Evri, formerly Hermes, has once again issued an apology as reports claim customers still haven’t received parcels that were supposed to be delivered before Christmas.
A spokesperson for Evri said: “We are sorry that some customers are experiencing short, localised delays in receiving their parcels.”
They cite ‘high demand, staff shortages, and bad weather conditions’ as reasons for issues with deliveries. As reported by Logistics Manager in December, couriers like Evri saw an increase in demand for their services over Christmas because of the Royal Mail strikes.
Evri maintains that it has delivered more than three million parcels daily over the past few weeks.
The spokesperson continued: “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.”
Adding to these difficulties, Greater Manchester Police (GMP) has announced that ‘several hundred’ Evri parcels were stolen from a warehouse in Stockport. Seven individuals have been arrested in connection with the crime and officers are appealing for any information on the commercial burglary. GMP confirmed that ‘an estimated £20,000 worth of parcels have already been recovered and are in the process of being delivered back to Evri’.
Furthermore, Evri placed last out of the five delivery companies in the Citizens Advice Bureau’s parcel league table for 2022, which the courier disputes, saying that ‘the survey from the Citizen’s Advice Bureau is based on inaccurate data’.
The issue of parcels not being delivered by Evri on time has even made its way into the House of Commons. In December, Labour MP Carolyn Harris claimed that she had been “inundated with stories [from her constituents] of late or lost parcels, no or poor customer service, drivers earning less than the national living wage, drivers’ pay being withheld, and a pathetic petrol allowance that is insufficient to cover increased fuel charges.”
She asked for the Secretary of State for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy, Grant Shapps, to make a statement regarding this, with Leader of the House of Commons Penny Mordaunt responding that she will ensure one of the Business Secretary’s ministers look into the matter.
