Handy, Internet and Mail: Consumer Frustration is Growing
"A total of 544 postal arbitration procedures were submitted to the arbitration board in 2024, which is 42 percent more than the previous year. The leaders in the procedures are the Austrian Post with 420 procedures, DPD with 32 procedures, and Hermes with 31 procedures," calculates the regulatory authority RTR.
Parcel service providers: Frustration focused on three things
Consumer frustration with parcel service providers focused particularly on three shortcomings: There was no ringing, the shipment went directly to the pickup shop, or there was no notification. "Upon closer inspection, it cannot be ruled out that this is a larger problem. It would therefore be desirable for the government to consider updating the legal regulations to protect users," emphasized RTR Managing Director Klaus M. Steinmaurer. It is about strengthening the rights of recipients.
In mobile and internet services, the RTR arbitration board in Vienna recorded an increase of almost 11 percent with 1,659 cases. 1,583 arbitration cases concerned telecommunications services, and 76 cases were in the media sector. The average dispute value in the procedures decreased by almost 17 percent compared to 2023 to 356 euros, according to RTR. 94 percent of the submitted cases were concluded within 90 days. The "complaint landscape" in the telecommunications sector has become progressively unspectacular in recent years, said Steinmaurer.
Increasing frustration with mobile, internet, and parcel services
Market leader A1 accounted for a total of 749 procedures in 2024, which is an increase of 20 percent compared to 2023. Magenta recorded an increase of 8 percent and ranks second in the procedure statistics with a total of 466 procedures. Compared to the previous year, the number of procedures at Drei remained relatively constant and ranks third with a total of 280 procedures. As in previous years, the number of procedures for media services is not significant.
There was a noticeable increase in contract difficulties, one reason being the challenge of charging "service fees," with 135 arbitration applications submitted for this. A total of 6,365 reports of fraud SMS were recorded by the number misuse reporting office in 2024, which is a decrease of 23 percent compared to 2023.
(APA/Red)
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