Overview
- The Bundesnetzagentur logged 35,728 entries in its Mängelmelder for the first half of 2026, up from 22,981 in H1 2025, reflecting a marked rise in recorded consumer complaints.
- About 87 percent of the reports name Deutsche Post/DHL because it alone delivers both letters and parcels, so its large market share concentrates logged problems.
- The regulator says the figures are not directly comparable with earlier data because the portal launched in autumn 2025 uses a multiple‑choice form that makes filing easier and does not check complaint content.
- Deutsche Post argues the new system inflates counts and notes only roughly 0.003 percent of deliveries generate direct company complaints, while DPD—which accounts for about 4–5 percent of logged complaints monthly—points to a small drop in its own direct complaint rate from 0.11 percent to 0.09 percent.
- The Bundesnetzagentur found no regional complaint hotspots and opened no special investigations in H1 2026, but politicians and consumer advocates say the lower reporting hurdle could help spot real local problems faster.