Introduction to Postal Service Issues in Germany
The German Federal Network Agency received almost 23,000 complaints in relation to German postal services in the first half of this year, which rose by 13% compared to last year. Almost 90% of the complaints refer to the market leader Deutsche Post/DHL. By 2022, people in Germany were largely satisfied with their postal service, but then the jobs were reduced, prices increased, and complaints increased.
Consumer Complaints
Damaged packages, post that was delivered to the wrong house – or not at all – and catastrophic delays have increased blood pressure across the country. Consumers have expressed their dissatisfaction with the unreliable postal services. For example, Patrick Grönen, a resident of Hagen in West Germany, had ordered living ladybug larvae to fight the aphid problem that was missing his house plants. But four weeks later, when the highly expected package finally arrived, the larvae were all dead.
Job Cuts and Working Conditions
The Germany’s Ver.di and Communication Workers’ Union DPVKOM accuse the difficulties of ongoing restructuring and waves of layoffs. Deutsche Post announced that it would reduce a further 8,000 jobs by the end of the year to save one billion euros. The DHL workers are often pressed for time, which tends to leave plots for an entire apartment block with neighbors who live on the ground or apartments on the first floor.
Company Response
The company has played down the problem, saying the number of complaints was slight in relation to the letters and packages transported by Deutsche Post and DHL. In 2024, it provided more than 12 billion letters and 1.8 billion packages. A spokesman told ARD that mistakes can never be completely excluded, but the company is constantly working to improve quality.
Climate Change and False Expectations
Deutsche Post has blamed this year’s specific suffering for the recent heat waves, which increased the working load, together with union trucks about job cuts. Additionally, not all customers were aware of the latest changes in postal laws, which mean that the company can now take up to three working days to deliver letters. Maybe everything is about expectations? If things go on like this, Deutsche Post and DHL will have a record year of the worst kind and beat up a total of 44,406 complaints in 2024.
