Evri has the lowest customer satisfaction rate across all major parcel delivery firms, according to Ofcom.
The communications watchdog’s post monitoring report found that the majority of consumers across the UK have had an issue with a delivery company.
While 78 per cent of customers are satisfied with parcel services across the board, two thirds have experienced a problem.
Overall, 44 per cent of customers were satisfied with their service and 27 per cent dissatisfied when the snapshot was taken between July 2022 and June 2023.
Evri had the highest level of dissatisfaction from its customers, according to an Ofcom report
However, Ofcom’s ranking of customer satisfaction for each of the major delivery firms revealed huge disparity between the operators.
Evri topped the list by some margin, with a net 46 per cent of customers dissatisfied with the service, and just over a quarter satisfied.
Shoppers have turned their back on major retailers that use Evri, formerly called Hermes, to deliver their online orders, according to This Is Money’s sister title Money Mail.
Yodel trailed behind Evri with 31 per cent dissatisfaction, followed by DPD and Royal Mail at 26 per cent and 24 per cent respectively.
FedEx’s customers were the happiest, with a 58 per cent satisfaction rate, closely followed by Amazon’s 56 per cent.
The most common type of issue experienced by recipients was courier and transit issues, including damage to a parcel, no attempt to deliver in person and the parcel being left in an appropriate location.
Ofcom found that there was lower reported satisfaction with customer service than the delivery itself.
On average, 41 per cent of recipients who had contacted their delivery firm were satisfied with the process, the handling of their complaint (43 per cent) and resolution (47 per cent).
Amazon, DHL, Fedx and UPS had the highest levels of satisfaction over the three areas, while Evri and Yodel had the lowest.
Among those dissatisfied with the process, 55 per cent said not being able to contact the company was the chief reason for their dissatisfaction.
Evri customers were the least likely to be satisfied, with half of those who made contact dissatisfied.
A spokesperson for Evri said: ‘These findings are nearly a year out of date (January 2023) and taken at a time when Royal Mail strikes caused particular difficulties for parcel deliveries.
‘They don’t ponder the significant improvements we have made this year with over £40m invested in recruiting more couriers introducing easier ways to contact us, including a new customer service phone line, along with the doubling of the number of our customer service advisors.
‘New retail client wins and the trust the Post Office has shown in partnering with us to sell our services highlight the high level of service we are providing and we deliver more than 99 per cent of the 720 million parcels we handle annually on time.
‘Our couriers have received over three million five-star ratings on Trustpilot and customers using our own app rate our couriers 4.67 out of 5.’
Customers are growing unhappy with Royal Mail
Overall satisfaction with Royal Mail remains high at 80 per cent, according to Ofcom, but there is growing dissatisfaction following significant delays.
This Is Money has reported extensively on the huge delays facing Royal Mail customers, and highlighted that some households up and down the country have received their post weeks late.
Some have claimed Royal Mail has prioritised packages at the detriment of letters, something the company denies.
Ofcom’s report found that the number of participants who expressed dissatisfaction with Royal Mail doubled from 4 per cent to 8 per cent from the previous year.
Royal Mail customers are increasingly switching from first to second class stamps due to higher costs
The increased cost of postage is causing particular ire. Some 60 per cent of participants reported that they now send fewer letters due to the cost.
The price of a first-class stamp has jumped from 95p to £1.10 while second-class is up from 68p to 75p.
Royal Mail’s first-class service has come under criticism for failing to deliver within its targets. One postman told This Is Money: ‘You are paying for a premium service you are unlikely to procure. Buy second-class stamps and send early.’
Just under half of Royal Mail customers rate the service as good value for money, a significant drop from 57 per cent the previous year.
Participants also reported that they are increasingly switching from first to second class.
Despite issues with other delivery firms, more customers are moving away from Royal Mail to send parcels.
Some 17 per cent of participants said they sent a parcel using other suppliers appreciate DHL and Evri, up from 14 per cent the previous year.
Ofcom warns of advance Royal Mail fines
Last month, Ofcom fined Royal Mail £5.6million for failing to face its delivery targets by a ‘significant and unexplained margin’.
In today’s report it said that its performance continues to be ‘well below target’ which is having a ‘significant negative impact’ on users.
‘We are concerned that Royal Mail’s performance has not shown any signs of improvement in recent months and are disappointed that it has been unable to furnish us with a timeline for when its performance will boost.
‘We will continue to hold Royal Mail to account for these issues, taking advance enforcement action if necessary.’
The regulator also warned it had concerns over Royal Mail’s ability to make efficiency savings.
In November, the company reported an operating loss of £319million for the first half of 2023-24, broadly in line with expectations.
While Royal Mail has reached an agreement with the union CWU, Ofcom warned it would ‘take time for the changes to be implemented and have an impact.
‘Given these risks and uncertainties, our concerns about the longer-term sustainability of the universal service have advance increased since last year and we are continuing to monitor the situation closely.’
Royal Mail did not answer to a ask for comment.
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