After clear criticism from the Federal Network Agency about the price increase for private customer packages at the turn of the year, Deutsche Post is reversing the change: The price adjustments would be withdrawn on May 1, the company said. This was done “in order to avoid a lengthy legal dispute with the Federal Network Agency and to quickly clarify the customers about the parcel and parcel charges”.
Deutsche Post DHL had increased the parcel and package prices for private customers by an average of three percent at the turn of the year. The company cited “significant cost increases in personnel and transport and extensive investments in quality and service improvements” as the reason for this. The company already informed the Federal Network Agency about the planned price increases in autumn 2019.
However, the regulator is of the opinion that the new package prices are inflated and therefore initiated proceedings against DHL at the end of January. The Bonn authorities suspect that the price adjustments would lead to significantly higher earnings than the company had estimated. The Post said it did not share this assessment, but would “withdraw the adjustments given an otherwise lengthy litigation with an uncertain outcome.”