
Post finds criticism “not understandable”
The Federal Association of Digital Publishers and Newspaper Publishers (BDZV) also criticized the plan, according to which the obligation to deliver most items (80 percent) within one day should be abolished. The association warned that this will mean that not all households will receive daily deliveries. For decades, part of Deutsche Post’s claim to universal service was that everyone in Germany received the press products of their choice on the day of publication, every day and at an affordable price. This is now being questioned.
The Bonn-based company rejected the criticism as incomprehensible. “There will continue to be weekday delivery as well as the option for customers to have their letters delivered the next day at affordable prices.” It is obvious that such a faster delivery will cost more than a slower one and is now practiced in most EU countries.