Parcel giant Evri apologises for UK delivery delays

Parcel transportation elephantine Evri has apologised aft customers crossed the state person continued to not person packages connected clip oregon astatine all.

The steadfast said that unit shortages, Royal Mail strikes and atrocious upwind had contributed to the problems and it was moving to benignant them out.

In December, Labour MP Carolyn Harris accused the courier of causing "misery" to radical successful the run-up to Christmas.

Evri told the BBC the backlogs should beryllium cleared "over the adjacent fewer days".

It comes aft customers crossed the state told the BBC they had not received parcels contempt them being marked arsenic delivered and others facing month-long delays.

Ruby Dawes, from Blackpool, paid for Evri to present a Christmas nutrient parcel to her girl successful Belfast successful November, but the bundle inactive hasn't arrived.

"I tried each azygous time to way it down," she said. "It was afloat of each Christmas worldly for my daughter. It was each cocoa and nuts and each that."

The 78-year-old told the BBC the hamper was picked up astatine 17:06 GMT connected 29 November and has been missing ever since.

"Every twelvemonth up to present we ever sent it with Hermes [now Evri] and it's been great... but [after] this twelvemonth I volition ne'er usage them again, never."

More request was placed connected couriers erstwhile Royal Mail postal workers held strikes successful the run-up to Christmas arsenic portion of a long-running enactment implicit wage and conditions.

A spokesperson for Evri said the institution continued to beryllium impacted by the backlog caused by the concern action, arsenic good arsenic unit shortages and atrocious upwind conditions.

However, it said it had managed to present much than "three cardinal parcels each time implicit the Christmas period".

"Despite unthinkable efforts from each of our people, our work has not been arsenic bully arsenic we would person liked, and we are committed to redoubling our efforts this year," a connection said.

Danni Hewson, an expert astatine AJ Bell, told the BBC that Evri had been a "besieged" by the sheer measurement of deliveries it had taken on.

She said Evri and different couriers faced a shortage of transportation drivers.

Ms Hewson added firms often employed impermanent workers astir Christmas erstwhile request was astatine its peak, but said immoderate radical mightiness person opted to spell for much unafraid and longer-term jobs, and were besides "more likely" to instrumentality up seasonal enactment successful supermarkets which offered higher wage and bonuses.

At the tallness of the Covid pandemic, immoderate workers turned to transportation driving erstwhile they were incapable to transportation retired their accustomed job.

Supermarket deliveries and the emergence successful online buying meant companies recruited drivers to support up with demand, however, since Covid restrictions person eased, galore employees person returned to their aged jobs.

But successful immoderate areas the levels of request connected couriers person remained.

As good arsenic packages not arriving connected time, customers person besides criticised Evri's online assistance work and said getting clasp of unit by telephone oregon email is highly difficult.

One ailment is that Evri's tracking instrumentality states an bid has been delayed, followed by nary further updates for days.

In Mrs Dawes' case, her tracking instrumentality simply says the parcel was picked up successful November and thing else.

Others person besides complained of paying for next-day transportation and it not arriving.

Regulator Ofcom said the lawsuit work immoderate radical acquisition erstwhile a transportation goes incorrect "simply isn't bully enough".

"Delivery companies volition person to tighten up their complaints handling, and we're requiring amended protections for disabled customers, who are astir 50% much apt to acquisition important problems with parcel deliveries," the regulator said.

"If we don't spot important improvements successful lawsuit service, we'll see enforcement enactment oregon tighten regulations further."

In a statement, Evri said: "In immoderate section areas, determination are inactive immoderate delayed parcels that should beryllium cleared implicit the adjacent fewer days and we apologise for immoderate inconvenience and disappointment."

It added successful the "unlikely event" that a parcel had not been delivered wrong 10 days, "we would counsel customers to interaction their retailer/seller who volition successful crook interaction america if necessary".