EVRI is facing heavy criticism in the lead-up to Christmas, after pictures showing parcels strewn around a Powys depot were shared online.
The courier firm’s Llandrindod Wells depot has been described as a dumping ground, with footage captured of parcels lying on the floor and being treated “like rubbish”.
Community Facebook pages in areas like Llandrindod, Builth Wells, Rhayader and Knighton in recent months have been jammed with a plethora of complaints and anger at parcels being left miles away from the correct addresses, delivered in a poor state or left undelivered entirely.
Kardo Hassan posted a video to the Builth Area Community Page on Facebook on November 20, after he went to the Evri depot, located on Llandrindod’s Ddole Road Industrial Estate, looking for a missing parcel.
“What I saw was unbelievable,” he said, as the video went viral. “Hundreds of parcels literally dumped on the ground outside, in mud, leaves and dirt.
“No organisation, no security, nothing. Just piles of people’s belongings thrown everywhere. Parcels are lying all over the floor like rubbish.”
One resident from the Llaithddu (Llanbadarn Fynydd) area said: “Local people to me haven't received parcels for ages, previously parcels were being found in the roadside salt boxes, nowhere near anyone's house.
“Especially with Christmas around the corner, these people have paid their hard-earned money for gifts and they are sat in a warehouse for weeks or months, it's just not right.”
One commenter said: “We had two parcels delivered today (November 28) by Evri and they were soaked through.”
Another, from Knighton, said: “I've run all over Knighton looking for my dumped parcels.
“I was on a walk with a friend and I saw a pile of parcels outside a cafe. I joked to her ‘I will just check’. And one of them was mine.”
A third said she has even been forced to close her business down because of issues with Evri. “We had no choice but to use them because of eBay,” she said.
“Out of the last four deliveries all were lost or broken – it's unsustainable to keep replacing them.
“Added costs of insurance mean you become uncompetitive. Good luck trying to complain.”
In October, we reported on Rhayader resident Susan Waters, who went on a “magical mystery tour” to track down her missing parcel – which was left behind a grit bin in the middle of nowhere.
The rogue parcel was eventually found about a mile-and-a-half away from her home, hidden behind a grit bin on an isolated country lane.
“This is the busiest time of year for parcel deliveries and demand is higher than ever as volumes double,” said Evri in a statement.
“Our priority is to handle every parcel with care and the vast majority of our sites have robust cage to car processes in place to transfer parcels from the depot to the car.
“In this area, we are actively reviewing options for a larger location to ensure we maintain the highest standards.”