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Poste Italiane will be forced to pay a fine of 5 million euros, the highest fine allowed by law, for non-delivery or late delivery of certified mail. The Italian Antitrust Authority (Agcom) was the first to beat Poste.
There is a great blow to the post office which, according to Agcom, has caused damage not only to citizens but also to the justice of the country. For this reason, the Authority has imposed the heavy fine accusing Poste
“Having adopted an unfair commercial practice in violation of the Consumer Code, consisting of the misleading promotion of the characteristics of the certified delivery service and the digital withdrawal service for certified mail.”
Recommended not delivered and not in the advertised times
The Authority has announced that it has verified that the attempt to deliver the certified letters was not carried out in compliance with the delivery deadlines and the certainties emphasized in the advertising messages. But not only. According to Agcom, deliveries are often made in ways other than those prescribed by law:
“Poste Italiane sometimes uses for convenience the deposit of the notice of storage of the registered letter in the mailbox, even when it would have been possible to deliver it to the addressee. In this regard, there are many complaints from consumers who reported the unsuccessful attempt to deliver certified mail, even when they were certain that they were present at their home (think, for example, of people forced to stay home due to disability or due to a health emergency during the confinement) ”, reads the official statement of Defense of Competition.
This has placed an “unacceptable burden” on consumers, who have lost money and even time collecting poorly delivered certified letters.
Damage to justice
Not just harm to citizens. According to Agcom, this system has caused serious damage to the Italian justice due to delays due to
“Erroneous notifications in the realization of trials, especially criminal, which lead to the prescription of numerous crimes.”
Reasons considered extremely serious by Antitrust, which thus decided to inflict the most severe sanction on Poste:
“Given the extreme severity and frequency of the practice and the very considerable harm caused to consumers, the penalty was imposed to the maximum. However, the same is not dissuasive in relation to the specific turnover generated by Poste Italiane in the year 2019 alone of € 3,492 million. “
To read the full text of the provision, click here.
Reference sources: Agcom
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The post office’s place on coupons and brochures misleads savers. Reported to Antritrust by Altroconsumo
