Delivery firm Evri has come under scrutiny following complaints about its service in East Yorkshire though some of its drivers were praised for going ‘above and beyond’
“Something is rotten in the state of Evri”, Beverley and Holderness MP Graham Stuart said this week, joining a chorus of East Yorkshire MPs who say they have received complaints about the parcel delivery firm in the run-up to Christmas. Mr Stuart has called for a parliamentary debate on the quality of parcel delivery services having received more than 100 responses in less than 24 hours about the constituents’ experience with Evri.
Mr Stuart said the majority of messages had been negative though he praised several Evri delivery drivers in the region for going “above and beyond” for residents. He asked the Leader of the House of Commons, Sir Alan Campbell MP, to grant MPs time to debate what more can be done to ensure consistent, high-quality delivery services nationwide.
The call follows similar questions from Hull North and Cottingham MP Dame Diana Johnson who wrote to Evri chief executive Martijn de Lange asking for an explanation for recurring issues such as Evri parcels going to the wrong address, being left in insecure places, arriving late – or not at all. Dame Diana said she had still “not had the courtesy of a reply” from Mr de Lange, two weeks later.
She wrote: “While I appreciate the logistical pressures that delivery networks face, especially in the run up to Christmas, the frequency and consistency of these complaints suggest there may be deeper issues that require your urgent attention.
“My constituents have highlighted the following problems: parcels being delivered to the wrong addresses, with no clear indication of where they have been left; packages left in unsuitable or insecure locations, visible from the street and vulnerable to theft; significant delays to paid-for next-day delivery services, and difficulty accessing customer services, with constituents reporting that although they can log an issue via the chatbot and are advised that they will receive a call back, these calls often do not take place in a timely manner – if at all.”
Dame Diana called for reassurance that Evri is working to address the problems. Last week, Hull West and Haltemprice MP Emma Hardy said she met with Evri to raise similar concerns and was told the company had faced difficulties recruiting in the area and had been forced to use agencies, with the suggestion that had brought about a poorer service.
She said: “I really stressed to them that at this time of Christmas, when people have saved up for their Christmas presents, they don’t want to be waiting weeks for refunds to come back to them because that’s simply unacceptable. Especially when we’ve got such a short time until Christmas Day.”
Ms Hardy said she was meeting the firm again this Friday (December 19) to see if there has been any improvement in the service and to see if they have been able to issue refunds.
Hull resident Kayleigh Hardy, who lives in Barnsley Street off Holderness Road, got in touch with Hull Live to talk about multiple problems she has faced with Evri deliveries, having noticed a change in drivers. She said: “I had the first issue on November 5, and since them I’m up to about 12 issues. Some have gone missing, some have been marked as having been delivered in the middle of the night, some being dumped on my step and one was stolen off my step while I was out.”
She added: “I’ve spoken to other mums on the school run and they’ve got crime numbers from the police for stolen parcels and things like that. They’ve been told they’ve been delivered and the picture is nowhere near their front door.”
A spokesperson for Evri said: “This is the busiest time of year for parcel deliveries. Our priority is to handle every parcel with care, and we apologise to any customers in the area who have experienced issues. Where deliveries do not meet the high standard we expect, the appropriate action is taken to address this with our delivery partners in the area.
“We are sorry to Kayleigh for the issues she has experienced with a small number of her parcels, and our customer service team has been in contact to offer their support.”