Obligations of digital platforms reselling postal services
18.10.2024
In the context of a constantly expanding postal services market, users can compare and choose between providers' offers through digital platforms reselling such services. For providing access to postal services through their platform, resellers must conclude contracts with postal services providers, given that the latter are the ones to actually carry out the collection, transport and delivery of the postal item.
Upon entering the parcel details and its destination in the online application, users can access the offers of postal service providers that meet their requirements.
Platforms that exclusively resell postal services must provide to users, in an easily visible place, clear information on the fact that the provision of the postal service is carried out by one or more providers and indicate at least the provider that will collect the postal item from the sender.
Resellers have the obligation to receive and solve the complaints from users who, after contracting postal services on their platform, consider themselves prejudiced by the non-completion or improper completion of the postal service (for example, in the case of a damaged product).
Attention! Although there are at least two providers in the process of managing the postal item, namely the one who provides the service itself (the postal service provider) and the one who provides the initial access to this service (the reseller) for any complaint regarding the delivery of the postal item, users must contact first the digital platform that resells the service.
Furthermore, the postal services provider that delivered or attempted to deliver the postal item is obliged to forward the complaints received from users, for resolution, to the provider who resold the postal service (the reseller).
Complaint-related info
Users who have a complaint related to the provision of postal services offered by the reseller of such services must first contact the digital platform that resells the service. If the reseller does not resolve the reported issue, they can address ANCOM, following the steps described here.
When contracting a postal service from an online platform, a distance contract is concluded between the user and the owner of digital platform. Therefore, for issues related to the conditions for the conclusion of such contract, users who are natural persons can contact the National Authority for Consumer Protection.
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