All of the UK’s major parcel firms are continuing to fail consumers amid calls for regulator Ofcom to consider fining them if they cannot improve their service.
Evri, formerly known as Hermes, Yodel, DPD and Amazon Logistics failed to secure even a three-star overall rating out of five after being scored against criteria including customer service, parcel problems and accessibility needs, such as people needing longer to answer the door.
Evri came last for a second year running despite an overall improvement to score just 1.75 stars in the second annual parcel league table by Citizens Advice.
Yodel got the lowest score on a single criterion of all the firms, achieving just 1.7 stars for customer service.
Almost half of Yodel customers polled by Citizens Advice (43%) reported a problem with their last delivery, compared with just over a quarter (28%) of Royal Mail customers.
Royal Mail achieved the highest overall score but still only managed three stars.
Citizens Advice also revealed that a link to its online advice “If something you ordered hasn’t arrived” had been viewed almost 211,000 times in the past 12 months, and 52,000 times in the three months leading up to last Christmas.
Citizens Advice measured the performance of the top five companies by parcel volume using data from its consumer service, consumer polling and social media complaints.
We agree that some parcel companies are failing their customers when deliveries go wrong. So we’re strengthening our regulations next year to make sure people are treated fairly by parcel firms— Ofcom spokesman
Citizens Advice chief executive Dame Clare Moriarty said: “One year on and parcel firms haven’t got their act together, with nobody delivering a four- or five-star service.
“Behind the figures are shoppers seriously let down when parcels go missing or are late. The needs of those who rely most on online shopping, such as disabled people, are being forgotten.
“Our findings show there’s more for Ofcom to do to protect shoppers, and if these firms don’t up their game, it should be fining them.”
Ofcom said: “We agree that some parcel companies are failing their customers when deliveries go wrong. So we’re strengthening our regulations next year to make sure people are treated fairly by parcel firms.
“We welcome research that shines a light on their performance, which we are monitoring too. If we’re not satisfied with how companies respond when our new protections come into force, they may face enforcement action or tighter rules in future.”
Yodel said: “We are fully committed to continuously improving and have invested heavily in customer service infrastructure over the last year, including the launch of a new app and proof-of-delivery images which provide customers with greater transparency.
“We disagree with the methodology and findings of this report. Our own parcel data and Have Your Say feedback programmes show that 84% of our customers had a positive experience with us over the last six months.”
Evri said: “As the UK’s leading dedicated parcel company, Evri delivers over two million parcels each day and we pride ourselves on offering a fast, reliable, sustainable service which doesn’t cost the earth for consumers and businesses alike.”
