The worst delivery companies to use this Christmas and your rights if something goes wrong

WITH Christmas just a couple of weeks’ away, delivery firms are under pressure to transport the millions of packages being sent across the country without any hiccups.

It’s almost a given that things should go wrong, but there are some courier companies that get it wrong more than most.

A poll conducted in October by consumer body has revealed that the worst delivery company this year is Interlink, scoring just 67 per cent for customer satisfaction.

The courier has fallen from eighth place last year to 11th place this year.

According to the 10,000 Which? members who voted, TNT was the second worse courier this year, coming in at 10th place with a customer score of 69 per cent.

Fedex, Yodel and Parcelforce came in joint 7th place with a score of 74 per cent, 74 per cent, and 77 per cent, respectively.

Yodel, which has for several years been named the worst courier in polls by Money Saving Expert, seems to have upped its game slightly.

Private, local and independent couriers came top of the Which? poll, with a customer score of 82 per cent, while UPS came a close second with 81 per cent.

Unfortunately, when you make an online order you don’t normally have a choice on which delivery company you get.

Most retailers use a number of different courier companies – it often depends on the type of delivery you choose (for example, next day or standard).

Asos and Amazon, for instance, use DPD and Hermes, as well as a few others.

WHAT ARE YOUR RIGHTS?

My item is damaged

If you receive a damaged package you are protected under the Consumer Rights Act.

This act states that the seller is responsible for goods up until they are delivered to the consumer. Any damage to the item incurred in transit is the seller’s responsibility.

You should complain to the online retailer you bought the item from, rather than the delivery company.

My item was left outside and stolen

There are no clear rules about who is responsible when a courier leaves a package outside of the home and it is stolen.

Which? however says you can argue that the company is in breach of contract and should replace and redeliver your item.

“Although the seller may argue that the goods were taken to the address specified by you in your order, you could argue that this means handing the goods over to you or to someone else at home to receive them,” it said.

My package was late / wasn’t delivered

Under the Consumer Rights Act, goods should be delivered within 30 days unless a different time period is agreed.

You won’t have much grounds for complaint if the estimated delivery period is five days, and you complain on the fifth day of not receiving your package.

However, if the estimated delivery period is two days and two weeks have gone by, and you still haven’t received your order, you could argue that a reasonable time had passed.

Again, you should complain to the retailer, not the delivery company.

If your package is late and you paid for express or next-day delivery, or for a package to arrive on a specific day, then you should ask for a refund on the charge for the delivery.

If there was no specific delivery date, as long as the parcel arrives within 30 days then it isn’t classified as late so you can’t get a refund on the delivery charge.

Because it is the retailer who chooses the courier company, if the courier messes up, the retailer is the one who needs to sort it out.

Martin Lewis, founder of MoneySavingExpert.com, said: “One of the problems is consumers can take little action against firms that provide poor delivery as their relationship is indirect. We pay the retailer, the retailer picks and pays the delivery company – so the end customer seems to mean little for many of the firms.

“The solution is customers need to put pressure on retailers to stop inflicting this type of delivery on us. Any customer who has an abominable delivery service should complain to the retailer and ask them to justify why they use firms with dire reputations and pressure them to add other options.

“Ultimately, though, until we vote with our pockets and stop using firms that employ poor delivery agencies, that won’t happen.”

According to a report released earlier this week by Citizens Advice, online shoppers will spend an average two-and-a-half hours sorting out delivery issues this Christmas.

CUSTOMER COMPLAINTS

Twitter is often the place where shoppers go to complain about bungled deliveries. It’s also where people go to get their issues resolved, as publicly shaming a company often results in a speedier resolution.

Here is just a snapshot of some delivery complaints The Sun Online found this week:

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