Black Friday shoppers expected to bag their discounts online warned of delivery delays

New probe has recovered much than a 3rd of online shoppers experienced a occupation with parcel transportation successful the past month

Black Friday is approaching, with three-quarters of radical expected to bash their discount buying online this year.

But they are being warned their goods whitethorn not arrive, arsenic caller probe has recovered much than a 3rd of online shoppers experienced a occupation with parcel transportation successful the past month.

This equates to astir 15 cardinal people, the survey by foundation Citizens Advice found. While Royal Mail and Amazon some achieved an wide people of 3 retired of 5 stars, standards continued to gaffe successful areas including lawsuit service.

Four retired of the 5 firms included successful the survey - Royal Mail, Amazon, Yodel and Evri - saw their lawsuit work scores driblet from past year, portion DPD's people remained the same.

The Citizens Advice parcels league array looks astatine the apical 5 transportation companies by parcel measurement and measures their show against lawsuit service, transportation problems and however good they conscionable the needs of consumers who person other accessibility needs, specified arsenic needing longer to reply the door.

Its survey suggests 36% of each online shoppers successful the UK experienced a transportation contented successful the past month, specified arsenic parcels near successful insecure locations and arriving late.

The worst offenders were Yodel, with 42% of customers experiencing this, followed by DPD, 40%, and Evri, 37%.

Of those who experienced a occupation with their delivery, 48% had a further contented trying to resoluteness it - the highest level for 3 years - including not being capable to find the close institution interaction details oregon not receiving a response. All providers but DPD saw their people connected lawsuit work diminution successful the past year.

Citizens Advice called connected Ofcom to analyse carriers whose complaints processes were failing consumers and asked them to beryllium fined if necessary.

It besides wants the regulator to grow its guidance to marque definite radical with accessibility needs are capable to stock them with parcel companies.

Citizens Advice main enforcement Clare Moriarty said: "For 4 years successful a row, our parcels league array shows that erstwhile it comes to lawsuit service, mediocre performing parcel companies are intelligibly stuck successful transit.

"Worrying numbers of radical look having to pursuit lost, precocious oregon damaged parcels and those with accessibility needs are continuing to beryllium overlooked by firms.

"With a seasonal surge of deliveries connected the horizon, parcel companies indispensable bash much to support shoppers. Ultimately we request Ofcom to get to the basal origin of these persistent failings and, wherever necessary, good the worst offenders if they neglect to up their game."

A DPD spokesperson said: "We don’t recognise the findings from this survey astatine each and person raised important concerns astir the methodology, straight with Citizens Advice. In contrast, a caller survey from user radical Which? gave DPD an 88% lawsuit restitution score, portion DPD topped the Money Saving Expert parcel transportation lawsuit restitution canvass for the ninth clip successful 2024."

An Amazon spokesperson said: “Every time astatine Amazon, unthinkable employees and autarkic transportation partners travel unneurotic to supply fast, reliable and harmless transportation for our customers.

"The immense bulk of deliveries marque it to customers without issue. In the uncommon lawsuit thing occurs, we enactment with customers straight to marque it right.”

A Royal Mail spokesperson said: “We are moving hard to further amended our work and person continued to present much convenient options for customers, specified arsenic automatic redelivery and harmless spot transportation preferences."

Yodel spokesperson said: "The overwhelming bulk of the 200 cardinal parcels we handled implicit the past 12 months were delivered correctly connected the archetypal effort and we actively promote and invited each customers to supply feedback connected each 1 of our deliveries.

"Our 'Have Your Say' feedback survey encourages each customers to reappraisal their delivery. In the past 12 months we person received implicit 5.5 cardinal responses and 86% of our customers person had a affirmative experience.

"We person besides made circumstantial improvements to the accessibility of our services, including options for customers to divert deliveries and stock immoderate circumstantial requirements with america via the Yodel app."

A spokeswoman for Evri said: "This twelvemonth we volition present astir 800 cardinal parcels, including millions for Amazon. We person invested £32 cardinal to further amended our ain operations, with implicit 99% of parcels delivered connected time, and to marque it easier for consumers to interaction america we person opened up caller ways to get successful interaction online and by phone.

"We are committed to instilling a civilization wherever each parcel matters and we cognize determination is much to do. That's wherefore we've launched a concern with disablement equality foundation Scope, to assistance disabled radical and yet each of our customers person a amended parcel transportation experience. "