THE OFFICE OF THE OMBUDSMAN FOR THE POSTAL SECTOR - Annual Repor t 2016 - smspo
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THE OFFICE OF THE OMBUDSMAN FOR THE POSTAL SECTOR
A nnual Repor t 2016
TABLE OF CONTENTS
The team of the Office of the Ombudsman PART 5
is at your service 02 The relationship between the company and
its client 38
This annual report by the Office of Points of attention highlighted by
the Ombudsman for the Postal Sector covers the Office of the Ombudsman 40
the activities of the year 2016 04
PART 6
PART 1 The new postal legislation! 44
The activities of the Office of the Ombudsman What are postal services? 46
for the Postal Sector 06 The valid liability rules 47
Sharp rise in the number of requests The rights of the addressee 48
for mediation 07 The quality of universal postal services 48
The role of the Office of the Ombudsman
PART 2
for the Postal Sector 49
The Office of the Ombudsman for
the Postal Sector in 201610 PART 7
Results from the closed files in 2016 14 The budget 50
PART 3 Colofon54
Universal services and services of general
economic interest 18
The daily postal delivery is under pressure 21
Mail redirection on change of address 24
Registered postal items 24
Invoice fraud: raising awareness,
recovery and targeted investigation 27
The project BeSt Address 29
PART 4
The delivery of parcels and packages
in a liberalized market 30
The rights of the addressee, also within
the context of e-commerce 33
The e-tracker: a quality instrument for
the consumer? 35
Parcels and packages outside the EU:
customs formalities and costs 36
ANNUAL REPORT | 2016
The O f f ice of the Ombudsman for the Pos tal Sec tor
Correct information and communication 37
Boulevard du Roi Albert II / Koning Albert II-laan 8 box 4 – 1000 Brussel
www.omps.be
01
OUR TEAM
The team The services of the Office of the Ombudsman
for the Postal Sector are free.
WEBSITE
www.omps.be
BY PHONE
German/English 02/221.02.22
of the Office
Dutch 02/221.02.20
We are a federal ombudsman’s service, and BY E-MAIL French 02/221.02.30
of the
have been approved as an ADR entity by German/English info@omps.be
Dutch info@omps.be BY FAX
the European Commission. You can find our French info@smspo.be 02/221.02.44
Ombudsman
rules of procedure online at www.omps.be
BY POST OFFICES
in accordance with the ADR directive*.
is at your
Boulevard du Roi Albert II / Our offices are open to the public Monday to Friday
Koning Albert II-laan 8 box 4 – 1000 Brussel from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. or by appointment.
Koning Albert II-laan 8 – 1000 Brussel
service
ANNUAL REPORT | 2016
Sophie Elodie Eglantine Fabienne Luc Françoise Katelijne Paul Ivan Youssef Linda Joeri Ronny Nancy Danny
* Directive 2013/11/EU of the European Parliament and the Council of 21 May 2013 on
alternative dispute resolution for consumer disputes and amending Regulation (EC)
no. 2006/2004 and Directive 2009/22/EC (Directive on consumer ADR).
02 03
FOREWORD
This annual This annual report by the Office of the
Ombudsman for the postal sector covers
As an appeal body with legally guaranteed
independence, the task of the Office of
Ombudsman College we are committed to
working together into the future with the
report by the the activities of the year 2016. We give an the Ombudsman is to inform, advise and companies in the postal sector for a better
Office of the
overview of the complaints and provide mediate between customer and company. service provision.
analysis based on the most prominent In the mediation process we strive to
Ombudsman difficulties encountered by clients in the
post and parcel sector in 2016.
reach a settlement which is acceptable
to all parties, based on the results of our
We would like to thank our team members
for their commitment and expertise in their
for the Postal investigations. As well as an individual
solution for the consumer's request, this
handling of each request for mediation.
Sector covers is also an opportunity for the company to
maintain the customer's trust.
Finally, we would like to thank Truus Lostrie,
ombudswoman for the postal sector for
the activities An independent appeal body provides
the past 19 years, for her dedication to
improving and advancing the Office of the
of the year companies, on the basis of the complaints, Ombudsman to create the high quality
2016
a permanent audit of their organization. organization it is today.
The individual complaints and the resulting
investigations give a clear and extremely Paul De Maeyer & Katelijne Exelmans
incisive picture of the reality in the field.
Problems that sometimes remain hidden to
managers, come to the fore, and provide a
basis for improvement processes. These can
lead to changes in the service provision, the
legislation and also in the perceptions and
expectations of the customer. This annual
report aims to contribute to this.
ANNUAL REPORT | 2016
The Office of the Ombudsman for the
postal sector has a tradition of open
communication and constructive consul
tation with the different parties. As a new
04 05
PART 1
The activities Sharp rise in the number
of requests for mediation
of the Office In 2016 the Office of the Ombudsman for
of the
the postal sector received 15,856 new
written complaints. This represents a sharp
Ombudsman increase of 25% compared with 2015.
for the Postal
Sector
OVERALL FIGURES 2016
2016 2015 2014
Complaints to be handled 17,196 13,486 13,373
- New complaints 15,856 12,616 12,301
- Amount from the previous year 1,340 870 1,072
Problems reported by telephone 4,818 3,301 3,048
Complaints handled by 31 December 14,916 12,146 12,503
inadmissible 5,554 4,610 5,075
admissible 9,362 7,536 7,428
Amount to be carried over 2,280 1,340 870
15,856
new written complaints
ANNUAL REPORT | 2016
06 07
PART 1
EN DE
158 12
We conducted investigations into 17,196 complaints, NEW COMPLAINTS NEW COMPLAINTS PER COMPANY
including 1,340 complaints carried over from 2015. 14,916 PER LANGUAGE 11,280
complaints were settled by 31 December 2016, and 2,280 Only the 10 companies with the highest number of
complaints were carried forward to be handled in 2017. complaints will be mentioned here. The complete list
can be found on our website (www.omps.be).
As a public service, our work is carried out in the three 4,406 FR
languages of the country: Dutch, French and German.
Speakers of other languages are helped in English.
NL NEW WRITTEN COMPLAINTS PER COMPANY
2016 2015 2014
bpost 14,683 11,524 11,234
TBC-Post 220 124 66
NEW COMPLAINTS PER CATEGORY
PostNL 159 189 86
NEW WRITTEN COMPLAINTS PER LANGUAGE UPS 122 37 47
2016 2015 2014 Kiala 85 51 85
postal items DHL 70 100 43
Processing of postal items 9,189 7,021 6,641 DPD 70 96 33
Customer focus/relational 4,691 3,994 3,893 Mondial Relay 62 137 172
Contact points 622 404 458 FedEx 26 6 16
Regulations 478 467 510 GLS 23 11 10
Public services and non-postal services within the competence Other 42 23 121
of the Office of the Ombudsman for the postal sector
Total sector 15,562 12,298 11,913
Financial post and duties of public services 335 248 294
COMPLAINTS OUTSIDE THE SECTOR
Commercial services 210 155 114
bpost bank 183 212 321
bpost bank 15 7 20
Other 111 106 67
Complaints outside our authority
General total 15,856 12,616 12,301
bpost bank 168 205 248
Other complaints 148 115 123
Total 15,856 12,616 12,301 As the historic postal company and in 2016 by far the Ombudsman for the postal sector. For Mondial Relay, the
largest universal postal service provider, more than 90% decreasing trend has continued. We also see a decrease
of the complaints involved bpost. The proportion of the in the number of complaints about PostNL, DHL and DPD.
For complaints that fall within our competence, there The customer services at first instance always have total complaints attributable to bpost rose further in 2016.
is a rise in the number of complaints in every category. the opportunity to maintain or restore the positive
Particularly striking is the rise in the number of complaints relationship with the customer. However, the rising The growing universal postal service provider TBC Post
ANNUAL REPORT | 2016
about the processing of postal items, the basic activity of number of complaints relating to customer focus suggests appeared in second place for the first time.
the sector. The number of complaints about the processing that the complaints services do not always succeed in
of both letters and parcels has increased, as is discussed accomplishing this. Complaints about the financial post For the other companies, we do not see a clear-cut
later in this report. have also increased, after the decrease in 2015. picture. UPS, Kiala, FedEx and GLS have seen an increase
in the absolute number of complaints to the Office of the
08 09
PART 2
The Office The Office of the Ombudsman for the postal
sector is an independent federal public
of the service, which was created in the Act of
21 March 1991, and which since February
Ombudsman 2007 has become competent to handle
complaints from all companies active in
for the the Belgian postal market.
Postal Sector As an appeal body, the Office of the Ombudsman for the
postal sector has the following competences1 :
in 2016 1°
to investigate all complaints by the users in
connection with:
a) the activities of bpost, with the exception of:
– complaints which are authorized for investigation
by another independent sectorial dispute
commission or independent mediator;
– complaints relating to products or services
provided by bpost in their role as subcontractor
for third parties.
b) the postal activities of the companies referred to
in § 1, 2° and 3° of this article.
Anybody can submit a request for mediation to the
Office of the Ombudsman for the postal sector: a private
individual, a company, a society, an organization, … both
the sender and the recipient of the post, provided that the
problem involves a company that is active in the Belgian
post and parcel market and that a prior complaint has
been submitted to the company in question in accordance
with their internal procedure.
ANNUAL REPORT | 2016
1. Article 43 of §3 of the Act of 21 March 1991 concerning the reform of certain
economic public enterprises.
10 11
PART 2
The Office of the Ombudsman for the postal sector The figures given further in this report concern complaints
does not handle complaints received by telephone. that were submitted in writing, via the electronic complaint
Nevertheless, our first contact with complainants is often form2 or via e-mail. In exceptional cases, the Office of the
by telephone. In 2016 there were 4,818 telephone reports. Ombudsman for the postal sector still receives complaints
This represents a huge increase of 45% relative to the by post, fax or in person in our offices.
previous year. During the initial telephone contact, the
caller outlines their complaint and the case manager asks Each new complaint is codified based on the legal standard3.
whether they have already contacted the post or parcel In accordance with this standard, every complaint must be
company in question. A complaint may only be handled registered before it can be fully analysed. A single file
by the Office of the Ombudsman if the customer has first can therefore contain multiple complaints. For instance: A
approached the company in question in order to reach customer reports not only that their postal item took far too
a solution. The case manager listens to the complaint long to be processed, but also that it was erroneously sent
and refers the customer to the relevant customer service back, rather than delivered to the recipient; the customer
department or informs them about the procedure for also expresses their dissatisfaction at the company's refusal
submitting an admissible written complaint to the Office to offer a reimbursement.
of the Ombudsman. This involves direct service provision.
In accordance with the standard, we must take into account
45%
Since the Office of the Ombudsman for the postal sector not only complaints about the postal item, but also
was established in 1993, the number of new complaints relational complaints, complaints about the organization,
and telephone reports has never been as high as it was in the service provision etc.
2016. The increase is spread across all the months of 2016
and cannot therefore be attributed to certain incidents On average, each file contains three complaints. After all,
A strong increase of in the number of registered phone calls or specific periods of the year. Moreover, the increase in as an appeal body, a great many people who come to us
complaints is also spread across all categories. This will already have a whole story behind them involving their
be examined later in this report. complaint, and their frustration and disenchantment is great
by the time they register with the Office of the Ombudsman.
NEW COMPLAINTS & TELEPHONE REPORTS
20,674
16,742
15,917
15,349
14,739
14,400
14,061
13,571
12,840
12,283
12,108
11,546
11,227
7,696
7,332
6,850
5,729
ANNUAL REPORT | 2016
5,047
4,442
4,237
4,095
2,597
1,689
1,139
2. www.omps.be
3. Article 43 of §4 of the Act of 21 March 1991
concerning the reform of certain economic ’93 ’94 ’95 ’96 ’97 ’98 ’99 ’00 ’01 ’02 ’03 ’04 ’05 ’06 ’07 ’08 ’09 ’10 ’11 ’12 ’13 ’14 ’15 ’16
public enterprises.
12 13
PART 2
Results from the closed files Of the 14,916 complaints handled in 2016, 9,362 complaints NO REPARATION FOR THE CUSTOMER
were admissible (compared with 7,536 in 2015). The The proportion of complaints which are understandable
in 2016 admissible complaints are subject to further investigation from the perspective of the customer, but where the
9,362
and can be settled in six different ways: company has not made a mistake and did act in
87% of all complaints handled had been settled by accordance with the law or the company's general
31 December 2016 (compared with 90% in 2015). The sharp conditions, was 21%, a slight decrease relative to last
increase in the number of complaints means that we have year (24%). This category also includes complaints that
to carry forward more files to the next year. The average REPARATION FOR THE CUSTOMER are justified, but where the customer is not able to
time taken to handle an admissible written complaint In 2016, the majority of complaints (70.8%) were settled receive compensation due to lack of evidence.
remained at 32 working days for the third consecutive year. admissible complaints via reparation for the customer: financially or morally.
handled The company acknowledges that a mistake occurred
After the complaint is submitted, it is codified, registered or that the customer's complaint is justified, and issues
and an investigation is initiated to see whether the complete or partial compensation. This can occur in
complaint is admissible. This involves an initial analysis the form of damage compensation, reimbursement,
with, if necessary, additional questions to the customer 3% extension of a contract without additional costs, a free Letters may be delivered at any time of the day.
or the company in question. For every complaint, an parcel etc. Immaterial compensation is also often There is no latest time of delivery specified. After the
acknowledgement of receipt is created for the customer. expressed. A written acknowledgement of the error, a reorganization of the services, your address came to be
With inadmissible complaints, the complainant receives 3% 1% letter of apology, measures for preventing future at the end of the daily postal delivery round, which
71%
advice on how to proceed further and we assist him or her mistakes or directly confronting a certain employee means that you now receive your correspondence in the
by passing the complaint on to the correct party. 21% involved, restore faith in the company for many afternoon, and no longer in the morning as you did
customers. previously. The company is acting entirely within the
law in this matter.”
Thank you: this morning the new copy of my UNJUSTIFIED COMPLAINT
magazine came through the letter box. I hope that, from In 2016 we designated 314 complaints as unjustified.
now on, I won't have to call on your help again.” These are complaints that, on investigation, prove to
be unfounded. In most cases these complaints are due
“I agree to the proposal to accept payment of 893.48 to a mistake or misinterpretation on the part of the
euros to settle all accounts. The payment can be customer, only rarely we encounter a case of fraud. In
■ 6,627 problem resolved and/or compensation transferred to account number... We will take no further other cases, a third party is responsible for the
for the customer steps in this matter. We would like to thank you for your problem, for example a publisher which issues its
■ 1,984 the postal company is not at fault or no proof intervention, and wish you the very best.” postal items late or in insufficient number, theft after
available of the error delivery etc.
■ 314 unjustified complaints
■ 310 justified or understandable complaints
but no solution
■ 127 interrupted complaints
ANNUAL REPORT | 2016
■ 0 recommendations You wrote an incorrect post code on the letter for
your daughter. Therefore, the letter did not arrive at the
correct sorting office and was returned to you due to
an 'erroneous address'.”
14 15
PART 2
5,554
JUSTIFIED AND UNDERSTANDABLE, BUT NO SOLUTION INADMISSIBLE COMPLAINTS
We also saw an increase in the number of complaints
that were justified and understandable, but for which Every complaint is codified, registered and investigated
there is no solution, for instance a postal item with a to see whether the complaint is admissible. The following
unique, emotional value that is lost and can never by complaints are treated as inadmissible:
(adequately) compensated by reimbursement. inadmissible
> primary complaints; complaints handled
> anonymous complaints;
> personnel disputes;
I'm very sorry, but the Christmas card from your > vigorous complaints;
recently deceased aunt couldn't be found…” > complaints that are or that have been the subject of 1.5%
a court case between the customer and the company;
> requests for information; 3%
> complaints outside our competence; 1%
> lack of information, despite repeated requests by the 5 % 89.5%
INCONCLUSIVE COMPLAINT Office of the Ombudsman for the postal sector;
A complaint can be closed with status inconclusive, if > if the primary complaint was first submitted more
the customer withdraws the complaint in the course than one year ago, the Office of the Ombudsman for
of the investigation or if they take legal action. 127 files the postal sector can decide not to investigate the
were closed at the request of the complainant, either case further.
because there was no longer any cause for the
complaint or because the customer realized that they
were asking the impossible. With inadmissible complaints, the complainant receives settling the complaint. These people (again) receive a
advice on how to proceed further and the complaint is clear explanation of the procedure and are referred on as
passed on to the relevant company. The admissibility appropriate. For 2016, alongside the main group of primary
investigation is generally completed within one or two complaints, we also added several new categories, namely:
days. If additional information needs to be requested, 'outside our authority', 'lack of information after repeated
To my astonishment, the postman delivered my this may extend to several weeks. New elements can also requests' and 'requests for information'. Complaints falling
parcel yesterday. He also had no idea where it had been arise in the course of an investigation which give cause outside any of these categories have been grouped under
for the last 4 weeks, but as far as I'm concerned, the to a complaint being registered as inadmissible. This can 'other'. ■ 4,979 first-line complaints
case is closed. Thank you very much for your help, you mean that files still open on 31 December, are later closed ■ 272 not the competence of the Ombudsman
can now close the file.” as inadmissible the following year. ■ 173 insufficient information
■ 88 requests for information
After a decline in 2015, we again saw a rise in the number We have received your e-mail, but cannot yet ■ 42 other reasons
of inadmissible complaints in 2016. Some of these were initiate an investigation. We will send your complaint
due to a lack of knowledge about how the Office of the to the company's complaints service, requesting them
RECOMMENDATIONS Ombudsman for the postal sector operates. In these to contact you directly. If you do not receive a response
As stipulated in the law, the Ombudsman can make a cases, the Office of the Ombudsman immediately sends or if you are not satisfied with the handling of your
recommendation when they believe that the complaint the complaint through to the relevant postal company complaint, you may submit an appeal free of charge
is justified, but that no agreement will be reached with (in the case of primary complaints) or the authorized through our service. We are a federal public appeal
ANNUAL REPORT | 2016
the company involved. In 2016, no recommendations Ombudsman, and informs the complainant about this. We body, competent for complaints about most activities
were made in any complaint case. Through our dialogue also frequently see people who directly approach the Office of bpost and about the postal activities of other post
with the companies we were always able to reach a of the Ombudsman with a primary complaint, because they and parcels companies.”
solution. do not or no longer trust the company's complaints service,
or because they think we can accelerate the process of
16 17PART 3
Universal The universal postal service covers both national and
international services and consists of:
> the collection, sorting, transport and distribution of
services and letters, addressed publicity material, newspapers and
magazines up to 2kg;
> the collection, sorting, transport and distribution of
services postal parcels up to 10kg;
> the distribution of postal parcels, received from other
of general
EU member states, up to 20kg;
> services relating to registered postal items and insured
(declared-value) postal items.
economic Up until December 2018, bpost is designated by the
interest
government as the universal service provider. This means
that bpost is obliged to guarantee the universal postal
service throughout Belgian territory, at a certain level
of quality and at an affordable price. The rules and
conditions under which bpost executes these universal
postal services, are stipulated in a management contract
between the Belgian government and the company.
Other companies may also request a permit to execute
universal postal services. For now, bpost has only one
competitor, TBC-Post. Receiving a permit is subject to
subject to specific legal conditions.
ANNUAL REPORT | 2016
18 19PART 3
A management agreement with the government also In 2016 there were 7,404 complaints complaints concerning
outlines other public duties of general economic interest, universal services and services of general economic interest.
which until 31 December 2020 are designated to bpost. That is a large increase of 29% compared with 2015. This
These include certain financial services, payment of covers a rise in the number of complaints for all types of
pensions and allowances for people with disabilities, postal items: regular and registered deliveries, magazines,
issuing fishing permits, delivering newspapers, the newspapers and public duties. However, complaints about
financial and administrative processing of traffic fines the organization have seen the biggest rise.
for the police.
7,404
EVOLUTION OF THE UNIVERSAL SERVICE AND SERVICES OF GENERAL ECONOMIC INTEREST
2016 2015 2014
Ordinary postal items 3,980 3,332 3,333
Registered postal items 1,217 786 556
complaints on universal services Organization 972 762 662
and services of general economic Magazines 510 385 328
interests Public duties 390 223 272
Newspapers 335 248 294
Total 7,404 5,736 5,445
5%
5%
54%
7% The daily postal delivery is
under pressure
Today is the third day in a row that I have received
13% In the annual report of 2015, the daily, correct delivery of no post whatsoever at the below address. This is
letters (including invoices, postcards, personal letters etc.), completely unacceptable.”
registered postal items, magazines and newspapers was
already a key area requiring attention. In 2016, the number
of complaints relating to the daily postal delivery increased
still further. The Act of 21 March 1991 and the European The number of complaints submitted to the Office of the
Postal Directive stipulate that bpost must guarantee the daily Ombudsman speaks for itself: an increase of 18% for errors
postal delivery at least five days per week, to all residential in the delivery of regular postal items. The number of
16% addresses with a regulatory letter box. complaints relating to the erroneous delivery of newspapers
ANNUAL REPORT | 2016
has even doubled. The number of complaints about lost
The number of complaints received by the Office of the items has also risen: 12% compared with regular postal items.
■ 3,980 ordinary postal items ■ 510 magazines Ombudsman for the postal sector emphasizes the high
■ 1,217 organization ■ 390 newspapers degree of importance placed by citizens and companies on
■ 972 registered postal items ■ 335 public duties of bpost the daily and correct postal delivery.
20 21PART 3
We see the biggest frustrations among customers when Problems with the daily postal delivery can have various After investigating a complaint, bpost often indicates that This morning, all kinds of things went wrong,
errors in the daily delivery keep on recurring, even after causes. The ordinary postal items form by far the greatest on that particular day, a replacement or new post man mistakes that to my knowledge the regular postman
repeated complaints. The customer would like to know why share: postmen and women who make careless mistakes or woman carried out the round, and errors occurred never makes.”
the daily delivery keeps going wrong, and what measures (sometimes under time pressure), incomplete or incorrect because they are not so familiar with the work and the
will be taken to correct this in the future. We receive addresses etc. Regarding the delivery of newspapers and environment. The Office of the Ombudsman for the postal “Until last year, Robert was our regular postman and
repeated reports from customers that their post has been magazines, it can happen that publishers issue too few sector is explicit in this: employee inexperience cannot be there were never any mistakes; since he retired, we see
delivered elsewhere in the street or municipality, or that copies to bpost or issue them late. an excuse for repeated or structural errors made by the a new postman every week, but none of them works for
they receive deliveries not intended for them. In some company. Every customer has the right to correct delivery a single day without making mistakes.”
cases it takes considerable time to reach a solution for Repeated erroneous deliveries can also originate from of their mail, both sender and addressee.
human error and/or problems with the automatic sorting. the automatic sorting process. For example, where the
automatic sorting based on house number differs from the
route that the postman or woman follows. Or where streets
get mixed up, e.g. the residents of Brusselsestraat receive
the correspondence for Brusslsesteenweg and vice versa.
When you read what efforts I have repeatedly In 2016 we saw a large increase in the number of
made in an attempt to solve this problem, you will complaints linked to the organization of the operator
understand that I have reached the end of my tether, itself, 1,217 complaints (compared with 786 in 2015). The
since it seems the company is not able to find a solution following complaints fall into this category: the postman or
to a problem that, to my mind, is quite a simple one. woman did not deliver today, in the past I always received
My neighbour also complains about receiving the wrong my mail in the morning, and now in the afternoon, I have to
mail…“ drive a long way to collect my registered mail or parcel, …
“This is the sixth time this has happened; now I've really What is striking in this, is that the customer often thinks ERRORS WITH THE DELIVERY
had enough. Reporting the problem to the complaints that no problems will occur if the regular postman or 2016 2015 2014
service online simply doesn't work, the problem keeps woman carries out their round. This man or woman knows
on occurring. This situation is causing me enormous the recipients in his or her round, and can therefore correct Regular postal items 1,667 1,408 1,451
stress.” errors in presorting or address errors quite easily. There Newspapers 574 449 388
is often a good relationship between customers and the
Magazines 284 136 204
regular postman or woman, and they easily talk to them,
also when problems arise. The temporary and replacement Registered postal items 225 150 136
staff, and intern students who are increasingly being Bundles 2 6 3
deployed, don't have the same contact with the people
on their round. Total 2,752 2,149 2,182
LOSS
2016 2015 2014
Regular postal items 1,318 1,178 1,334
ANNUAL REPORT | 2016
Newspapers 262 214 200
Magazines 156 131 159
Registered postal items 28 18 18
Total 1,764 1,541 1,711
22 23PART 3
Mail redirection on change In this annual report, the Office of the Ombudsman
of address for the postal sector would like to once again stress
the importance of the maintaining the security and
confidentiality of mail redirection requests. The number
When a customer moves house temporarily or permanently, of complaints relating to this is fortunately limited, but
they will naturally wish to keep receiving their mail at their the consequences can be very serious for those affected.
new address. Then it is useful to enter into a contract This concerns situations where somebody requests mail
with bpost or TBC-Post, who will not only redirect the direction on behalf of another person. We advise the
mail to the new address, but will also, at the request of postal operators to thoroughly check the identity of the
the customer, inform some of the other operators of the person requesting mail redirection.
change of address.
Finally, to take a proactive stance in this, we wish to point
For every operator which provides universal services, it out that the presence of two universal service providers in
is mandatory to offer a mail redirection service. TBC-Post the market calls for these companies to make permanent
does provide this, but very few customers use it. All the agreements with regard to mail redirection. A customer
complaints received by the Office of the Ombudsman who signs a redirection agreement with one operator,
about mail redirection in 2016 concerned bpost. expects all their mail to be redirected, also the postal items
497
handled by a different operator. In response to a specific
The number of complaints regarding mail redirection rose complaint, we have insisted that both operators make
to 497 in 2016 (compared with 364 in 2015). agreements and put permanent arrangements in place to
guarantee this. An agreement in principle has since been complaints on mail
Customers reported a variety of problems with this: the signed by the operators. As Office of the Ombudsman for
mail keeps arriving at the old address, the mail intended the postal sector, we will remain alert to this problem.
redirection
for the new residents of the old address is also redirected,
the mail is lost: it doesn't arrive at either the old or the
new address etc. Customers are often understanding at Registered postal items
the beginning of the redirection, but become increasingly
frustrated when problems keep occurring, even after the bpost and TBC-Post are the two companies in Belgium
mistakes are repeatedly reported. As a last resort, they that accept, process and deliver registered postal items
then contact the Office of the Ombudsman for the postal as part of the universal service provision.
sector.
The number of national registered postal items is falling
(a decrease of 16.31% between 2010 and 2015 4) and an
electronic alternative has already been announced. People
who still choose to send a postal item via registered mail,
consciously choose the legal and administrative value of
To draw a line under a long period of stress and this. The sender then has evidence of the sending of the
frustration, we agree to accept a reimbursement of four postal items and the signature on delivery also provides
months' redirection costs, to be transferred to account evidence of delivery to the addressee. People pay extra
number…” for this security and evidence, and there is therefore little
ANNUAL REPORT | 2016
understanding on the part of the customer and the Office
of the Ombudsman in cases of errors in the processing
of registered mail. However, our investigations show that
4. Report from the Board of the BIPT of 30 November 2016 concerning the the proper monitoring of registered postal items is not
observatory of the market for postal activities in Belgium for 2015, p. 20. always guaranteed.
24 25PART 3
REGISTERED POSTAL ITEMS After we expressly requested them to address this issue,
bpost agreed to write a letter confirming that an error did
2016 2015 2014
occur with the postal item. However, this often does not
Errors with the delivery 574 449 388 have the same value to the sender.
Loss 262 214 200
Among complaints about registered postal items, a growing
Delays 92 72 44 group involves registered postal items from abroad, in
Address change/ mail redirection 33 14 10 particular following a purchase from Asian webshops.
Damage 11 13 20 While the mode of sending of these webshops used to
be small packages, nowadays they are increasingly using
Total 972 762 662 registered mail.
The following situations gave particular cause for the issuer and bpost in 2015, both of whom took measures to
complaint: address this. However, in view of the 69 complaints involving Invoice fraud: raising
> not ringing the bell/knocking on the door, but
ecocheques received by the Office of the Ombudsman in
2016 (20 complainants), we are requesting a reevaluation
awareness, recovery and
immediately leaving an absence note through the and additional measures until the electronic ecocheque has targeted investigation
letter box (errors); been fully implemented.
> if the nobody answers the door, no message is left The past few years, we have received several complaints
behind (errors); In a similar context, we would like to point out an equivalent on invoice fraud. Invoice fraud means a gang of criminals
> delivery to an unauthorized person (errors); problem with the disappearance of used meal vouchers that intercepting invoices, replacing the account number on the
> if nobody answers the door, a second delivery is not were returned to the issuers by shops. In 2013, bpost tested invoice with a false one, and then returning the invoice
attempted (errors); a 'cheque return service' which offered strong protection for to the postal circuit. The purchaser/recipient receives the
> the registered postal item is lost (loss). shops. However, due to a lack of interest among shops, they invoice and pays it to the false account number. As soon
discontinued this initiative after one year. as the payment enters the account, the gang ensures that
the money disappears as quickly as possible.5
Specifically for TBC-Post we have received concerned In our investigations into registered postal items, we
questions around the option of issuing authorization to sometimes encountered shortcomings in the electronic Although people often see through the fraud attempt, there
a manager at TBC-Post. This option is automatically offered monitoring of these postal items. The tracking information are still many victims. In almost half of the cases the sum
when the online programme is initiated. The recipient is sometimes erroneous reports the item as 'delivered'. Even involved is more than 10,000 euros. It often involves invoices
given the choice: the registered postal item is delivered when it is clear that the postal item has not been correctly for a one-off payment, such as invoices from construction
through the letter box in the same way as a regular postal delivered, bpost still doesn't change this status. This means companies to different clients.
item, or the registered postal item is opened, and the content that the recipient cannot back up their story, should the
is sent to the addressee by e-mail as an attachment. As registered item go missing or if a similar problem arises. In 2016, the Office of the Ombudsman for the postal
Office of the Ombudsman, we are investigating further to sector received 43 written complaints from 13 different
determine whether this method is lawful. complainants.
Complaints about ecocheques keep occurring among the These figures are just the tip of the iceberg, since we are
national registered postal items. Shops send the used I have a complaint about a registered postal items primarily an appeal body.
ANNUAL REPORT | 2016
cheques back to the issuer for payment, but they are that has gone missing. It was a package from China. On
intercepted in transit and the cheques either do not arrive checking the bar code, the status says 'delivered', but I
at the issuer or the issuer receives an empty envelope. The never received the package.”
ecocheques are reused and the original shop is not paid.
This is a serious problem, that we brought to the attention of 5. There are other systems of invoice fraud, however the Office of the Ombudsman
for the postal sector only investigates complaints with a postal link.
26 27PART 3
Moreover, our investigations have determined that in that additional measures are being taken to secure letter The project BeSt Address
the vicinity of an affected company there are often other boxes and to monitor the transport and sorting. The
companies who have been victims of the same fraud. process is still ongoing. For several years now, the Office of the Ombudsman for
the postal sector has been investigating complaints of
With invoice fraud, there are multiple parties involved: the If somebody suspects a 'possible' case of fraud, a rapid people's postal address differing from their official
sender/sellers, the postal operators, the buyers/recipients, response is crucial. After all, the perpetrators try to move address, as recorded in the National Register. Letters that
the bank of the debtor, the bank of the beneficiary, the the money extremely quickly to locations where it cannot are sent by governmental authorities carry the official
police and judicial services and the various interest be found. Once this happens, it is practically impossible address. However, in the postal circuit (automatic sorting
groups, the professional bodies, the involved organizations to recuperate the money. Sometimes it is too late to stop or the relevant postman/woman), the sorting and delivery
(financial Ombudsman, Office of the Ombudsman for the your own payment from going through, but payments from process occurs on the basis of the postal address, which
postal sector) and the government. others can still be blocked. Good agreements between is also the address most often stated on the letter box.
banks are therefore vital. When it is known which invoices Due to this, important items: letters from the tax office,
In view of the large number of parties, coordinated action are being intercepted, the postal operator can also replacement I.D.card reminder letter, notice of upcoming
was required. Following meetings and discussions with intervene and better secure the letter boxes, for example. elections etc. are incorrectly delivered.
the involved parties, we joined the working group 'invoice
fraud', chaired by the Federal Public Service Economy. Next to prevention and recovery, investigation into the Various factors lie at the root of this problem, such as: the
perpetrators is the third aspect. This investigation naturally way in which house numbers are recorded in the national
First and foremost, we must keep raising awareness: falls under the authority of the police. Speed also plays register, the autonomy of municipalities in designating
inform people about the possible risks and offer tips an important role in this aspect. Rapid action leads to letter box and apartment numbers, reference lists for
for preventing invoice fraud. This eventually led to a a better chance of success than lagging weeks behind. postal addresses at the level of the three regions, but
communication campaign that was initiated at the end The police also need information about the lines of not at national level etc. Nevertheless, the cause may The project BeSt Address aims to put an end to these
of 2016 during a press conference with Mr Peeters, Deputy communication. Who can they turn to for information still be a clear difference between the official address problems, by making available an authentic source for
Prime Minister and Minister for Work, Economy and about account holders, for example? and the postal address, as seems to be the case from the all addresses in Belgium 7.
Consumers, responsible for foreign trade, and Mr Borsus, complaints we have received.
Minister for Medium-sized Companies, Self-employed The Office of the Ombudsman for the postal sector This is an ambitious project as part of administrative
Persons, SMEs, Agriculture and Societal Integration.6 supports the concept of a central contact point, from where simplification: the creation of a complete and reliable
all the necessary actions are immediately taken: banks source of address information for the emergency services,
This working group proposed three main actions in the for blocking accounts and payments, bpost for securing for various public administrations, as a basis for GPS
fight against invoice fraud: prevention, recovery and letter boxes, police for further investigation, retrieving EXAMPLE: applications etc. Naturally this is also extremely valuable
investigation. camera images etc. The official address = Stationsstraat 2, box 2L, the for the optimal delivery of the post.
3 main actions
postal address = Stationsstraat 1, residence 2, box 2L.
A postman or woman who is not familiar with the This is an ambitious project in terms of the collaboration
street, will not be able to find this letterbox to deliver between the federal entities, the regions, the municipalities,
official documents. the National Register, the Database of Business Enterprises,
the Social Security Database, the universal postal services
in the fight against invoice etc. The regions, in consultation with the municipalities,
fraud: prevention, recovery and should have created their address register by 1 January 2017.
investigation. From 1 January 2018 at the latest, public bodies will then
This invoice was posted, along with five other refer to these registers so that everyone uses the same
An essential element of prevention is the security of the invoices, on Tuesday evening 10/05 at around 17h15. authentic source. We are currently aware that the project
ANNUAL REPORT | 2016
postal circuit. In their contact with us, bpost has indicated Four of the invoices had been falsified. Copies of these
is somewhat behind schedule, and will not be able to keep
can be found in the attachment. The total loss for us is: 7. Cooperation agreement of 22 January 2016 between the Federal State, the to the above schedule.
10,190.07 euros.” Vlaamse Gewest, the Waalse Gewest and the Brusselse Hoofdstedelijk
Gewest concerning the unification of the way in which reference is made
6. Tips can be found on the websites of the participants and at the end of this to addresses and the linking of address data, published on 15 February The Office of the Ombudsman for the postal sector will
report. 2016. of course continue to follow the progress of this project.
28 29PART 4
The delivery Along with the growth in e-commerce and
the increase in the number of parcels and
of parcels and packages being distributed, the number of
complaints relating to parcel and package
packages in distribution has also increased:
a liberalized
In 2016, the Office of the Ombudsman for the postal sector
received 1,918 complaints concerning the treatment of
parcels and packages, a substantial increase of 36%
market
compared with the previous year.8
PARCELS AND PACKAGES
2016 2015 2014
Mistakes with the delivery 809 593 548
Loss 617 468 484
Delays 342 253 228
Address change/ mail redirection 144 91 104
Damage 6 9 11
Total 1,918 1,414 1,375
1,918
complaints concerning
the sending of parcels
and packages
ANNUAL REPORT | 2016
8. These figures also include a number of complaints about parcels that, strictly
speaking, fall into the universal postal service category. However, the distinction
is a theoretical one: when customers send a package, they don't look at
universal service provision, but they choose the most suitable option for them,
out of the various options on offer from the different companies (based on
familiarity with the company, price, speed, protection against risk of loss/
damage etc.).
30 31PART 4
The table below shows the distribution of the complaints The rights of the addressee,
among the different companies.
also within the context
It concerns a parcel from China that would be
of e-commerce delivered via a parcel service. The purchase was made
over the internet, and all costs associated with the
PARCELS AN PACKAGES PER POSTAL OPERATOR
The Office of the Ombudsman sometimes faces difficulties import (VAT, import duties etc.) were paid. The delivery
2016 2015 2014 obtaining sufficient information from the companies within company claims that the parcel could not be delivered
bpost 1,684 1,192 1,179 the postal sector to carry out a thorough investigation. because nobody was at home. Then they claim that only
This is particularly true when it is the addressee who has the seller in China has the authority to arrange for a
PostNL 64 79 44 submitted the complaint. Various companies argue that second delivery. This means that I have to contact
DPD 35 35 13 they only have a contract with the sender, and therefore the seller in China, to ask them to give the delivery
are only obliged to handle complaints made by them. company instructions to deliver the parcel again to my
UPS 29 7 11
Addressees who contact the company's complaints service address.”
Kiala 27 15 34 are invariably told to contact the sender involved.
DHL 23 24 8
When the tracking system mentions that the parcel has
Mondial Relay 20 43 77
been transferred to the postal operator who will deliver
GLS 9 7 3 it within Belgium, the addressee rightly feels indignant
TNT Express 5 2 4 when this operator does not wish to answer his questions As was the case on 28/9, there is still no change
or complaints. in the mail tracker for parcel CExxxxxUS. I have received
Bubble Post 4 – – your answer, that there is no further electronic trace of
Diadem Logistic 3 – – the parcel. Considering the parcel already arrived in
Record Express 2 1 – Belgium on 30/8, and since then has undergone no
further processing for more than a month, can we
FedEx 2 – – consider the parcel to be lost?.”
TBC-Post – 1 2 This frequently leads to extremely perplexing
situations, as the following examples illustrate:
Casino Chez Vous – 1 –
Kariboo – 1 –
Unknown 11 6 –
On 06/09/16 there was an attempted delivery of
Total 1,918 1,414 1,375 a package to my address; nobody was home. On 19/09/16
I'm astonished at the fact that we, as addressees I went to the post office to collect the package, but was
of a postal item, are not able to report a complaint told that it had never arrived there. On the website
about loss of the parcel in question. The parcel deliverer I submitted a request for the package to be delivered
informs me that only the sender can do this; we as again, which was confirmed, but on the day of the
addressees, cannot open a complaint file. However, at planned delivery I received a text message that the
the sender's end, there's no problem: the sender in Japan package would not be delivered and that I should call
is not going to complain that the delivery company in the company. On 22/09/16 I called the company and
Belgium has made a mistake!" was told that the package would be delivered the next
ANNUAL REPORT | 2016
day or the next week. Nothing happened.”
32 33PART 4
It is even worse when the e-tracker erroneously states that A user is defined in art. 131 as: The e-tracker:
the parcel has been delivered to the correct address. In
this case, the addressee has absolutely no evidence (the
Member States shall also encourage the development
of independent out-of-court schemes for the resolution “17° user: any natural or legal person benefiting from
a quality instrument
e-tracker) to back up their case to the sender. of disputes between postal service providers and users. postal service provision as a sender or an addressee.” for the consumer?
It is totally absurd when the purchase, as in the last
example, took place in China, and a private individual The European Postal Directive defines a user in exactly The track and trace system is for both sender and addressee
has to go and negotiate with a Chinese company regarding the same way as the Belgian legislation. a highly valued and widely used instrument for tracking the
a parcel which arrived in Belgium and subsequently went progress of a package. It is extremely important, therefore,
missing in the postal circuit or was incorrectly delivered. Consequently, the Ombudsman for the postal sector that this e-tracker supplies the correct information.
urgently requests every company to comply with the
The rights of the addressee are expressly described in legislation by also handling complaints by addressees. A However, research shows that sometimes, even when a
the legislation. The Act of 21 march 1991, art. 148bis states proper internal investigation by the company can result parcel or package has been lost or has not been delivered
the following: in a quick solution, clarify what went wrong, where the to the correct address, the e-tracker still states that the
parcel was last traced, where the delay occurred, which delivery has taken place correctly. In these cases, the Office
§ 2. The suppliers of postal services are obliged to service was involved etc. of the Ombudsman asks companies to adjust the status of
comply with the following: the postal item in the track and trace system. With postal
- to set up a transparent, straight-forward and The Ombudsman for the postal sector is not advocating items associated with a purchase of goods by a consumer
inexpensive internal procedure for the rapid and fair automatic compensation for the addressee. We are asking from a professional vendor, a change in the track and trace
handling of complaints by users concerning loss, that complaints by addressees are taken seriously and status can be used by the buyer to request a new item from
theft, damage or failure to meet the quality standards, properly investigated, so that the complainant receives the vendor.
including procedures for establishing responsibility in a response to the perfectly reasonable question: 'what
cases where more than one operator is involved; has happened to my parcel?'. As regards compensation, Some companies, however, argue that adjusting the e-tracker
the World Post Association specifies that financial is technically not possible, or not desired. The addressee
compensation is payable to the sender, unless the sender is often the one who loses out in these cases: they haven't
The same article can be found in the European Postal decides to transfer their rights to the addressee. Therefore, received their parcel and the seller assumes that the goods
Directive : only at the very end of the line, when it is certain that the have been delivered. The buyer who then approaches the
postal item has been delivered to the wrong person or parcel delivery company, is again referred to the sender,
Article 19 is irrecoverably lost, does the question of compensation for possible reimbursement or a replacement parcel. This
1. Member States shall ensure that transparent, simple arise. sender rightly assumes that the data from the e-tracker is
and inexpensive procedures are made available by correct and up to date. For the sender, this is evidence that
all postal service providers for dealing with postal We would like to point out that some companies have the goods have been delivered, and they therefore consider
users' complaints, particularly in cases involving loss, taken extra steps to respect the rights of recipients, for the issue to be closed.
theft, damage or noncompliance with service quality example through launching a telephone number for
standards (including procedures for determining where senders and addressees of postal items. In the best case scenario, after our intervention, a certificate
responsibility lies in cases where more than one operator is issued whereby the parcel delivery company states that
is involved), without prejudice to relevant international Since this is the reason for the existence of the Ombudsman the item probably was not delivered. For some senders,
and national provisions on compensation schemes. for the postal sector, we defend the rights of every user however, this is not sufficient evidence if the e-tracker states
of a post or parcel service. This is outlined in the Act of that the parcel was indeed delivered.
Member States shall adopt measures to ensure that the 21 March 1991 as follows :
ANNUAL REPORT | 2016
procedures referred to in the first subparagraph enable The Office of the Ombudsman for the postal sector
disputes to be settled fairly and promptly with provision, “3° mediation to facilitate an amicable settlement of believes that it must be possible to change the status
where warranted, for a system of reimbursement and/ disputes between the companies and the users referred of the e-tracker in cases where it is established that the
or compensation. to in § 1 of this article.” 9 9. Article 43 of the Act of 21 March 1991 concerning the reform of certain economic
postal item has not been delivered to the correct address
public enterprises. or has been lost in the postal circuit.
34 35PART 4
Parcels and packages outside items to destinations outside the EU. The Office of This issue was already raised in our annual report of
the EU: customs formalities the Ombudsman for the postal sector therefore asks
companies to pay due attention to correctly informing
2015. bpost then took initiatives to create more clarity
(including a detailed list of delivery times per country,
and costs their customers of these issues, both on their website divided according to whether the postal item contains
and via the staff in their branches. documents or goods). However, our fundamental criticism,
For postal items crossing the external EU-borders, it is namely the difference between the delivery time on the
important that the customs have access to sufficient promotional pages of the website and the delivery time
information about the content of the postal item. This in the general conditions, has not been addressed 14. The
information is entered into a so-called CN23 form, that Correct information Office of the Ombudsman for the postal sector therefore
must be affixed to the parcel.
and communication repeats its explicit request to clarify the communication
around delivery times and delays.
CN 23 (FN) 5/3/11 2:18 PM Page 1
DECLARATION EN DOUANE CN23 The Office of the Ombudsman for the postal sector
DOUANEVERKLARING
No de l’envoi / colis (code à barres, s’il existe)
Nr. van de zending (barcode als hij bestaat)
Peut être ouvert d’office
Mag ambtshalve worden geopend sporadically receives complaints about delays in the
express postal items from bpost (bpack World Express
DE Nom Eventuellement
VAN Naam référence
Société de l’expéditeur
Firma Eventueel
and bpack World Express Pro). Many customers do not
Rue referentie
Straat van de afzender
Code postal Ville
Postcode Stad
realize that bpost promises a certain delivery time on the
Pays
Land
A Nom
AAN Naam
promotional page of its website, while that same delivery
Société Référence de l’importateur (si elle existe) no de TVA, facultatif
Firma Referentie van de invoerder (indien dit bestaat) BTW Nr., facultatief
Rue
Straat
time is negated in its general conditions.
Code postal Ville No de téléphone/fax/e-mail de l’importateur (si connu)
Postcode Stad Nr. telefoon/fax/e-mail van de invoerder (indien gekend)
Pays
Land
Description détaillée du contenu (1) Quantité (2) Poids net (en kg) (3) Valeur (5) Pour les envois commerciaux seulement
Beschrijving van de inhoud (1) Aantal (2) Netto gewicht (in kg) (3) Waarde (5) Enkel voor de commerciële zendingen
No tarifaire du SH (7) Pays d’origine des marchandises (8)
Tariefnr. volgens SH (7) Land van oorsprong van de goederen (8)
Poids brut total (4) Valeur totale (6) Frais de port / frais (9)
The general conditions of bpost unequivocally state that
a postal item is only considered to be delayed if it arrives
Totaal bruto gewicht (4) Totale waarde (6) Portokosten / kosten (9)
Catégorie de l’envoi (10) Echantillon commercial Explication Bureau d’origine / date de dépôt
Soort zending (10) Handelsmonster Uitleg Kantoor van oorsprong / datum van afgifte
Cadeau Retour de marchandise
at its destination after more than twice the delivery time
Geschenk Terugzending van goederen
Document Autre
Document Andere
Observations (11) : (marchandise soumise à la quarantaine / à des contrôles sanitaires, phytosanitaires ou à d’autres restrictions)
that the customer was promised 10.
Opmerkingen (11) : (goederen onderworpen aan quarantaine / sanitaire controles, phytosanitaire of andere beperkingen)
Erp code 2500000010705
Licence (12) Certificat (13) Factures (14) Je certifie que les renseignements donnés dans la présente déclaration en douane sont exacts
Licentie (12) Certificaat (13) Factuur (14) et que cet envoi ne contient aucun objet dangereux interdit par la réglementation postale.
Hiermede bevestig ik dat alle gegevens van deze douaneverklaring juist zijn en dat deze zending
The Office of the Ombudsman takes these practices
No de la/des licence(s) No du/des certificat(s) No de la facture
Nr. van de licentie(s) Nr. van het(de) certificaat(en) Nr. van de factuur geen enkel gevaarlijk voorwerp bevat welke verboden is door de postreglementering.
Date et signature de l’expéditeur :
CN 23 (FN) 5/3/11 2:18 PM Page 1 Datum en handtekening van de afzender :
extremely seriously, because on its website, bpost sells
CN23
DECLARATION EN DOUANE
DOUANEVERKLARING
No de l’envoi / colis (code à barres, s’il existe) Peut être ouvert d’office
this form of postal item as an option to 'send items extra
DE
VAN
Nom
Naam
Eventuellement
référence
Nr. van de zending (barcode als hij bestaat) Mag ambtshalve worden geopend
quickly to an address abroad' 11. The customer pays a higher
It is the sender's responsibility to complete the tariff because he believes that the parcel will arrive at its
Société de l’expéditeur
Firma Eventueel
Rue referentie
Straat van de afzender
documentation correctly. If the Belgian customs do not destination more quickly. The general conditions totally
Code postal Ville
Postcode Stad
Pays
Land
have the necessary information, they will contact the negate this essential difference between an express item
A Nom
AAN Naam
Société Référence de l’importateur (si elle existe) no de TVA, facultatif
Firma Referentie van de invoerder (indien dit bestaat) BTW Nr., facultatief
intended addressee for further details. If this is not and a regular postal item, the distinguishing feature of
Rue
Straat
Code postal Ville No de téléphone/fax/e-mail de l’importateur (si connu)
Postcode Stad Nr. telefoon/fax/e-mail van de invoerder (indien gekend)
possible, or if this information is not provided in time, the express product.
Pays
Land
Description détaillée du contenu (1)
Beschrijving van de inhoud (1)
Quantité (2) Poids net (en kg) (3)
Aantal (2)
Valeur (5)
Netto gewicht (in kg) (3) Waarde (5)
Pour les envois commerciaux seulement
Enkel voor de commerciële zendingen
10. Source: http://www.bpost.be/sites/default/files/pagina/Algemene_
the postal item will be returned to the sender. Insufficient Voorwaarden_Pakketten.pdf
No tarifaire du SH (7) Pays d’origine des marchandises (8)
Tariefnr. volgens SH (7) Land van oorsprong van de goederen (8)
11. Source: http://www.bpost.be/site/nl/verzenden/pakjes-verzenden/
information can also result in (high) import taxes being
Catégorie de l’envoi (10) Echantillon commercial
Poids brut total (4) Valeur totale (6)
Totaal bruto gewicht (4) Totale waarde (6)
Explication
Frais de port / frais (9)
Portokosten / kosten (9)
Bureau d’origine / date de dépôt
The second reason for the Office of the Ombudsman internationaal/bpack-world-express
levied on the postal item. In TIPS, included with this annual making this a question of principle is that professional
Soort zending (10) Handelsmonster Uitleg Kantoor van oorsprong / datum van afgifte
Cadeau
Geschenk
Retour de marchandise
Terugzending van goederen 12. Art. VI. 97 to VI (inclusive). Art. 100 of the Act of 21 December 2013 proposing
Document Autre
insertion of book VI 'Market practices and consumer protection' into the
report, the customer will find further information about customers, such as webshops, also use this express
Document Andere
Observations (11) : (marchandise soumise à la quarantaine / à des contrôles sanitaires, phytosanitaires ou à d’autres restrictions)
Opmerkingen (11) : (goederen onderworpen aan quarantaine / sanitaire controles, phytosanitaire of andere beperkingen)
Code of Economic Law and proposing insertion of the definitions found in
how to correctly complete the customs documentation. service. Consumer legislation protects private consumers
Erp code 2500000010705
book VI, and of the law enforcement provisions found in book VI, into books
from misleading information 12 and from the overt evading
Licence (12) Certificat (13) Factures (14) Je certifie que les renseignements donnés dans la présente déclaration en douane sont exacts
Licentie (12) Certificaat (13) Factuur (14) et que cet envoi ne contient aucun objet dangereux interdit par la réglementation postale.
I and XV of the Code of Economic Law
ANNUAL REPORT | 2016
No de la/des licence(s) No du/des certificat(s) No de la facture Hiermede bevestig ik dat alle gegevens van deze douaneverklaring juist zijn en dat deze zending
Nr. van de licentie(s) Nr. van het(de) certificaat(en) Nr. van de factuur geen enkel gevaarlijk voorwerp bevat welke verboden is door de postreglementering.
13. Art. VI. 82 and Art. VI. 83 of the Act of 21 December 2013 proposing insertion
As mentioned above, it is the sender's responsibility to of liability in the event of errors 13. Businesses, however,
Date et signature de l’expéditeur :
Datum en handtekening van de afzender :
of book VI 'Market practices and consumer protection' into the Code of
complete the customs documentation correctly. However, are not covered by consumer legislation and are therefore Economic Law and proposing insertion of the definitions found in book VI,
we have observed from contact with consumers that referred to the Office of the Ombudsman for mediation in and of the law enforcement provisions found in book VI, into books I and XV
of the Code of Economic Law
most private individuals are not aware of the customs order to obtain a settlement. 14. Source: http://www.bpost.be/sites/default/files/product/ListePays_NL-
formalities and customs costs associated with postal bpackWorldExpress.pdf
36 37You can also read
