The top parcel delivery firm on the list only received 3.25 out of 5 stars
Citizens Advice has revealed that over a third of people encountered issues with their most recent parcel delivery, indicating a “broken” market. Yodel found itself at the bottom of the charity’s annual parcel league table, failing to improve on last year’s two-star rating out of five.
Royal Mail, however, clinched the top spot with a score of 3.25 stars. The most prevalent issues included the driver departing before the recipient could reach the door (29 per cent), parcels being left in insecure locations (24 per cent), and late arrivals (24 per cent).
Citizens Advice highlighted that while there have been “marginal” changes in scores over the past five years, the overall trend shows consumers being “persistently failed” by parcel companies. A staggering 15 million people – equating to 37 per cent of those who have used a parcel service – experienced an issue with their latest delivery, according to a survey for the report.
The study, conducted over a one-month period, reveals that the rate of parcel problems remains at its highest in half a decade. The charity’s league table assesses the top five delivery companies by parcel volume, evaluating their performance based on customer service, delivery issues, and how well they meet accessibility needs, such as requiring louder knocking or more time to answer the door.
Accessibility scores amongst delivery firms have deteriorated this year, despite Ofcom introducing new requirements for companies to allow disabled customers to register their accessibility requirements.
Research by Citizens Advice indicates that three million people with accessibility needs they wish to communicate (37 per cent) remain unable to do so with firms.
Performance on complaints and customer service has remained unchanged, with nearly half (47 per cent) of those encountering delivery problems facing additional difficulties when attempting to resolve them, including delayed responses, problems with automated systems such as chatbots, and needing to contact companies repeatedly to receive a reply.
Whilst Ofcom issued guidance on complaints and accessibility in 2023, Citizens Advice stated that both its research and Ofcom’s own data revealed many parcel firms continue to disregard these regulations. Citizens Advice is urging Ofcom to scrutinise performance and impose penalties on the poorest performers.
Dame Clare Moriarty, chief executive of Citizens Advice, 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.”
She added: “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 question now is whether the regulator will take tougher action to improve the parcel market once and for all.”
An Ofcom spokesperson responded: “We have a strong track record of holding parcel firms to account on behalf of the public. That has involved tracking people’s experiences of parcel deliveries for over a decade, and, as a result, introducing strengthened regulations on parcel firms in 2023. Under these rules, postal operators must have a simple and transparent complaints process in place, and have clear and effective policies and procedures for the fair treatment of disabled customers.”
The spokesperson added: “While overall satisfaction is reasonably high at 78 per cent, people’s experiences can vary depending on which parcel company delivers their package, and we’re continuing to press operators to make further improvements.”
They concluded: We’ll also continue to work with Citizens Advice – as the statutory consumer advocate for post – to achieve our shared goal of ensuring consumers receive a reliable service, whichever company is used.”
Opinium Research conducted a survey of 8,000 UK adults between August 29 and September 27 who had received a parcel in the previous month from one of Royal Mail, DPD, Yodel, Amazon Logistics or Evri.
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