MP questions whether Evri should be investigated for ‘poor customer service’

An MP has questioned whether Evri should be investigated over its “poor customer service” after the parcel firm apologised for ongoing UK-wide delays.

During Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday, Labour MP Carolyn Harris said “Does the Prime Minister believe that over 40,000 interactions by either social media, email or letter regarding the poor customer service and working conditions at the delivery company Evri warrants an investigation by the relevant Government department?

“His ministers in BEIS (Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy) think not. But I’m sure the Prime Minister would want the general public to believe that he at least is interested enough in this problem to take action.”

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said: “I am aware that other Government ministers have looked into this issue and are currently considering the matter at hand. I would be happy to write to her when we learn more about the situation.”

Evri has apologised to customers across the UK who are still waiting for delayed Christmas deliveries.

The firm said staff shortages, Royal Mail strikes and bad weather have contributed to the problems and it is working to sort them out.

An Evri spokeswoman said: “We are sorry that some customers are experiencing short, localised delays in receiving their parcels.

“We continue to be impacted by high demand, staff shortages and bad weather conditions but, due to the hard work of our local teams, we successfully delivered over three million parcels each day over recent weeks.

“Despite incredible efforts from all of our people, our service has not been as good as we would have liked in some areas, and we are committed to redoubling our efforts this year, including a focus on recruitment.

“In some local areas there are still some delayed parcels that should be cleared over the next few days and we apologise for any inconvenience and disappointment.

“However, in the unlikely event that a parcel hasn’t been delivered within 10 days, we would advise customers to contact their retailer/seller who will in turn contact us if necessary.”

In December, Ms Harris accused the courier of causing “misery” to people in the run-up to Christmas.

In a letter to Evri chief executive Martijn De Lange, Ms Harris called for an “urgent explanation” for the firm’s “inadequate” service, with parcels being delayed, cancelled and in some cases going missing.

“With thousands of households already struggling during the current cost-of-living crisis, few will be in a position to replace parcels that do not arrive,” she wrote.

“Many will have already stretched their budgets to buy gifts for family and friends, ensuring they purchased in good time for Christmas deliveries.

“A number of well-known and respected retailers have chosen Evri as their delivery partner with the understanding that demand can be met. Yet seeing images from your depots with parcels being sorted on the street, and reading endless social media posts about missing deliveries, suggests that this is far from the case.”

It follows Evri, formerly known as Hermes, being branded the worst-performing parcel firm for the second year running, according to Citizens Advice.

Evri, alongside Yodel, DPD and Amazon Logistics, failed to secure even a three-star overall rating out of five after being scored against criteria including customer service, parcel problems and accessibility needs, such as people needing longer to answer the door.