Shoppers continue to face a substandard delivery service with no major parcel firm securing even a three star rating in Citizens Advice’s annual parcels league table.
In the last month, over 13 million people experienced a delivery issue with the last parcel they received, according to new research carried out by the charity.
Citizens Advice’s third parcels league table looks at the top five delivery companies by parcel volume and measures their performance against criteria including customer service, delivery problems and accessibility needs (such as people needing longer to answer the door).
According to the survey, 34% of shoppers experienced a delivery problem with the last parcel they received. Problems included parcels left in insecure locations and parcels arriving late. Worst offenders were Yodel (40%), DPD (37%) and Evri (34%).
Of those consumers that experienced a problem with their delivery, 43% of consumers then had a further issue when trying to resolve the problem, such as not being able to find the right company contact details or not receiving a response. In the end, over half of those that had further issues found it difficult to resolve their problem. This figure rose to 60% of people with a disability.
Almost all parcel firms scored 2 stars or below when it came to meeting the needs of disabled customers or individuals who require adjustments to how they receive parcels. An estimated 7.2 million people have an accessibility need they’d like to share with their parcel delivery company. However almost half (45%) of these people were unable to do so.
Overall, Evri and Yodel come in last place, with a score of just 2 stars out of a possible 5. Royal Mail and Amazon jointly come top – but with a “meagre” 2.75 stars.
Clare Moriarty, chief executive of Citizens Advice, said: “Online shoppers are being let down by a substandard delivery service. This is an issue we feel has been neglected for far too long.
“We continue to hear from consumers that are chasing up lost, late or damaged parcel deliveries, it’s become an unfair and at times, costly burden to bear.
“With a seasonal surge of deliveries on the horizon, parcel companies must take action to protect shoppers and get to the root cause of these persistent failings.”
These negative delivery experiences can also harm customer loyalty for retailers. A study conducted this summer found 78% of UK consumers were not likely to shop with a brand again following a below par experience.
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