The package arrives late, the letter ends up in the wrong mailbox or it disappears.

Complaints about Deutsche Post and its competitors have reached another record high. The Federal Network Agency (BNetzA) reported in response to an inquiry that it received 22,981 complaints about postal services in the first half of the year, 13 percent more than in the same period last year, which was the previous half-year record. 89 percent of the criticism was directed against market leader Deutsche Post/DHL.

Previously, there had been far fewer complaints. If the current rate of complaints continues, this year could surpass the previous annual record of 44,406, set in 2024.

This concerns delayed, incorrectly delivered, or damaged shipments, whether letters or packages. An example of a service that has led to immense frustration is the case of a senior citizen from Berlin who was vacationing in her holiday apartment on a North Sea island. She had left her cell phone in Berlin, and a friend sent it to her by registered mail. According to the post office, registered mail "usually arrives the next business day."

In the case of the elderly woman in question, however, the registered mail only arrived after six business days, according to her, meaning she had to go without her phone for much longer than expected. The strange thing: Using the tracking information, she could see that her phone had been quickly transported from Berlin to the North Sea island, but remained there for days.

When the delivery person finally arrived, he couldn't find her apartment and was about to leave again – only by chance did the woman see him and ran after him. The postman apparently wasn't really familiar with the area, the address was clear, and other postmen hadn't had any problems in the past, the 82-year-old says angrily. When asked why she had to wait so long for the registered letter, she was told that the local post office had far fewer delivery staff than before.

While such examples are initially only isolated cases, which may also contain individual peculiarities, the total number of cases paints a sobering picture. For a long time, the number of complaints received by Post remained at a relatively low level before rising significantly in the summer of 2022, when the company initially downplayed the issue. Eventually, it acknowledged local problems and attributed them to personnel issues.

In response to the half-year figures, a Post spokesperson said that every complaint is one too many and that his company is working daily to improve quality. He also pointed out that the proportion of complaints is small compared to the billions of items delivered. The Bonn-based company delivered 12.2 billion letters and 1.8 billion parcels in Germany last year.

However, the company spokesperson admits that there were temporary restrictions on operational processes during the first half of the year, such as the warning strikes at the beginning of the year and the consequences of the heat wave in June, when workloads had to be reduced. This led to backlogs and delays at some locations.

The Postal Service spokesperson further attributes the increase in complaints to changes in the Postal Service Act that came into effect at the beginning of the year. Since then, the company has been under much less time pressure when delivering letters than before: Whereas previously, the vast majority of letters had to arrive within one or two business days, this requirement now only applies on the third business day – thus increasing the average waiting time for letters. This allows the Postal Service to reduce costs and adapt its delivery system. In the digital age, the logistics provider is transporting fewer and fewer letters, putting pressure on the traditional mail business.

The postal service now consolidates its mail volumes: For example, if a recipient is supposed to receive one letter each on Tuesday and Wednesday, the Tuesday letter is now held back and delivered on Wednesday along with the second letter. This saves the postman a trip to the mailbox. For citizens, however, this also means that, on average, they check an empty mailbox more often than before – not only because of the internet age, in which emails and chat messages are replacing traditional letters, but also because of the postal law reform.

The Postal Service spokesperson also pointed out the consequences of the legislative changes in his response to the number of complaints. "Postal services today are different than in previous years: At the turn of the year, letter delivery times were extended in accordance with the Postal Service Act." He noted that not all mail customers were aware of the changes, and that customers were therefore turning to the company with questions.

In addition to submitting critical comments to the Federal Network Agency, consumers can also report directly to the post office. Last year, there were approximately 420,000 complaints.

Politicians are keeping an eye on the issue. SPD Bundestag member Sebastian Roloff says the increasing number of complaints should be taken seriously. Roloff helped negotiate the postal law reform. "The new rules for mail delivery really need to be implemented first, but the legislature has given the postal service more leeway and flexibility, which should actually translate into greater reliability," says the Social Democrat. "This is also the clear expectation of the postal service's personnel planning."