Best and worst parcel firms revealed in new survey by watchdog Ofcom - Evri and Yodel least satisfactory
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The best - and worst - parcel firms have been revealed in a new survey by watchdog, Ofcom, with Evri and Yodel propping up the charts. Customers said they are least satisfied with the two package giants when contacting them for help, while Amazon and DHL were the best performers.
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Hide AdThe news comes after Ofcom published its annual Post Monitoring Report, which sets out data and trends in the postal sector, including people’s experiences of sending and receiving post.
Data showed the number of UK-addressed letters posted fell by 9.0%, to 6.6 billion items, in 2023-24. However, the research showed around two thirds (64%) of people say post is important to them for staying in touch with friends and family, while eight in 10 (82%) said there are things they will always need to send by post.
An Ofcom spokesperson said: “Our report also finds that, while on average eight in 10 parcel recipients (78%) are satisfied with parcel firms, two thirds (67%) have had a delivery issue in the past six months. The most common issues experienced are delivery delays (27%), parcels being left in an inappropriate location (23%), the delivery driver not knocking loudly enough (20%), and not being given sufficient time to answer the door (19%).”
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Hide AdThe number of measured parcels across the UK - largely those from online retailers like Amazon - increased by 8.3%, to 3.9 billion items in 2023-24, close to the 4.0 billion pandemic peak in 2020-21, the survey said. However, those who experienced problems with deliveries found some companies were not always helpful, the watchdog went on.
“If someone buys something online and their parcel is damaged or does not arrive, the most common way to seek redress is from the online retailer under consumer law,” the spokesperson said. “The sender may then seek redress from the parcel firm, and sometimes a recipient may need to contact the parcel operator.
“When comparing individual parcel companies’ performance in handling contacts and complaints from parcel recipients, Amazon (56%) and DHL (55%) secure the highest levels of satisfaction with this process this year. FedEx has slipped to third place, with its proportion of satisfied parcel recipients falling from 58% in 2023 to 52% in 2024.
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Hide Ad“Yodel performs below average on some aspects of its customer contact processes, contributing to a satisfaction score of 38%, Evri, once again, has the lowest levels of satisfaction. The company has, however, improved on its 2023 performance, closing the gap at the bottom of the table with its satisfaction score increasing from 26% to 32% during the last year.”
It said there were also other signs of improvement from parcels companies in some areas of their customer experience, with customers’ satisfaction with the process of contacting the parcel company to discuss an issue or complaint increasing from 41% in 2023 to 44% in 2024. Customers also had less cause to complain about a delayed parcel (19% in 2024 vs 23% in 2023) or a parcel not being delivered (16% in 2024 vs 20% in 2023) than they did a year ago, it said.
“Ofcom has strengthened regulations to make sure people are treated fairly by parcel companies, and we are speaking to companies to understand how they are improving their service,” the spokesperson added.
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Hide Ad“Parcel operators have made a number of improvements to complaints handling, including better information on their websites; improvements to phone lines and live chat; and introducing options for customers to request an email or call back. We expect further, sustained and continued improvement. We remain particularly concerned that disabled consumers and those with limiting conditions are still more likely to encounter difficulties with the delivery process (71%) compared to other people (63%).”
The Royal Mail, meanwhile, won back some of the parcel volumes and revenues it lost the previous year because of industrial action, the report said, but the company continues to make a loss. “We continue to have concerns about the longer-term sustainability of the universal service, and we are progressing work on the future of the service, as well as an investigation into Royal Mail’s delivery performance,” Ofcom said.
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