Evri ranked as worst performing parcel firm for second year running

Evri has been ranked as the worst performing parcel firm for the second year running.

The company, formerly known as Hermes, was given  lowest star rating out of a possible five in rankings by the Citizens Advice.

Four of the top five firms failed to secure even a 3-star overall rating, after being scored against criteria including customer service, parcel problems and accessibility needs, such as people needing longer to answer the door.

Citizens Advice found that no parcel companies hit 3 stars when it comes to meeting the needs of disabled customers and any other individuals who require adjustments for how they receive parcels.

DPD scored highest with 2.4 stars, but across all delivery firms, people needing extra support with their delivery were more than twice as likely to face delivery problems, compared with those who didn’t (54% and 26% respectively).

Yodel scores the lowest score on any criteria, scoring 1.70 for customer service. Close to half (43%) of Yodel customers polled by Citizens Advice reported a problem with their last delivery, compared to just over a quarter (28%) of Royal Mail customers.

Almost half (46%) of customers who had an issue with their last delivery faced further problems when trying to find a resolution, such as not being able to find the right contact details or not receiving a response. Worst offenders were Yodel (52%), Evri and DPD (both 51%).

Despite facing problems, customers still awarded the parcel companies improved trust scores compared to last year, with Amazon and Royal Mail achieving 4.33 stars. The charity says this could point to shoppers’ generally low expectations of delivery firms.

Citizens Advice also revealed its online advice ‘If something you ordered hasn’t arrived’ has been viewed almost 211,000 times in the last 12 months, and was viewed 52,000 times in the three months leading up to Christmas 2021.

The scores

The top five delivery companies by parcel volume were measured against four criteria using data from Citizens Advice Consumer Service, consumer polling and social media complaints.

Dame Clare Moriarty, Chief Executive of Citizens Advice, said:

“One year on and parcel firms haven’t got their act together, with nobody delivering a 4 or 5-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.”

Right of reply… 

Evri disputed the data used by Citizens Advice in compiling the table, a spokesperson for the company 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 business alike,” they said.

“We have made significant investments to improve our services as we grow, adding dedicated customer service teams operating seven days a week in depots; building the biggest parcel distribution hub in Europe, in Barnsley; and expanded our ParcelShops and Lockers, which help customers to send and receive parcels at over 10,000 locations nationwide, improving first-time delivery rates and reducing the carbon footprint of each delivery.

“The survey from the Citizen’s Advice Bureau is based on inaccurate data and we have raised significant concerns with them about their survey methodology which uses historic volume data, is overly reliant on Twitter and includes references to fake and incorrect handles.”

Citizens Advice Consumer Expert, Jane Parsons, gives her top tips to help combat parcel delivery issues:

1. Check delivery information – Before you place an order, find out the delivery times, costs and returns policies for the items you want

2. If you’re out of the house during delivery – Consider asking a neighbour or friend if it can be delivered to their address if you think it may be a time or date you’re not home. But beware, if you do provide details of a safe space or nominated neighbour and something goes wrong it’s not the seller or courier’s responsibility

3. Online trader or online marketplace? – Make sure you know if you are dealing with a trader or a private seller on an online marketplace as dispute processes may vary.  If you have an issue with a trader, a dispute can be raised directly with them, but if it’s a private individual it may be easier to go through a marketplace’s dispute process

4. Check reviews – It’s always worth taking a careful look at reviews to gain an insight as to how reliable the company is and how well they deal with missing parcel complaints and refunds