Bureaucracy madness: Regensburg woman fights for compensation for book!

Bureaucracy madness: Regensburg woman fights for compensation for book!

In the tranquil community of Wenzenbach in the Regensburg district, a lost book is causing a stir and shining a spotlight on the challenges at Deutsche Post. Ute Müller, who sent the book in question by insured registered mail, fell victim to a bureaucratic odyssey. On August 26, she received only the empty cover back, while the book mysteriously disappeared into nothingness. Deutsche Post said the envelope had been damaged by a machine and that was where the problem was born.

To claim the refund, Müller had to download a claim form and go to a post office. On August 30, she was ready to hand in the documents at the Postbank branch in the Donau shopping center. But the disillusionment didn't take long to come: the employee couldn't help and had the papers sent to headquarters. A week later, Müller only received the envelope with her claim form back, but the accompanying letter was missing. “There’s something going on,” thought the Cologne woman and turned to the post office in her hometown of Wenzenbach. But they couldn't help her there either.

Bureaucracy and patience

The branch manager sent the documents in a sealed box, and another nine days passed with no response. It was the moment when Müller decided to address the press. With success - the Post's press office showed understanding and promised to investigate the matter. On October 6th, Müller finally received a letter asking for her account details in order to refund 25 euros. There were also 19 euros in postage stamps as compensation. “Better than nothing,” Müller thought, but many people couldn’t understand the background noise of such a story.[Mercury reports that...]

Deutsche Post actually has clear guidelines when it comes to insured shipping. In the event of loss or damage to shipments, the company is liable up to the amount of the direct damage - for REGISTERED MAIL STANDARD this is a maximum of 25 euros. But complaints about the postal service are piling up at a rapid rate. According to the Federal Network Agency, 23,000 complaints about postal services were recorded in the first half of 2025, an increase of 13% compared to the previous year. Particularly striking: The majority of the complaints, namely 89%, were directed against Deutsche Post and its subsidiary DHL.[Tagesschau reports that…]

Make a mark

In order to counteract these grievances, the Federal Network Agency launched the “Defect Reporting Post”. This gives consumers the opportunity to report problems with postal services online. This digital platform is intended to ensure faster detection of irregularities in the postal supply and at the same time increase transparency.[Tagesschau reports that…]

So Ute Müller is not alone with her story. Clear improvements are needed, not only for Deutsche Post's many customers, but also for the future of the company itself. The challenges seem to be there, and the pressure is growing - from consumers and competition from the digital age.