Address deleted by mistake Post almost drives Zurich SME to ruin
A model airplane store in Bülach ZH is on the verge of insolvency due to a mistake by Swiss Post. The store's address was incorrectly deactivated.
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- A model airplane store in Bülach ZH stopped receiving mail for months because the post office mistakenly deactivated the address.
- The error was not noticed at first because newspapers, advertising and parcels from courier services still arrived.
- The SME is now suffering greatly from the consequences of the error.
The model airplane store "Aviation Market" in Bülach ZH did not receive any mail for months. The reason: Swiss Post mistakenly deactivated the address, as reported by SRF.
This has far-reaching consequences for owner This Wolfensberger: because invoices and reminders did not reach him, the SME is now considered an unreliable payer. And because a large delivery has been delayed in China, some customers have switched to the competition.
Newspapers, advertising and parcel deliveries from courier services still ended up in the company's letterbox. This is why Wolfensberger did not notice the outstanding mail at first.
When the error is finally recognized and rectified, it is already too late. Wolfensberger has to cope with a drop in turnover of at least CHF 20,000.
Compensation does not cover the damage
Swiss Post initially offered him 1,500 francs in compensation "as a generous gesture of goodwill". A "ridiculous" sum, as Wolfensberger tells SRF. After SRF asked Swiss Post about the case, the company increased its offer. A Swiss Post media spokeswoman is quoted as saying that the documents submitted had enabled the company to better understand "the inconvenience the customer had experienced".
It was agreed not to disclose the amount of the new compensation. According to Wolfensberger, however, even this sum would by no means cover the damage suffered. His store is threatened with ruin. "It's not my fault that the letterbox was closed. The whole thing is extremely frustrating for me," says the SME owner.
Other people affected by deactivated addresses have also contacted SRF. Nevertheless, Swiss Post does not want to talk about a system error. It deactivates addresses when postmen and women notice that a letterbox is no longer addressed. "Unfortunately, despite all due care, errors cannot be ruled out," says the media spokeswoman. However, there are only a few such cases each year.