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Delivering a parcel shouldn’t be hard - so why are couriers failing us? Julia Rampen explains your rights if a parcel doesn't turn up
Yodel - keeping schtum
Thanks to online shopping, we’re sending more and more parcels than ever before - even as letters are declining.
So we might expect couriers to have sorted out a good system for getting parcels to us.
But as I was personally reminded this week, service levels can be really shoddy. And so long as couriers remain unregulated, it's not clear who they're answering to.
It's time the Government and the industry came up with some better standards.
Drawing a blank
My boyfriend ordered a parcel from Amazon. Last Saturday, the courier tried to deliver the parcel when he was out and left a card. Fine. Except the card was completely blank.
Julia Rampen @JuliaRampenMM
.@YodelOnline can you teach your couriers to tick boxes pls? 2nd time we get a completely blank message #fail
6:17 PM - 12 May 2015
We received two more blank cards in the following days. When I tweeted Yodel about the lack of information, they were polite, but ultimately unhelpful. I eventually found out through Twitter my boyfriend was expected to pick it up in Mitcham, Surrey (he lives in inner city London).
Luckily, he then tried calling Amazon - who were completely understanding and agreed to send it at a time when he was in.
Our experience isn’t unique. The Mirror has previously reported on how Yodel upset many families with late deliveries of Mother's Day flowers and Christmas presents.
A 2014 survey by consumer watchdog Which? found of all the courier firms customers were least satisfied with Citylink, followed by Yodel.
Yodel
@YodelOnline
@GordonTGopher Hi Gordon, if you have a parcel query, feel free to DM me your tracking number and tweet me once you have.
@YodelOnline no query just wish driver had left contact details so I could rearrange delivery. pic.twitter.com/EUhwoVUtJg
7:51 AM - 15 May 2015
Smart Price Tea Bags @NergIsBest
So my "attempted delivery" card from Yodel was crumpled up in a bush half way down our drive. Also blank!
7:52 PM - 22 Jun 2014
Instead of a parcel, Yodel left us blank cards - how to make sure couriers deliver on the goods
Thanks to online shopping, we’re sending more and more parcels than ever before - even as letters are declining.
So we might expect couriers to have sorted out a good system for getting parcels to us.
But as I was personally reminded this week, service levels can be really shoddy. And so long as couriers remain unregulated, it's not clear who they're answering to.
It's time the Government and the industry came up with some better standards.
Drawing a blank
This guy was so fed up with Yodel's customer service he published a transcript.
Robsta Hendricks @RobstaHendricks
@YodelOnline Incompetent Staff?/9chats/14 days late/Instructions+Tel given/Status "thru letterbox" NOPE-BULLSHIT!
10:37 PM - 14 May 2015
When we asked Yodel for comment, a spokesman said Yodel takes customer service extremely seriously and asks its customer-facing workforce to earn a recognised qualification.
He said: "We understand the importance of communication and keeping the customer informed and run an ongoing consumer survey to ensure the quality of our services and enable us to identify potential issues with individual drivers.
"This move has had a significant impact on our customer satisfaction levels leading to improved ratings and customer experience continues to be a focus for the business. Carding compliance is a key part of our training. All cards have customer service details pre-printed on them, however if we are made aware that a driver has failed to complete the rest of the card correctly, this will be dealt with immediately.”
Of course, Yodel's not alone in failing to deliver:
James Andrews @FinanceJames
Fair enough Amazon....
7:13 PM - 16 Apr 2015
What to do to protect your parcels
Whatever the delivery method
1. Contact the courier
Unlike the Royal Mail, many of these courier firms aren’t regulated, but they still need to follow certain rules, such as having a complaints handling system in place. If you can’t find a number on their website, try searching for them on Twitter.
2. Try the supplier
If you’re not satisfied with your delivery service, try calling the online shop you originally bought from (in our case this was Amazon). After all, they’re the ones hiring the service.
3. Make a formal complaint
To kick up more of a fuss, contact the Postal Redress Service. You can find out more about how to make a complaint here.
Which? executive director, Richard Lloyd, said: “One of the attractions of shopping online is the convenience of having your items delivered but we’ve found the experience can be anything but convenient.
“We want shops to do more to ensure that the service is first class, first time. Retailers need to respond to consumers’ demands and stamp out dodgy deliveries.”
The most popular couriers
Not him
Unfortunately, when you’re shopping online you don’t always get to choose the delivery service. But if you’re the one sending the parcel, the results of the Which? satisfaction survey may help you pick a courier.
Best
DPD - 83% of customers happy
Local/private courier - 80% of customers happy
Hermes/MyHermes - 78% of customers happy
Worst
Citylink - 61% of customers happy
Yodel - 67% of customers happy
FedEx - 70% of customers happy