Smashed wine bottles and binned deliveries: Which? reveals Christmas delivery disasters, and the courier most likely to let you down

Parcels lobbed over fences, broken items and packages taken away by the bin men were just some of the Christmas delivery disasters experienced by online shoppers - as new Which? research reveals that around four in ten online shoppers experienced at least one issue with their delivery last Christmas. 

The consumer champion surveyed more than 2,000 people in February about their issues with deliveries last Christmas and found that around four in ten (43%) of online shoppers experienced at least one problem with their order. 

Of those who had a delivery that went wrong, one in five (19%) were delivered late, one in 10 (11%) were left outside without consent, and seven per cent went missing.

Among the issues experienced by survey respondents were parcels arriving broken after being thrown over fences - including a crate of wine thrown over a garden gate - packages left in the snow and rain and deliveries put in the bin which were later emptied by binmen. 

Several respondents also told Which? they had food deliveries sent to them which they had not ordered. One person also said they had a courier push their parcel through a gap in the kitchen window, which then landed in a bowl of water. 

In a separate survey, Which? asked more than 4,000 UK residents how satisfied they were with the courier that delivered the most recent item they had ordered. They rated firms in a range of categories including overall satisfaction with the courier, communication from the delivery company, condition of the parcel and the ease of rearranging deliveries if needed. 

Which?’s research found courier satisfaction levels are generally quite high - with all the delivery firms receiving a score of 80 per cent or higher. However, it is when things go wrong with deliveries that people experience issues and often find themselves on shaky ground when enforcing their rights to a refund or a replacement.

Yodel came at the bottom of the survey and fared the worst for delivering on time and communication. Almost one in ten (8%) of Yodel customers surveyed rated the punctuality of the delivery as poor and one in seven (14%) said communication about their parcel was poor. 

At the other end of the scale, Amazon Logistics and Royal Mail were top of the survey. Amazon was the best courier surveyed for delivering on time, communication about the parcel and the condition of the parcel when it arrived - with at least nine in 10 of those surveyed rating the firm highly in these areas. 

A fifth (22%) of those surveyed said they have chosen to avoid a retailer because of the courier it uses.

Douglas and his wife were regular customers of Aldi’s Specialbuys, which are delivered by the courier Hermes. But they soon built a collection of photographs from the courier claiming their parcels had been delivered - but to the wrong addresses.

Despite numerous attempts to resolve these delivery issues, including sharing photographs of his house, Douglas concluded that he could no longer shop with a retailer who used this courier. Douglas told us that in his experience Hermes has a track record of failing to deliver.

With Christmas just weeks away, more people than ever will be shopping online and relying on delivery firms to get their gifts – so it is important for consumers to know their rights if a delivery arrives damaged, late or not at all.

Customers could be entitled to a replacement, repair or refund if a delivery arrives faulty. Customers may also get a refund from their retailer if they paid extra for a special delivery that then arrived late.

If a delivery fails to arrive, customers should immediately contact the retailer, which should either help track down their order or send a replacement. Ofcom is also currently planning to impose new rules on the delivery sector to improve their services and how they handle complaints. 

Adam French, Which? Consumer Rights Expert, said:

“Christmas is when we really want parcels to arrive without any hiccups – but unfortunately it’s also peak time for late, damaged or missing parcels and we have heard about scores of delivery disasters. 

“It’s important to remember that retailers are responsible for ensuring orders arrive in a reasonable timeframe, so don’t be afraid to make a complaint if you are having problems.

“Ofcom’s proposed new rules for parcel firms are timely, but they must lead to far better levels of service for consumers - who are now more reliant on deliveries than ever before.”

ENDS 

Notes to Editors: 

Which? surveyed 2,100 adults in the UK between 12th and 14th February 2021 to ask about their issues with deliveries last Christmas. Fieldwork was carried out online by Yonder and data has been weighted to be representative of the UK population (aged 18+).

Which? surveyed 4,002 UK residents in November 2021 to ask about their most recent delivery experience in the last six months. Fieldwork was carried out online by Opinium and data has been weighted to be representative of the UK population (aged 18+).

Best and worst courier firms 

TABLE

The overall satisfaction score is a weighted metric made up of a brand's performance on delivery, communication, condition, ease to rearrange delivery and satisfaction with the delivery company as rated by respondents in our survey of 4,002 UK residents.

Five essential consumer rights tips

1. If you pay extra for special delivery and your order arrives later than agreed you can claim back the extra delivery cost because the service wasn’t delivered.

2. If your order is late or missing, complain to the retailer that sold it to you. Even if you think it’s down to poor service from the courier, your contract is with the retailer and they are responsible for the item until it is successfully delivered.

3. Be aware if you give permission for your delivery to be left in a specified safe place or received by a nominated neighbour and something goes wrong, you will still be considered to have received the delivery if it was delivered there. Think very carefully about those options when you’re making a purchase.

4. If your order arrives damaged or faulty, you may be able to  return it for a refund, repair or replacement. The retailer is responsible, you shouldn't be told to take up your damaged goods complaint with the courier company or that you'll need to claim on the courier company's insurance.

5. Your delivery must be made without undue delay and within 30 days from the point of purchase unless you and the retailer agree otherwise, this is stipulated by the Consumer Rights Act 2015.

Case study

Douglas and his wife were regular customers of Aldi’s Specialbuys, which are delivered by the courier Hermes. But they soon built a collection of photographs from the courier claiming their parcels had been delivered.

‘Each was delivered to a different fence post, none of which were near my home nor that of my neighbours’, Douglas explained.

Despite numerous attempts to resolve these delivery issues, including sharing photographs of his house, Douglas concluded that he could no longer shop with a retailer who used this courier. Douglas told us that ‘Hermes has an unbroken track record of failing to deliver’.

We contacted Hermes about this and it told us it was aware of these delivery issues and reached out to Douglas to try and resolve them. We have since been told by Douglas that Hermes has now managed to find his home.

Rights of replies 

Hermes provides its couriers with a comprehensive list of what is an acceptable safe place location. Successful delivery photos are required to clearly show the parcel in its safe place location and this is backed up by geolocation to show it is the correct address. Each courier is audited weekly to ensure compliance and any necessary action taken.

An Aldi spokesperson said: ‘We are committed to providing a reliable and efficient delivery service for all our customers. We apologise to Mr Newberry for his experience and are working closely with our delivery partner to prevent future issues.’

A Yodel spokesperson said: “We are proud of the hard work and diligence of our workers up and down the country and welcome all feedback from our customers to support us in addressing the aspects of our service we can build on. Other independent review platforms - such as Trustpilot – have also indicated how much progress we have made in improving our service levels.”