Ofcom open letter on complaint handling in the postal market
As the statutory representative for consumers of postal services across England, Wales and Scotland, the Citizens Advice Service and the Consumer Council for Northern Ireland are pleased to respond to Ofcom’s policy review of the appropriateness and effectiveness of regulatory obligations concerning complaint handling and dispute resolution in the postal market.
The consumer advocacy bodies (Citizens Advice, Citizens Advice Scotland and the Consumer Council for Northern Ireland) work across the UK conducting research and gathering evidence on postal user needs to deliver strategic projects that contribute to improving the operation of the postal market for all consumers.
In issuing our response, we seek to ensure that the regulatory conditions for complaint handling for letter and parcel services encourage the sustainability of the universal service, as well taking account of the growing sector of e-commerce across consumer to consumer and business to consumer sales which continue to change the mail sector both domestically and internationally.
To ensure that mail services can continue to remain a reliable, accessible and affordable form of communication for consumers across the UK in a time of declining letter mail volumes complaint handling and redress needs to be ‘fair and reasonable’ in providing security and confidence for consumers.