Parcel problems reach record as 15 million people are let down on the doorstep

More than a third of people experienced a problem with their most recent parcel delivery across a market that is “broken”, Citizens Advice has said.

Yodel trails behind in the annual parcel league table compiled by the charity after the firm failed to improve on last year’s score of two stars out of five.

Royal Mail achieved top place with 3.25 stars.

The most common problems people faced with their last delivery included the driver leaving before they had time to get to the door (29%), their parcel being left in an insecure location (24%) and parcels arriving late (24%).

Citizens Advice said its findings showed there had been “marginal” changes in scores over the last five years, but the overall picture was one of consumers being “persistently failed” by parcel companies.

A record 15 million people – or 37% – of those who have used a parcel service experienced a problem with their latest delivery, a survey for the report found.

The research, carried out in a snapshot one-month period, reveals that the rate of parcel problems remains at the highest levels seen in half a decade.

The charity’s league table looks at the top five delivery companies by parcel volume and measures their performance against criteria including customer service, delivery problems and how well they meet accessibility needs, such as people needing louder knocking or longer to answer the door.

Scores achieved by firms for accessibility worsened this year, despite a new condition by Ofcom requiring firms to give disabled consumers the opportunity to report their accessibility needs.

Citizens Advice’s survey suggests that three million people who have an accessibility need they would like to share (37%) are still unable to share these with firms.

Complaints and customer service rankings remained stagnant, with almost half (47%) of those who had experienced a problem with their delivery facing a further issue trying to resolve the problem, such as a slow response, issues with automated systems such as a chat bot and having to contact a firm multiple times to get a response.

Ofcom introduced guidance on complaints and accessibility in 2023, but Citizens Advice said its research and Ofcom’s own findings showed many parcel firms were still ignoring the rules.

Citizens Advice said it was calling on Ofcom to monitor performance and fine the worst offenders.

Citizens Advice chief executive Dame Clare Moriarty 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.

“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 spokesman said: “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.

“While overall satisfaction is reasonably high at 78%, people’s experiences can vary depending on which parcel company delivers their package, and we’re continuing to press operators to make further improvements.

“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 surveyed 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.