A Christmas parcel valued at approximately £500, sent in December, has become the subject of a consumer complaint involving the delivery company Evri. The sender reported that after initially being told the parcel could not be delivered, they were later informed it had been returned to sender due to damage, though it was never received.
Evri, which handles over a billion parcels annually, stated that the package was missing crucial address information, rendering it undeliverable. The company claims it was returned to the sender's address in December. According to Evri, attempts have been made to contact the customer since then to offer further support, but no response has been received.
This situation brings to light broader concerns about Evri's customer service. In October, Ofcom identified Evri as the lowest-ranked courier out of nine investigated for customer service. Previous complaints handled by consumer champion Helen Crane have involved lost baby items, rare vintage signs, and damaged collectible video games.
In this specific case, the sender had intended the parcel, containing make-up and other items, as a Christmas gift for two teenagers they know through a charity. After sending the parcel, a text message indicated the driver could not find the address. Evri initially stated delivery would be attempted the next day, but the parcel never arrived.
Further communication with Evri in February led to the claim that the parcel had been delivered to the 'doorstep' on December 30. By March, the company stated it had been 'returned back to sender due to damage caused throughout the process.' The sender, who had been on holiday over Christmas, did not receive the parcel and had already purchased replacement gifts by the time they were informed of the return.
Evri explained that the original address provided was incomplete, missing a line that would have specified the building on the street. This omission, they contend, made delivery impossible. The parcel was consequently returned to the sender's address, where it was left in a designated safe place, as evidenced by a photo and geo-tagging.
While Evri acknowledged that its customer service agents could have communicated the situation more clearly, they also stated that the customer had verbally abused staff on the phone, a detail the customer initially denied, claiming contact was only made via email. The consumer champion, after reviewing the case, decided not to pursue a refund, citing the incomplete address, the return of the parcel to the sender, and the alleged conduct towards staff.
Evri maintains that the majority of its parcels are delivered successfully and on time, supported by numerous positive reviews and independent data on delivery rates.