'How am I going to tell my little boy that Santa hasn’t brought his main gift?': Pressure mounts on Evri over Christmas parcel delays in Northern Ireland

[TrueBlueTerrier]

https://www.newsletter.co.uk/business/h ... nd-5445724

MP raises Christmas delivery concerns with Evri chief amid mounting complaints in Northern Ireland
Pressure is mounting on courier firm Evri after Ulster Unionist MP Robin Swann raised “serious concerns” over parcel delivery failures affecting customers across Northern Ireland in the run-up to Christmas.

In a letter to Evri chief executive Martijn de Lange, the South Antrim MP said his office has been contacted by a growing number of constituents reporting undelivered parcels, poor proof-of-delivery photographs and difficulty accessing effective customer support.

Mr Swann said the problems were causing “real anxiety” for families relying on deliveries to ensure Christmas gifts arrive on time.

He explained: “People entrust delivery companies with Christmas gifts and important items, expecting a reliable service. The issues being reported to my office fall well short of that expectation and are causing real anxiety for families at an already busy time of year.

“I have asked Evri to explain how they intend to improve delivery performance and customer support in the coming weeks. Constituents deserve reassurance that these issues are being taken seriously and that confidence in the service can be restored.”

The letter comes amid widespread complaints about Evri’s service locally and across the UK.

SDLP MLA Mark H Durkan said he has also been contacted by constituents worried about delayed deliveries.

In a social media post, he asked: “Evri delivery issues, have you been impacted? I'm being contacted since the start of the month by people, worried about their delayed Evri deliveries & we've been raising this concerns directly. “People have ordered presents in advance and in good faith, that they will arrive in time for Christmas and as time is marching on, those worries have only intensified. “While we appreciate this is a busy time of year, we’ve heard of significantly delayed parcels and notifications of missed deliveries when people were at home waiting. “Evri has apologised for what it describes as 'teething problems' linked to its new site in Mallusk, and has committed to improving and expanding its service across the North. “I’ll continue to press for better communication and reliability. In the meantime, you can contact @consumercouncilni for further advice on your consumer rights: https://www.consumercouncil.org.uk/”

One of the UK’s biggest dedicated parcel delivery companies, Evri opened a £1.3m depot in Mallusk in September, which the company says has already handled millions of parcels successfully.

Responding to the concerns, an Evri spokesperson confirmed: “Our 30,000 hard-working couriers are working around the clock to deliver around four million parcels a day in our busiest weeks of the year, with the overwhelming majority arriving on time, and in good condition.

“We appreciate how important every delivery is and take these concerns very seriously. We are actively tracking service levels in Northern Ireland, and we are committed to addressing any issues quickly, taking all possible steps to ensure customers in Northern Ireland receive their parcels.

“For customers who need support, we offer multiple contact options and continue to enhance our systems to make it easier to resolve queries. We value feedback from MPs and customers alike and remain focussed on delivering all parcels as quickly as possible.”

One worried Evri customer is News Letter journalist Claire Cartmill, who ordered a football goal as a Santa gift for her eight-year-old son last month: “I ordered it on November 27 and it was meant to come by early December. However I have been told it is still in the Northern hub in Warrington.

"I’m not sure when it will come and if it will be here in time for Christmas. How am I going to tell my little boy that Santa hasn’t brought his main gift?”

In response, Evri added: “We’re working hard delivering 4 million parcels at the moment and unfortunately it looks like your parcel has been delayed at our Northern hub as per the tracking you’ve shared.

“I wouldn’t be able to make a commitment on when it will be delivered unfortunately. Our teams are working incredibly hard to delivery everything.

"I’m sorry for this and I appreciate this isn’t the answer you were hoping for, but I would recommend contacting Amazon to see what options are available.”

[Sean06]

Surprised mark h durkan has'nt received any complaints in derry about royal mail.

[clashcityrocker]

People should do their Christmas shopping in the summer to avoid this sort of disappointment.