Record number of arbitration requests for telecommunications and postal services

Postal and telecommunications service providers repeatedly cause trouble: parcels with goods ordered online do not arrive, data does not run via the Internet connection, if it is available at all. Consumers are therefore increasingly turning to the Federal Network Agency as mediator and arbitrator. The competent arbitration boards therefore received a record number of requests last year, as can be seen from their recently published activity reports for 2024.

According to the corresponding statistics, a total of 2534 applications were received in the telecommunications (TC) sector –, the highest number of applications since the conciliation body began operations in 1999. Compared to 2023, the number of submissions has increased by almost 10 percent. In addition, 673 inquiries and requests for assistance were received, for which the body provided additional support. Finally, it processed 2206 cases. In around 700 cases, it was not responsible or consumers withdrew their application.

Contract content and disruptions cause a lot of trouble

Intermediaries in the TC sector were able to report success in 908 cases that were resolved out of court. In 576 cases, the defendants refused to participate in or continue the arbitration proceedings. Once again, the main focus of the applications was on disputes about the content and implementation of contracts (35%), technical faults (23%) and billing complaints (12%). Customers also complained about reduced data transfer rates, problems with relocations and changing providers or the blocking of connections.

According to its annual report, the Swiss Post conciliation body received 4,115 complaints –, an increase of 15 percent. The majority of applications concerned difficulties with parcel delivery (77.1 percent). In second place were problems with letters (7.2 percent), followed by parcels (7.1 percent). In terms of content, it was mostly about loss (60.6 percent) or damage to items (20.9 percent). Last year, the conciliators were able to process 3162 requests in full. They were not responsible for over 2000 requests or the requests were withdrawn. The mediators were able to reach an agreement in 687 cases. Klaus Müller, President of the regulatory authority, was pleased that the "low-threshold, free" offer to resolve conflicts between consumers and companies was increasingly being accepted.

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