Postal delays leave Innviertel residents waiting weeks for letters

Residents and local authorities in the Innviertel region have reported weeks-long delays in mail delivery, ORF reports. Some municipal mailings have also been affected.

Daniel Lang, mayor of Mattighofen in the Braunau am Inn district, said it was difficult to set deadlines of three to four weeks when letters could take two weeks to arrive. The municipality has responded by delivering its own letters, but Lang said smaller municipalities often have to rely on the postal service.

In nearby Uttendorf-Helpfau, Mayor Johannes Manglberger said the delays affected many aspects of daily life. In one case, households received funeral notices only after the funeral had taken place. The municipality is trying to move to digital delivery so residents receive notices on time, he said.

Retailers have also reported problems, with promotional leaflets and brochures arriving after the advertised offers have expired. Spar Austria said customer complaints about undelivered leaflets had risen sharply in recent weeks, particularly in Upper Austria. The company said customers had sent photos showing containers filled with discarded, freshly packaged leaflets from several retail chains.

A spokesperson for Austrian Post said the company could not confirm the complaints as a general problem. The postal service is seeing more staff sick leave, as are other large companies in Austria, which could cause minor delays in some places, the spokesperson said.