Amazon, Royal Mail, Hermes, DPD: What delivery company should you use?

Citizens Advice is warning urgent action is needed across the parcel delivery industry after its first annual parcel company league table found consistent problems across the sector.

The league table, which compares top parcel firms against criteria like customer service, problems and accessibility, found that no delivery company received more than three out of five stars overall: 

Hermes and Yodel performed the worst, scoring 1.5 and 1.75 stars respectively. Amazon Logistics scored highest, but with just 2.75 stars overall

DPD scored lowest when consumers were asked if they’d had a problem with their last delivery. 41% of DPD customers polled by Citizens Advice reported a problem with their last delivery, whereas at the top end 32% of Amazon Logistics customers reported an issue.

When trying to resolve issues, 48% of people polled weren’t able to get the help they wanted.

This rose to 56% for Yodel and 43% for Amazon Logistics

Though online sales have increased 56% from pre-pandemic levels, the charity warns parcel problems have exploded during that time.

Citizens Advice online advice ‘If something you ordered hasn't arrived’ has been viewed almost 160,000 times so far this year, a 69% increase on the same period before the pandemic in 2019. 

The scores

The top five delivery companies by parcel volume were measured against four criteria using data from Citizens Advice Consumer Service, consumer polling and social media complaints.

Ratings for parceldelivery companies

People's problems with delivery companies

One man got in touch after he received confirmation a pair of headphones he ordered had been delivered to Australia, despite him living in and ordering them to his address in Hertfordshire.

Another man reached out after he was forced to repeat his problem to almost 30 different customer service agents when his parcel worth £150 was stolen

A woman contacted the charity after one driver claimed her son’s £350 birthday present had been delivered, even though her CCTV showed them leaving with it in their hand

The charity is calling for stricter rules for parcel companies, better complaints processes, and fines from the regulator, Ofcom, if company negligence leads to parcels getting lost or stolen.

Dame Clare Moriarty, Chief Executive of Citizens Advice, said parcel deliveries have become a lifeline since lockdown for many people.

“Even though Amazon Logistics and Royal Mail top the table there’s still significant room for improvement.

"And Hermes and Yodel need to improve in leaps and bounds to make sure they’re providing a solid service to their customers. 

“While this should be a wake up call for firms to strive to deliver a five-star service for consumers, we have serious reservations about how far companies will improve if left to their own devices. Our findings show it’s time for Ofcom to come forward and introduce tougher rules across the board for delivery companies.”