Peter Scheidegger (82) likes life here. The 1970s swept the Berner to Küssnacht am Rigi SZ. Here he settled down, here he lives in a slightly elevated position, ten minutes from Lake Lucerne, with the golf course at his back.
Scheidegger has always had mail delivered to his post box. Number 438. He goes to the mailbox several times a week. Occasionally he meets acquaintances, has a chat, greets the employees. The postmen in his branch are “exemplary and charming”, says Scheidegger. “Competently.” “For years.”
But now, after around 45 years, there is no need to go to the post office box. Scheidegger has given notice. “I will deliver the three keys to the PO box to the Küssnacht am Rigi branch at the turn of the year,” says the 82-year-old.
From 0 to 120 francs
The reason for his termination is an increase in the annual fee. From January 1, 2022, Swiss Post will be charging an impressive 120 francs per year. So far, the service has been free for Scheidegger. It is therefore clear to him: “120 francs is too much.”
Swiss Post informed the former journalist about the increase in the annual fee in a letter. There is talk of an “optimization” of the offer. All PO box owners received this letter at the beginning of October. Anyone who does not explicitly oppose the new fee tacitly accepts the offer. An old marketing ploy.
Scheidegger has spoken out against it. He replies with a letter to the post office and sends it directly to the corporate headquarters in Bern-Wankdorf. It is a letter that is formulated with a sharp pen, full of sarcastic statements, with faultless spelling, the message is unmistakable. Scheidegger may have been retired for a long time, but he can still write.
Absurd charge logic
“We took our mail from the mailbox ourselves every day,” writes Scheidegger. “Mostly also the parcels that were announced by a red ‘pick-up request’ via mailbox. For decades, we have taken delivery of six weekly deliveries from the post. “
“Swiss Post“ owes ”to us for this service in the future with a very adventurous fee of 120 francs per year,” it continues.
He does the math. If Scheidegger wants to keep the post office box and pick up the post himself, he will have to pay 33 cents per day in future. A charging logic that he cannot follow – and does not want to follow either.
“Golden rascal”
“This means that from January 1, 2022, we will no longer need our post office box in the Küssnacht am Rigi branch,” concludes Scheidegger. “Because from this point on, we – like all private households that do not have a post office box – will be provided with the daily delivery service by Swiss Post.”
This ends a relationship that has survived for decades. It’s also a sign of the mailbox’s decline. It was once coveted, but now the number of users is manageable. “Of the 274,200 PO boxes today, around 153,200 are unused due to a lack of demand,” says Post spokesman Erich Goetschi.
He confirms the new post office box fee, but does not comment on the individual case. Goetschi adds, however, that up until now, certain customers have been paying 240 francs a year – due to insufficient letter volumes. Now everyone pays half for their mailbox – no matter how many letters someone receives.
After all: “Post boxes that the Post itself requested will remain free in the future,” says Goetschi. “For example in very mountainous villages, where home delivery is too dangerous due to the steep path.”
Scheidegger’s house above Lake Lucerne does not meet these criteria. He now replaces the morning walk to the mailbox with a long walk with the dog. An Italian mix. “A golden rascal,” says Scheidegger.