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IMDA fines SingPost S$100,000 for series of service lapses in 2017

SINGAPORE — The Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) said on Thursday (Feb 7) it will impose a financial penalty of S$100,000 on SingPost for failing to meet the delivery standards of local basic letters and registered mail on nine occasions in 2017.

The authority said that in assessing SingPost’s non-compliance with its Quality of Service (QoS) standards, it took into account that “this was not the first instance that SingPost failed to comply” with the standards.

The authority said that in assessing SingPost’s non-compliance with its Quality of Service (QoS) standards, it took into account that “this was not the first instance that SingPost failed to comply” with the standards.

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SINGAPORE — The Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) said on Thursday (Feb 7) it will impose a financial penalty of S$100,000 on SingPost for failing to meet the delivery standards of local basic letters and registered mail on nine occasions in 2017.

The authority said that in assessing SingPost’s non-compliance with its Quality of Service (QoS) standards, it took into account that “this was not the first instance that SingPost failed to comply” with the standards.

IMDA said it also considered SingPost’s efforts to redeliver the delayed mail which ensured late deliveries “were successfully redelivered within one week”.

Ms Aileen Chia, IMDA’s Deputy Chief Executive and Director-General (Telecoms & Post), said: “The recent service lapses by SingPost indicate gaps in SingPost’s processes and we require them to implement measures urgently to meet the public’s evolving postal needs.”

IMDA said it is assessing SingPost’s quality of service for last year and it will publish the results by the middle of this year.

Under IMDA's Postal Quality of Service standards, SingPost is required to submit quarterly reports of various indicators such as the timeliness of the delivery of local basic letters and the despatch of outgoing basic letters.

For example, it has to deliver 99 per cent of all basic letters by the next working day after they have been posted, and 100 per cent within two working days.

Failure to comply with these standards may result in a fine of up to S$50,000 a month for each indicator.

Of late, SingPost has been making negative headlines, including the latest incident last month which affected numerous residents living in the Ang Mo Kio Ave 4 and 5 area.

A SingPost postman was arrested for allegedly discarding mail into a dustbin without delivering them.

The IMDA had previously expressed “grave concerns” over the incident.

On Thursday, the authority reiterated that it will be investigating this incident — separate from the police probe — and “firm action will be taken” against such behaviour which is an offence under the Postal Services Act.

Under the Postal Services Act, it is an offence for “any officer, employee or agent of a postal licensee to destroy or throw away any postal article or anything contained therein”.

If convicted, the offender may be fined up to S$10,000, jailed for not more than three years, or both.

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IMDA SingPost delivery fine

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