DHL is the UK’s least reliable courier firm, a survey has suggested, as postal workers walk out again – the fifth of seven strike days this month.
The industrial action has prompted a warning to shoppers not to rely on online orders for Christmas.
The British Independent Retailers Association said people should go into stores in person if they want to get gifts before the big day.
Parcel companies say the postal strikes are driving up demand for their services, in some cases forcing them to delay next-day deliveries as people and firms seek alternatives to the Royal Mail.
But new research has revealed a slew of Christmas “delivery disasters” last year.
When consumer group Which? surveyed more than 1,500 people about their experience of deliveries last Christmas, it found that two in five suffered one or more problems.
One online shopper reported a pet tarantula was delayed in the delivery system and held for an extra night.
Others reported laptops and other expensive electronics being left on doorsteps in the rain and parcels left in bins.
One in seven people who received a delivery last Christmas reported their parcel was late, one in 10 said it was left outside without their permission and 8 per cent said their parcel was not delivered at all.
In one case, a pair of slippers was thrown over a fence into a neighbour’s pond, even though they were home at the time.
One in 10 shoppers said the condition of their parcel was poor.
In a separate survey on delivery companies, just under two-thirds – 64 per cent – of respondents said they were satisfied with their DHL delivery, fewer than eight rivals, including Evri and Yodel.
Some 89 per cent of people said they were satisfied with Amazon deliveries, for Royal Mail it was 86 per cent and DPD 79 per cent.
Next came Evri, with 76 per cent, followed by FedEx at 74 per cent and Yodel at 72 per cent. UPS and Parcelforce each scored 70 per cent, higher than DHL’s 64 per cent.
The research found that nominating a safe place will not necessarily prevent problems. One in four respondents who nominated a safe place had something go wrong, some saying their instructions were ignored altogether.
Which? warned that people might not be able to claim compensation for items delayed by postal strikes because most Royal Mail services are not guaranteed day services.
A spokesperson for DHL Parcels UK said: “We’re committed to providing excellent service and always looking for ways to make improvements.
“As part of this, we regularly speak to customers to find out how we can do better, including running monthly, fully independent, surveys.
“In the six-month period to September 2022, our customer satisfaction score, tracking a wide range of metrics, was 88 per cent.”
The remaining two Royal Mail worker strikes in December after Thursday are on Friday 23 and Saturday 24.
