A league table shows that the boom in home parcel delivery has created intense competition among rival providers but resulted in poor customer service.
The results of all companies polled were poor, Hermes finishing last.
Amazon is the clear winner, however all major delivery companies rated by Citizens Advice did not receive more than three out of five stars.
This charity advised that every postal service was losing packages and providing unacceptable customer service.
It urged the regulator Ofcom to step in and ‘introduce tougher rules across the board for delivery companies’.
Amazon is the clear winner, however all major delivery companies rated by Citizens Advice did not receive more than three stars from a possible 5.
In lockdown, online sales soared by 56 percent compared to the pre-pandemic period. Delivery companies have not been able to meet the demand.
The Citizens Advice online help page ‘If something you ordered hasn’t arrived’ has been viewed almost 160,000 times this year – an increase of 69 per cent from the same period in 2019.
On categories such as customer issues, trust, accessibility and customer service, the charity was able to rank Amazon, Yodel and Yodel.
Amazon took first place, scoring 2.75 stars. Royal Mail scored 2.5 stars and DPD 2.25.
Yodel was placed fourth, with 1.75 star stars. Hermes was at 1.5 star. The ratings were measured by Citizens Advice’s Consumer Service, customer polls and complaints on social media.
One complaint was from a man, who requested headphones be sent to Australia but had them delivered to his Hertfordshire home.
Another customer complained that he had to speak to almost 30 different customer service agents to report the theft of a parcel worth £150.
Citizens Advice feels Ofcom should impose a fine on companies when staff negligence causes parcels to be lost or stolen.
Amazon Logistics and Royal Mail are both leaders in this category, but there’s still much to be done.
Royal Mail cannot be punished for the loss of parcels. Dame Clare Moriarty, the chief executive of Citizens Advice, said: ‘Parcel deliveries became a lockdown lifeline for us all, but the scale of problems experienced by many of us shows huge cracks in the sector.
‘Even though Amazon Logistics and Royal Mail top the table, there is still significant room for improvement.
‘Hermes and Yodel need to improve in leaps and bounds.
‘While this should be a wake-up call for firms to strive to deliver a five-star service for consumers, we have serious reservations about how far companies will improve if left to their own devices.
‘Our findings show it’s time for Ofcom to come forward and introduce tougher rules across the board for delivery companies.’
It is clear that home deliveries are profitable.
Royal Mail delivered 496million packages in the last quarter of 2020 – an all-time high. Pre-tax profit hit £726million in the year to March 28, compared with £180million a year earlier. Amazon’s UK sales soared by 51 per cent last year to a record £19.4billion.
Hermes has not responded to our request for comment.