Numbers increase: Exploding complaints about parcel services!

Numbers increase: Exploding complaints about parcel services!

Österreich, Land - In the past few months, complaints about parcel services in Austria have increased significantly. According to the annual report of the RTR, there were a total of 544 postcutting processes in 2024, which corresponds to a remarkable increase of 42% compared to the previous year. The Austrian Post and other parcel service providers are particularly affected, whereby the Austrian Post bears the main responsibility with 420 procedures, followed by DPD with 32 and Hermes with 31 procedures. The most common complaints reported by disappointed customers are the "not collapsed" when delivering, the undefined submission of the programs in pick -up shops and the absence of notifications on the programs.

In 2024, customers also reported an increase in postal reception complaints by 18% to a total of 8,229 cases. The experts, including RTR board member Werner Streitfeld, warn of a high number of unreported cases that could indicate unemployed problems. In order to meet these challenges, a revision of the legal regulations for the protection of users is stimulated.

arbitration procedure as a solution approach

The arbitration in the postal area is a voluntary but effective way to solve conflicts between consumers and parcel services. The Federal Network Agency declares that the companies are obliged to take part in arbitration procedures if a corresponding application is made. The arbitration board acts as an independent authority for extrajudicial dispute resolution, which is an inexpensive alternative for consumers.

An application for arbitration can be made free of charge. The prerequisite is that the applicant is either the sender or recipient of an affected program and has already tried to agree with the postal company before the application was made. Applications must be documented and provided with relevant evidence to facilitate processing. The average duration of the procedure is around 90 days.

procedure and expectations

After receipt of the arbitration request, the applicant receives a confirmation and the company is asked to comment on the symptoms. The arbitration board mediates between the parties and offers suggestions for solutions, even if none of the parties are obliged to accept them. As a rule, the procedure can be carried out in writing, oral discussions can only be carried out with mutual consent.

A positive output of the arbitration procedure can lead to an agreement between the consumer and the parcel service. If the parties do not agree, it is found that no agreement was reached. Consumers can end the procedure at any time, which takes additional pressure from those affected.

The persistently high number of complaints illustrates that there is an urgent need for action. The Federal Network Agency Plant to redesign the receptional complaint form and to improve the recommendations for affected people in order to continue to improve and create more transparency in the still critical Topic of package deliveries.