Last year, the number of complaints received in the postal sector increased by 37%, according to information compiled by the Public Utilities Commission (PUC). In total, in 2020, PUC received 33 complaints and provided 200 telephone consultations to users.
“Last year, users complained the most about delays in mailings. This cause for complaints has not diminished and has always been relevant, but it has intensified in a pandemic. Delays in shipments were significantly affected by canceled and restricted international passenger traffic, both in Europe and worldwide. Although the situation in the conditions of the pandemic has worsened, the World Postal Union has abolished all delivery terms and quality standards for postal items in the international arena, »says Bruno Friedenberg-Ansberg, Head of the Post Office of PUC.
When evaluating the received complaints, in 49% of cases the postal items were delayed, in 9% of the cases the postal items were damaged or lost.
In turn, 6% of complaints were about the duration of storage of parcels in parcel terminals and failure to provide a forwarding service to another address or parcel terminal.
“Often, when receiving a mail, the user picks up his long-awaited package from the courier and only when he comes home, sees visual damage. Such cases occur regularly. Since the spread of Covid-19 conditions, the number of parcels has increased by 150%. With the increasing use of postal services, users are often in a hurry not to read carefully the operator’s advice on how to package a parcel so that it reaches its destination safely. We invite you to be very careful when reading the operator’s instructions in order to reduce potential problems that arise for both the recipient and the sender, “explains Friedenberg-Ansberg.
PUC recalls that damage must be detected upon receipt of a postal item in the presence of a postal employee. If the consignment is taken home and unpacked, neither a report on the damage nor compensation is possible.
Every year the universal postal service provider AS Latvian Post provide PUC with information on the number of complaints. Last year AS Latvian Post received 922 user complaints, of which 250 were substantiated.
The Public Utilities Commission (PUC) is an institutionally and functionally independent, full-fledged, autonomous public law entity that regulates public services in the energy, electronic communications, postal, municipal waste management and water management sectors in accordance with the law. About public service regulators and regulatory enactments of regulated sectors. PUC independently performs the functions assigned to it by law and, within the scope of its competence, independently makes decisions and issues administrative acts that are binding on specific public service providers and users.
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