Assessment of postal delivery service level is inadequate: Findings pertaining to postal deliveries

It is not yet possible for OPTA to ascertain whether there is compliance with the standards applicable to timely postal deliveries. OPTA has found that the system which TNT Postgroep NV (TPG) uses to assess whether letters with a weight of up to no more than 100 grams are delivered on time is inadequate.

In order to assess the level of its postal delivery service TPG conducts random tests, which involves the inclusion of ‘test letters’ in the regular postal flow. If one is to assess what proportion of these letters is delivered the following day, it is important that these random tests reflect the actual daily flow of letters. They consequently need to be representative. This is not the case. For instance:

only the lightest letters are monitored and not the heavier ones;
handwritten addresses are not included in the assessments, whereas most consumer addresses are handwritten.

In addition, the flow of letters throughout the country, the spread of post over various working days and the difference between the respective sizes of the consumer and business markets are not adequately addressed.

These findings come in response to the fact that the new General Postal Guidelines Decree [Besluit algemene richtlijnen post] has come into effect. TPG is required to ensure that at least 95% of all letters of up to 100 grams are delivered the following day by 1 January 2001. It will have to ensure that this post is assessed every month and will have to report its overall findings to OPTA each year. In order to ensure that these assessments produce reliable findings, OPTA has first had to establish whether the monitoring system is adequate.

OPTA has asked TPG to modify its current monitoring system by 1 August 2001. At the beginning of 2002 OPTA will examine whether TPG achieved the 95% standard in 2001. It is important that TPG use an adequate monitoring system in order to establish whether it has achieved this standard and if the assessments are to be of any significance.