Ombudsman’s report
Reporting to the Chair of the Board of Directors, the Office of the Ombudsman is independent of Canada Post staff and management. It gives Canadians another avenue if they feel Canada Post did not live up to its service commitments. It investigates customer complaints and recommends fair and equitable solutions. By identifying trends, focusing on prevention, and recommending changes as needed, it also offers Canada Post another perspective to improve service.
In 2024, the total number of appeals received by our office decreased by approximately 15 per cent compared to the previous year. We received a total of 4,229 appeals in 2024, compared to 4,960 in 2023.
We attribute this decrease in the total number of appeals filed to three factors:
- The Canada Post labour disruption, which started in mid-November and lasted more than a month, resulted in a suspension of mail delivery for the duration.
- The reduced mail volume during the period preceding the labour disruption, as customers moved their mail to other delivery companies because they required certainty for their shipments over the holiday season.
- We completed three internal initiatives meant to redirect customers to the right channel before reaching out to the Office of the Ombudsman.
In 2024, we executed in-depth investigations on 2,420 appeals compared to 2,374 in 2023, an increase of about two per cent. Two complaint categories represented 43 per cent of all investigations completed:
- Lost or missing mail.
- Customer deemed the compensation offered by Canada Post as unfair.
When compared to the previous year, 2024 saw small increases in complaints about lost or missing mail; damaged mail; issues with return-to-sender items; behaviour of customer service agents; requests for a change in mode of delivery; and mail delivered to the wrong address.
Preceding the labour disruption, we were satisfied with the level of proactive communications Canada Post did with commercial customers and the general marketplace to signal the status of negotiations.
Following the labour disruption, we handled several appeals from customers who were requesting varying levels of compensation because their parcels or direct mail campaigns were delayed when delivery was suspended.
Just over 40 per cent of the appeals received did not result in an in-depth investigation because customers withdrew their submission before our investigation concluded, or did not provide the necessary information and documents during the investigation, or reached out to us before Canada Post had the opportunity to fully address the complaint.
The number of appeals related to the Canadian Postal Service Charter decreased by about 20 per cent compared to the previous year. The top reported issues were missing or damaged items, and difficulty reaching customer service. Together, they represented 81 per cent of all appeals relating to the Charter.
We remain committed to working with all customers to ensure the appeal process is fair, unbiased and confidential.
Jean-Marc Nantais
