Evri hires replacement driver after Oxfordshire parcel chaos

[TrueBlueTerrier]

https://www.witneygazette.co.uk/news/25 ... cel-chaos/

Evri has hired a replacement driver after parcel chaos on an Oxfordshire estate.

Following the reported resignation of a delivery driver in Grove, the parcel delivery company has said that they have “a new courier in place”.

This comes after residents of the Wellington Gate community reported their Evri deliveries had gone missing, been thrown into gardens without care and been delivered to the wrong addresses.

This newspaper has seen multiple reports of householders being left feeling frustrated by their missing parcels in the run-up to Christmas Day.

One woman, who wished to remain anonymous, said hundreds of parcels had gone missing on the new-build estate and that she had complained to the company about it.

She said: “It’s appalling. I have never seen anything like it.”

According to the woman, some people have contacted Didcot and Wantage MP Olly Glover about the situation.

Another anonymous householder complained on Friday, December 5 that not only had parcels been dropped at their doorstep without the doorbell being rung, but that only one of them was his.

Following the complaints, it is understood the delivery driver for the estate resigned.

Reportedly family members helped him to deliver parcels after his car broke down, delaying deliveries and meaning he had to work into the night.

A spokesperson for the parcel delivery company said it is the “busiest time of year for parcel deliveries” and that they are delivering four million daily.

They said: “Every parcel matters to us, and we’re disappointed when a courier fails to care for a parcel as if it were their own.

“The vast majority of our 34,000 couriers are hardworking members of the local community and take pride in their work.”

The company apologised for local disruption and added: “We have a new courier in place in the area, and we’ve already seen lots of positive feedback from customers.”

The Grove estate is not the only place, even in Oxfordshire, that has been experiencing problems with their parcel deliveries.

In Abingdon, residents said the company had claimed it had delivered parcels when they hadn’t and doorbell footage in Witney showed parcels being tossed with little care onto doorsteps.

In addition the Salisbury Journal has reported an Evri courier has been sacked after a large number of parcels went undelivered.

According to the paper, Tish Burbidge, a pensioner, said she has had up to seven parcels go missing, and she says it is "extraordinarily annoying."

In response to that incident, Evri said: "A third-party contractor was supporting with deliveries in the area, but they didn’t meet our standards, and so they will no longer be delivering on behalf of Evri.”