PEOPLE on the Isle of Skye have been forced to make 90-mile round trips to collect their parcels after courier service Evri stopped doing home deliveries on the island, locals have said.
It comes after reports earlier in the month that Evri’s sole driver on the island, which has a population of some 10,000 people, had resigned for personal reasons.
Speaking to BBC Good Morning Scotland on Wednesday, one Skye resident named Natalie said: “The problems that we have up here are mainly with Evri, who for a long time haven't provided the best service to the island.
“We always accepted if something was coming from Evri, we would wait a few days longer than expected, sometimes maybe a couple of weeks longer.
“But as of the last month or so, they have completely stopped delivering to home addresses on the island.”
She went on: “They [the parcels] are being sent to various parcel collection points over the island, but there doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason as to where they go compared to where you live.
“So, for example, where I live, the nearest collection point would be the post office at Isleornsay, which is three miles down the road from me.
“But I know people that live in this area, and their parcels have been taken to Portree, which is an 80-90 mile round trip to go and collect a parcel.”
On social media, others have raised concerns about Evri’s services to Skye residents.
On Saturday, Twitter/X user Shona Nic a’ Mhaoilein shared an image of herself in front of what appeared to be messy piles of undelivered parcels.
If you’re ever bored in Skye, order from somewhere that uses Evri as a ‘courier’ and you’ll get to spend your Saturday morning in a pile of parcels looking for your own! ☺️ I did locate it after about 5 minutes of sporghail but… 😬 pic.twitter.com/tmdmipiyWN
— Shona Nic a’ Mhaoilein (@ShonaMac24) August 24, 2024
She wrote: “If you’re ever bored in Skye, order from somewhere that uses Evri as a ‘courier’ and you’ll get to spend your Saturday morning in a pile of parcels looking for your own!
“I did locate it after about five minutes of sporghail [Gaelic for rummaging] but…”
Gaelic campaigner Martainn Mac a'Bhaillidh responded: “Between the queue and the search it took me 50 minutes the other week!”
Barrister Jennifer Blair had written on the same social media site last Thursday: “I live on the Isle of Skye and Evri’s delivery network has broken down here but buyers don’t know that Evri will be used and retailers don’t know about the problems. There is chaos.”
She added: “Post is showing as delivered when it hasn’t been, parcels are being just randomly left at random addresses or being ‘diverted’ to random places with no notification. Retailers are refusing refunds because items aren’t shown as lost.”
Previously, the Press and Journal reported that some parcels meant for Portree had been re-routed to Raasay – meaning residents had to take a return ferry journey to collect their order.
Speaking to BBC Good Morning Scotland, local resident Natalie raised similar concerns. “ “Often you don't get to see who they [any online retailer] are delivering with until afterwards and then you get a message that says your parcel will be coming with Evri and your heart sinks,” she said.
“The problem is we are ordering a service that is not being delivered and is then putting us out.
“If you're somebody who doesn't drive, if you don't have access to a car or you work during the daytime, you don't have the ability to drive 90 miles to go and pick a parcel up that you have already paid for home delivery.”
Evri has been approached for comment.
Previously, a spokesperson for the firm said: “Our ambition is that everyone’s experience is a positive and we apologise to any customers who have been inconvenienced by the temporary parcel diversion scheme.
“We are urgently seeking self-employed couriers to join and serve the local community. The role offers great flexibility and competitive earnings with a bonus to join.”
