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As millions of Britons faced issues with their most recent parcel delivery, a new report has revealed how customers rate some of the biggest delivery companies.
New research from Citizens Advice estimates that a record 15 million people experienced a problem with their latest parcel in the UK, as the charity calls on Ofcom to take tougher action.
Yodel, one of the UK’s largest delivery services, landed bottom of the ratings, scoring just two out of five stars overall for its customer service, delivery, accessibility and trust.
Dame Clare Moriarty, chief executive of Citizens Advice, said: “Our league table has tracked parcel problems from warehouse to doorstep. We continue to see millions of people chasing lost parcels, having their accessibility needs ignored and hitting a brick wall when they try to complain.”
The table looks at the top five delivery companies by parcel volume. More than 8,000 UK adults who had recently received a parcel from one of the five companies were surveyed by Opinium as part of the research and asked to rate the services.
Coming out at the top of the table was Royal Mail, which earned 3.25 stars overall. The postal service scored the highest for trust, getting four stars, while only earning 2.8 for accessibility.
Despite bagging the top spot for parcel deliveries, Royal Mail was slapped with a £21m fine in October after missing its annual first and second class mail delivery targets, leading to millions of late letters across the UK.
Amazon Logistics came in at second on the table, scoring three stars, and DPD and Evri tied for third, earning 2.25 stars.
Evri said that while it was “great” to receive recognition of its progress, it still had “further improvements planned” and knows it has more to do.
A spokesperson said: “By listening to feedback and investing in the right tools, systems, and training, we have been able to make tangible improvements for our customers as we remain focused on building further trust and consistency across each delivery.”
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Royal Mail was fined £21m for failing to meet its delivery targets (PA)
Citizens Advice said the research revealed failures from Ofcom, the postal service regulator, and has called on them to start taking tougher action on the parcel market and fine the worst offenders.
Dame Clare said: “Ofcom has passed the parcel of responsibility for long enough. We’ve been doing the work of the regulator for five years now by holding parcel companies to account and speaking up for consumers who are bearing the brunt of persistently poor service.”
An Ofcom spokesperson said: “We have a strong track record of holding parcel firms to account on behalf of the public.”
It said that people’s experiences can vary depending on the company delivering their package, and it would continue to press operators to make improvements.
A Royal Mail spokesperson said: “We are pleased Royal Mail came first in the Citizens Advice parcels league table for the fourth year running. Since last year, we’ve made great strides in providing customers with the most convenient options for sending, returning and collecting parcels.”
An Amazon spokesperson said: “Every day at Amazon, incredible employees and independent delivery partners come together to provide fast, reliable and safe delivery for our customers.
“The vast majority of deliveries make it to customers without issue. In the rare case something occurs, we work with customers directly to make it right.”
The Independent has contacted Yodel for comment.
