Somerset MP slams Evri chief executive over ‘widespread delivery failures’
Complaints surge across Somerset as delivery firm faces fresh scrutiny during busiest time of year
EDITORIAL NOTE: this article has been amended with an updated statement from Evri, and the omission of Facebook comments following legal advice.
A Somerset MP has slammed the chief executive of Evri over “widespread delivery failures” in the run-up to Christmas.
Evri has been criticised on social media in recent weeks, with residents claiming that parcels were not arriving on time or were being delivered in unsuitable locations (such as being flung into gardens or left in the pouring rain).
Sarah Dyke, the Liberal Democrat MP for Glastonbury and Somerton, has now written to Evri’s chief executive to demand an “urgent investigation into surging numbers of local parcel delivery failures”, both in her constituency and across Somerset.
She wrote: “I am writing on behalf of constituents in Glastonbury and Somerton, many of whom have contacted me recently regarding the failure of your delivery service to deliver their parcels on time to the requested place.
“Many have told me that they struggle to identify the location of their parcels from a photo that is not their front door.
“With the Christmas season upon us, I fully appreciate the additional pressures placed on your operations.
“However my constituents in Glastonbury and Somerton, your customers, rely on the safe and secure delivery of their parcels.
“Having paid for the service, it is reasonable that they experience reliable and accurate service as a minimum expectation.
“I am requesting that Evri urgently investigates the concerns raised to swiftly solve the issues my constituents have encountered.
“I would also like you to reaffirm what changes you intend to make going forward to prevent continued service failures.”
Evri has been the subject of a recent undercover investigation by the BBC’s Panorama programme, which highlighted numerous ways in which Evri couriers have “cut corners” to ensure they were paid – and claimed many were working for less than the minimum wage.
Ms Dyke said: “While no doubt there are dedicated, hard-working Evri delivery drivers, who are going to great lengths to make sure customers are receiving their parcels safely and on time, the number of mis-deliveries reported lately is simply unacceptable.
“This appears to be a nationwide problem this year. I urge the company’s leadership to review their processes and ensure that customers receive the service they deserve.”
A spokesperson for Evri responded: “Our 30,000 couriers are working hard to deliver around four million parcels a day in our busiest weeks of the year.
“We recognise how special every parcel is, and we’re doing everything we can to ensure that customers in Glastonbury and Somerton receive their parcels.”