Complaints about lost or late letters have been piling up lately. Deutsche Post is now admitting to problems with delivery and refers to a high level of corona sickness. However, there is no widespread problem.
Deutsche Post has acknowledged significant problems with the delivery of letters. In certain “hotspots” up to 30 percent of the staff was missing, said the responsible post board member Nikola Hagleitner in Bonn. This is due, among other things, to a high rate of corona sickness. Things are looking better in other areas, with an overall average of two percent of the delivery staff missing.
This is due to a chain of various circumstances: the generally tense personnel situation, a high level of sick leave due to corona and “very volatile shipment volumes”. In some cases, emergency concepts were activated too late. As a result, there were delays in delivery. While last year 89 percent of all letters nationwide were delivered one day after they were sent, according to postal manager Thomas Schneider, the figure is currently only 83 to 84 percent. “There is no widespread problem,” emphasizes Hagleitner.
The personnel problems also mean that 100 of the approximately 50,000 delivery districts cannot be served. Hagleitner emphasized that the network is stable nationwide. “But I don’t want to gloss over the local problems.” When it comes to delivery problems, the focus is on letters, but things are looking better with parcel delivery. From July to September, the Federal Network Agency received 11,500 complaints about lost or delayed shipments, most of which were directed against the market leader, Deutsche Post.
The Post responded to this with a recruitment offensive, among other things, and is currently registering “a very good inflow of applications,” explains Hagleitner. Schneider also spoke of a “positive” development, the number of postal districts affected is declining. “We are prepared for what is to be expected,” says Hagleitner. This also includes the Christmas business. She confirmed media reports that office workers were asked to help out in distribution centers and with deliveries if possible.