The issues with mobile phone and internet services increased last year, but the frustration with parcel delivery companies was even greater. “A total of 544 postal dispute cases were submitted to the arbitration office in 2024, a 42 percent increase compared to the previous year. The leaders in these cases are the Austrian Post with 420 cases, DPD with 32 cases, and Hermes with 31 cases,” according to the regulatory authority RTR.
The consumer frustration with parcel delivery services mainly focused on three issues: the delivery person did not ring the doorbell, the package went directly to the pick-up shop, or there was no notification. “Upon closer inspection, it cannot be ruled out that this is a bigger problem. It would therefore be desirable for policymakers to consider updating the legal regulations to protect consumers,” said RTR Managing Director Klaus M. Steinmaurer. The aim is to strengthen the rights of recipients.
In mobile phone and internet services, the RTR’s arbitration office in Vienna saw a nearly 11 percent increase with 1,659 cases. Of these, 1,583 were related to telecommunications services, and 76 cases involved the media sector. The average dispute value dropped by nearly 17 percent compared to 2023, to 356 euros. 94 percent of the cases were completed within 90 days. The “complaint landscape” in the telecommunications sector has become progressively uneventful in recent years, according to Steinmaurer.
Market leader A1 accounted for 749 cases in 2024, a 20 percent increase compared to 2023. Magenta saw an 8 percent increase and ranked second with 466 cases. The number of cases for Drei remained relatively constant, with 280 cases, ranking third. As in previous years, the number of cases for media services was not significant.
There was a noticeable increase in contract disputes, particularly regarding the challenge of “service fee” billing, with 135 dispute applications made on this matter. In total, 6,365 reports of fraud-related SMS messages were filed with the number abuse reporting center in 2024, a decrease of 23 percent compared to 2023.
