Icy and muddy

Property too dangerous: mail no longer arrived

Farmer Annemarie Weichselbaumer (68) has not received any post for several weeks. Now a solution is approaching.

(Bild: Einöder Horst/Horst Einöder/Flashpictures)

Because her driveway was icy and slushy, delivery staff were unable to enter the property of an Upper Austrian farmer. Due to communication difficulties, she received no mail for several weeks. But now a solution is finally in sight.

The deliverer said she can no longer get to the front door because it's too muddy for her!" What farmer Annemarie Weichselbaumer (68) from Luftenberg tells the "Krone" sounds like a joke at first.

Post not found
But the matter is actually serious: "I haven't received any post since the end of December, and I should have received several bills," says the farmer. "So I contacted the post office and got this information. The delivery person would have left my mail somewhere else on the property, but I never found it!"

Invoices are also missing
In order to avoid reminder costs or even execution, the 68-year-old called the companies whose invoices she was expecting or collected the receipts herself. "So far, there have never been any problems with the deliverer. Even the fact that she doesn't want to come to the letterbox isn't so bad. But the fact that she didn't tell me where she deposited the mail is not okay," says Weichselbaumer, annoyed. "I'm not the youngest anymore. My yard and property are big - how was I supposed to find my mail?"

House letterboxes must be accessible and suitable for mail carriers - the owner is responsible for this.

(Bild: Spitzbart Wolfgang/Wolfgang Spitzbart)

Agreement hopefully soon
In the meantime, Swiss Post has taken up the matter. A manager from the delivery service visited the contentious 68-year-old. Together, they were also able to locate the missing items. "The letters were under a gutter outside, so of course they're gone now," says the unhappy farmer. Because she was supposed to stay in bed due to a cold, no agreement had been reached during this visit.

We are in close contact with Mrs. Weichselbaumer. Delivery drivers are not allowed to enter dangerous properties that are icy and dirty.

Veronika Rebentisch, Pressesprecherin Österreichische Post AG

Certain properties are off limits
But: "We are in close contact with Ms. Weichselbaumer in order to find an individual solution," assures Post spokeswoman Veronika Rebentisch. The building owner is responsible for construction and accessibility. For insurance reasons, however, Swiss Post cannot deliver to certain properties.

Letterbox on the property boundary
This is also the case for Ms. Weichselbaumer, whose access road is affected by icy weather conditions, regular road pollution and free-range geese. The spokesperson emphasizes: "Our delivery person is still available to find an individual solution. For example, the customer could arrange a parking permit at a personally chosen, safe and accessible location, or set up a letterbox on the boundary of the property."