XMAS PARCEL DELIVERY CHAOS
Deluge of complaints as courier firms are swamped
FAMILIES face the heartache of missing out on Christmas presents because of a national shortage of delivery drivers.
Angry customers have targeted Amazon’s Twitter feed, berating the online retailer for breaking delivery pledges.
More than 140 complaints were lodged in only 24 hours yesterday.
The Twitter feed of Hermes, which delivers for big retailers including Debenhams and Zara, was swamped with almost 250 messages from disappointed customers.
With Christmas only five working days away, it is feared the courier services will not be able to clear their backlog of online orders.
The Advertising Standards Authority is considering launching an inquiry into whether Amazon is breaching its commitments.
Its Prime subscribers pay £79 a year for guaranteed next-day delivery.
The shortage of drivers has been exacerbated by the spike in demand before Christmas. The Hermes Twitter feed was full of complaints about missing packages and messages saying problems had not been resolved.
One customer, Rik Mullins, wrote: ‘I have just received notification of a parcel delivered from Amazon through yourselves. Says successfully delivered to porch. I have no porch!’
Nick Wallace wrote: ‘Two direct messages, three tweets, a complaint lodged with Amazon, and still I’ve had no response from you about Turn to Page 2
your shoddy service.’ Farrukh tweeted: ‘Disorganised. Unprofessional.’
Hermes, which also numbers Next, John Lewis, Amazon, Tesco, ASOS, Topshop and Boohoo among its customers, is second only to Royal Mail in terms of Christmas delivery volumes.
Experts at consumer group Which? said shoppers can claim a full refund from a retailer that fails to deliver as promised. That will be of little help to online buyers whose gifts do not arrive in time for Christmas – and the complaints on Twitter will only be the tip of the iceberg.
Ryan Stackhouse was among those complaining to Amazon. He tweeted: ‘Second time a Prime delivery date has not been fulfilled. Total waste of a day.’
Another customer named Spence wrote: ‘Three days for a Prime delivery sent via courier is taking the p***!’
Amazon Prime’s one-day delivery service is available to customers in Scotland except certain postcode areas. These include parts of the Highlands and Argyll and Bute, Arran and Cumbrae, Wick, Shetland and the Outer Hebrides. It has two Scottish warehouses, in Dunfermline, Fife and in Gourock, Renfrewshire.
A spokesman for the ASA confirmed it was considering whether or not to launch an investigation in light of being contacted by frustrated Amazon Prime customers.
MPs on both the work and pensions and the business committees have written to Amazon seeking assurances that its drivers are not being put under unfair pressure.
The letter puts the boss of Amazon UK, Doug Gurr, on notice that the firm must abide by employment, health and safety laws. This includes ensuring drivers do not drive more than 11 hours a day.
Amazon’s website says the last order date for standard delivery before Christmas is Wednesday. It says Prime customers can order some items on Christmas Eve with same-day delivery.
Amazon’s help desk apologised for any delays, saying: ‘This is a busy time of year and due to high order volumes, estimated delivery dates can vary.’
On the treatment of its couriers, the company said: ‘We are committed to ensuring the people contracted by our independent delivery providers are fairly compensated, treated with respect, follow all applicable laws and driving regulations and drive safely.’
A spokesman added: ‘We would ask any customers with questions about their deliveries to contact us.’
A spokesman for Hermes said: ‘Over 99 per cent of the 300million parcels we deliver each year arrive on time and without any problems.
‘We have strict delivery standards and the types of incidents highlighted here are extremely rare and not acceptable.
‘We encourage inquiries through social media as it allows us to investigate and correct any issues quickly.’
He added: ‘Our Twitter and Facebook pages are focused on customer service, providing a convenient method for our customers.
‘We believe our couriers are doing a great job this Christmas. This attitude is reflected in our independent customer satisfaction scores which are high and rising consistently.’