Complaints

In case the user of the postal service is dissatisfied with the quality of the provided service, he/she/it should first address the complaint to the provider of the postal service. The postal service provider must reply to the user’s complaint related to the provision of the postal service within 30 days after the date of receipt of the complaint. If the user does not agree with the reply of the postal service provider or does not get a reply at all, the user has the right to address the Communications Regulatory Authority to settle the dispute with the provider of postal service in advance through an out-of-court procedure.

The application form for the complaint (only in Lithuanian) can be found here.

A complaint must include the following:

• the name of the authority, to which the complaint is filed for investigation;
• the place and date of the complaint;
• the forename and surname (name), home (headquarters) address, telephone number, electronic mail address of the applicant, also the forename, surname, address, telephone number of the representative of the applicant (if any) (the representative must have an authorization, registered according to the requirements, established by the Civil Code of the Republic of Lithuania);
• the name and address of the provider of postal service, whose acts/omissions are appealed against;
• the description of the specific act/omission or decision, which is appealed against;
• the circumstances and evidence, by which the applicant bases his/her/its demands;
• the applicant’s demands;
• the list of attached documents.

Each user or provider of postal service has the right to present to Communications Regulatory Authority complaints, in order to have his/her/its infringed or disputed right or the interest, safeguarded by the Postal Law protected extra-judicially in advance. The complaint shall be considered to have been filed to the Communications Regulatory Authority also in that case where public administration institutions forward the complaint that they have received to the Communications Regulatory Authority to handle it within its competence.

Communications Regulatory Authority, in observance of the Rules for investigation of disputes between the providers and users of postal service has the right to not only state the fact of violation, but also to make a decision, enforceable with regard to the provider of postal service, as well as to take more strict measures for the purpose of fighting against the violators of the rights of users of postal service.

The Rules for investigation of disputes between the providers and users of postal service establish the requirements with regard to the form, content and submission of the request to resolve a dispute between the providers and users of postal service, as well as collection and submission of evidence, the rights and responsibilities of the parties to the dispute and other persons concerned, participating in the investigation of the dispute, the procedure of preparation for investigation of the dispute, the detailed procedure of reconciliation of the parties, the procedure of the investigation of the dispute in essence and making the decision.

The loss, incurred due to loss of or damage to postal items (made during the time period from their acceptance till delivery to the receiver) is indemnified according to the Postal Law. The loss, incurred due to loss of or damage to international postal items is indemnified according to the provisions of the Universal Postal Convention, as well as Letter post and Parcel post Regulations of the Universal Post Union. The incurred indirect loss and non-received revenues are not included into the loss indemnification amounts.

In case due a default on the part of the provider of postal service postal items are lost or damaged, lack articles/goods or the articles/goods are damaged, the provider of postal service must indemnify for losses in the following cases:

• the lost registered postal item as well as for a part of the lost or damaged articles/goods or all the damaged articles/goods – the amount, equal to the double sending expenses;
• for a lost insured postal item – the amount, equal to the expenses of sending and the amount of insurance;
• for a part of the lost or damaged articles/goods in the insured postal item with the description of the articles/goods – the amount, equal to the expenses of sending and the value of the lost or damaged articles/goods, specified in the description of the articles/goods, however such amount cannot exceed the amount of insurance of the entire postal item.

The provider of postal service does not indemnify for losses in the following cases:

• during the sending of the postal item force majeure circumstances came into existence, due to which the postal item was lost, there are missing or damaged articles in the postal item and it is impossible to detect the reasons for such occurrence, since the necessary official documents, necessary for the evidence are destroyed and there is no other way to prove the default on the part of the provider of postal service;
• the damage was done due to the default on behalf of the sender, since the sender has violated the requirements, applicable by the provider of postal service with regard to the package, packing of articles or the peculiar features of the sent articles/goods;
• the postal item, the articles/goods, contained in the postal item or a part thereof are confiscated in the cases, foreseen in and according to the procedure, established in the laws and other legal acts of the country of dispatch or receipt;
• upon delivery to the receiver of the registered postal item or parcel, the package (tare) thereof, the impression of the post office of origin, the label bearing a special stamp, the adhesive tape, the seal or the tying string have not been damaged and the weight of the postal item or parcel corresponds to the one indicated in the post office of origin;
• the receiver accepted the postal item and undersigned to evidence the receipt;
• the postal item has not been received through the fault of the person authorised by the receiver to collect it;
• the postal item has been lost or damaged in the country providing no compensation for that kind of damage made;
• items of correspondence of the blinds, prisoners of war and the internees are sent.

The said provisions are applicable with regard to the providers of postal service in case no other provisions are foreseen in agreement with the sender in this regard. In case an agreement mitigates the position of the sender, the provisions above are applicable.