Address deleted by mistake Zurich man has to close his SME due to a Swiss Post error
The address of a model airplane store in Bülach ZH was mistakenly deleted by Swiss Post. The owner now has to close his business.
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- Because Swiss Post accidentally deactivated the address, a model airplane store in Bülach ZH stopped receiving mail for months.
- The SME suffered greatly from the consequences of the error.
- Now owner This Wolfensberger has announced that he will have to close his business.
In June, the SRF consumer magazine "Espresso" revealed that the model airplane store "Aviation Market" in Bülach ZH had not received any mail for months. The reason: Swiss Post incorrectly deactivated the address at the end of October 2023. Because advertising mail, newspapers and prepaid parcels from private delivery services continue to fill the letterbox, the error goes unnoticed for a long time.
The consequences are serious for owner This Wolfensberger: invoices and reminders do not reach him and the SME is classified as an unreliable payer. Deliveries were delayed in China and customers switched to competitors. Wolfensberger has to cope with a loss of turnover of around 25,000 francs. The reputational damage is likely to be even greater.
After the mistake is discovered, the entrepreneur agrees compensation of an unknown amount with Swiss Post. But the help comes too late: "I'm going to close my business," Wolfensberger now says in a video on YouTube. "The decision was not easy for me." The closure will take place at the end of the year.
"Swiss Post has ruined my business"
For Wolfensberger, it is clear who is to blame for the involuntary measure: "Swiss Post has ruined my business". The company has not earned the good reputation it would like to sell itself. In an international comparison, the local postal service is better than its equivalent in Mexico, for example, but "it also costs us a lot more".
"It's a great shame", says Wolfensberger, "a lot of heart and soul goes into this business". In addition to the deletion of his business address, he particularly regrets the inadequate communication from Swiss Post. Wolfensberger speaks of "arrogance on the part of customer service", which does not care about the consequences of its own mistakes.
In the remaining months, he is trying to get rid of his stock with discount campaigns. He is not sure what will happen after the closure.