Citizens Advice has released its fourth annual parcels league table, showing that Royal Mail and Amazon earned 3 out of 5 stars overall.
However, overall customer service standards are declining. Four out of five companies—Royal Mail, Amazon, Yodel, and Evri—saw their customer service scores drop compared to last year, while DPD’s score reamined unchanged.
Citizens Advice is a UK-based charity offering free, confidential, and impartial advice to help individuals resolve legal, financial, consumer, housing, and other issues.
Operating through a network of local offices and online services, it assists millions annually.
Beyond individual support, Citizens Advice advocates for policy changes to address systemic problems, aiming to create a fairer
Inside the Citizens Advice parcel league table
The Citizens Advice parcels league table ranks the top five delivery companies by parcel volume, evaluating their performance on customer service, delivery issues, and accessibility, such as allowing extra time to answer the door.
Why does this matter? This report highlights the quality of service from major parcel carriers, affecting businesses’ shipping choices and consumer trust.
Citizens Advice’s key findings
As far back as November last year, Locate2u had been reporting on the poor state of parcel services. In that same month, this publication highlighted daily social media complaints about Evri, citing late deliveries, damaged parcels, poor communication, and lost packages.
Here’s what Citizens Advice finds.
Delivery issues persist
Over 14.8 million people—36% of UK online shoppers—faced parcel delivery problems in October, including late arrivals and insecure drop-offs.
The “worst offenders,” according to Citizens Advice:
- Yodel (42%)
- DPD (40%)
- Evri (37%)
Accessibility scores improve, but gaps remain
Citizens Advice highlights that while new Ofcom measures have boosted accessibility scores, 39% (3.3 million people) with accessibility needs still can’t share them with delivery companies.
Complaints and customer service worsen
Nearly half (48%) of people with delivery issues faced trouble resolving them, such as finding contact details or getting a response—marking the worst performance in three years.
All companies, except DPD, saw customer service scores drop.
Tougher action needed for customer service standards
On releasing its latest findings, Citizens Advice emphasized that Ofcom needs to take tougher action on declining customer service standards.
Here is what the charity is calling on Ofcom to do:
- Start investigating carriers whose complaints processes are still not up to scratch and fine them if necessary.
- Expand its guidance on accessibility to make sure people with accessibility needs are able to share them with parcel companies – and monitor the outcome.
Dame Clare Moriarty, chief executive of Citizens Advice says: “For four years in a row, our parcels league table shows that when it comes to customer service, poor performing parcel companies are clearly stuck in transit.”
Moriarty highlights that too many people are still dealing with lost, late, or damaged parcels, and accessibility needs are being ignored.
She emphasizes that with a holiday delivery surge coming, parcel companies must step up, and that Ofcom must address these ongoing issues and fine companies that fail to improve.
Top tips to help combat parcel delivery issues
Here’s Jane Parsons, Citizens Advice consumer expert’s top tips to overcome delivery issues:
Check delivery information: Before ordering, review delivery times, costs, and returns policies for your items.
If you’re out during delivery: Consider having your parcel sent to a neighbor or friend. However, if something goes wrong with these arrangements, the seller or courier isn’t responsible.
Online trader or marketplace: Your rights are the same when buying from an online trader as they are in-store.
For online marketplaces, know if you’re dealing with a trader or private seller. Check if the marketplace offers dispute resolution for private sales.
Check reviews: Read reviews to gauge how reliable the parcel company is and how well they handle complaints and refunds.
Missing parcels: Your contract is with the seller, not the courier. Contact the seller if your parcel goes missing.
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About the author
Sharl is a qualified journalist. He has over 10 years’ experience in the media industry, including positions as an editor of a magazine and Business Editor of a daily newspaper. Sharl also has experience in logistics specifically operations, where he worked with global food aid organisations distributing food into Africa. Sharl enjoys writing business stories and human interest pieces.
