Ukrposhta will pay a customer 3,000 hryvnias for an 11-day delay in delivering a letter
“Ukrposhta” was ordered to pay a customer 3,000 hryvnias in compensation for emotional distress and a 10-hryvnia fine due to the late delivery of a letter. The letter reached the recipient only 11 days after it was mailed.
The plaintiff, who works as an attorney, sent a legal demand to PrivatBank on behalf of his client, who had been the victim of fraudulent activity. However, the letter was delivered with a significant delay. As a result, the attorney stated that he had been nervous and anxious for a long time, as the delay prevented him from properly defending his client’s rights and interests. The court took these circumstances into account when determining the amount of compensation for emotional distress.
The postal operator attributed the delay to its inability to deliver the correspondence on time due to the absence of an authorized PrivatBank employee. According to the bank, the person authorized to receive the correspondence was on sick leave. However, the court did not consider this a sufficient basis for exempting “Ukrposhta” from liability. In the court’s view, the postal operator failed to provide sufficient evidence that the delay was caused by the bank’s fault.
The court concluded that, as a result of the improper provision of postal services, the plaintiff suffered emotional distress. Therefore, the court ordered Ukrposhta to pay 3,000 UAH in compensation for emotional distress. In addition, the postal operator was ordered to pay a fine of 10 UAH, which amounts to 25% of the cost of the delivery service.
Thus, the 11-day delay in the delivery of the letter resulted in a court ruling requiring “Ukrposhta” to pay the customer compensation and a fine. It is possible that this situation could lead to an increase in the number of lawsuits against the postal operator seeking compensation for emotional distress due to delays in the delivery of letters or packages.
The relevant ruling was issued by the Voznesenivskyi District Court of Zaporizhzhia.
Ukrposhta has integrated with Etsy to streamline international shipping.
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