Evri has been named the worst-performing delivery company in the UK for the second year running.
According to the parcel league table – which is published each year by Citizens Advice, and scores delivery companies against a number of criteria including customer service, parcel problems, and accessibility needs – Evri, formerly known as Hermes, failed to secure even a three-star overall rating out of five.
The information and advice organisation measured the performance of the top five delivery companies in the UK by parcel volume using data from its Consumer Service, as well as consumer polling and social media complaints.
Now facing calls for regulator Ofcom to consider fining the company if it cannot improve its service, a spokesperson for the Evri said the businesses prides itself on offering a “fast, reliable, sustainable service which doesn’t cost the earth for consumers and businesses alike”.
But the firm scored just 1.75 stars in the annual ranking, and came last for a second year running, despite what was called an overall improvement to services.
Yodel, DPD, and Amazon Logistics are three other parcel firms continuing to fail consumers.
Yodel got the lowest score on a single criteria of all the firms, only achieving just 1.7 stars for customer service – with almost half of Yodel customers polled by Citizens Advice (43%) reporting a problem with their last delivery, compared with just over a quarter (28%) of Royal Mail customers – with the latter achieving the highest overall score in the ranking.
As well as publishing the annual ranking, Citizen’s Advice also revealed that a link to its online advice page titled ‘If something you ordered hasn’t arrived’ had been viewed almost 211,000 times in the last 12 months.
The page had even been viewed 52,000 times in the three months leading up to last Christmas.
“One year on and parcel firms haven’t got their act together, with nobody delivering a four or five-star service,” commented Dame Clare Moriarty – Chief Executive at Citizen’s Advice.
“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, and 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.”
In response to the calls to fine delivery companies, an Ofcom spokesman added: “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.”
Featured Image – Evri