‘Christmas is ruined’ say shoppers as deliveries delayed in widespread chaos with huge high street chains affected
FURIOUS shoppers are facing a Christmas nightmare as major delivery firms struggle to cope with the festive rush.
The mountains of parcels undelivered have sparked a wave of online fury.
Desperate customers have taken to social media to vent their anger, with many claiming their Christmas has been “ruined” by missing presents and “incompetent” services.
Some firms are scrambling to apologise, but for many, sorry isn’t good enough.
Lisa Webb, consumer law expert at Which?, said: “The festive season is the busiest time of year for deliveries and many of us will understandably be worried about whether important Christmas purchases and parcels will arrive on time.
“Companies need to ensure they are properly prepared for the Christmas period and are managing their customers’ expectations around delivery times. “
We reveal which delivery firms are struggling to deliver the goods.
Plus, we’ve explained what you can do if your Christmas gifts are stuck in transit hell.
EVRI
Evri appears to be bearing the brunt of the backlash, with countless customers reporting missing items, cancelled deliveries, and a distinct lack of customer service.
Social media is awash with complaints about Evri’s failure to meet delivery deadlines, leaving many fearing their Christmas gifts will not arrive in time.
One customer said on X (formerly Twitter): “You have stolen £70 because I don’t have my item and as usual Evri doesn’t care
“There’s no way I will get this by Xmas.”
Another said: “What is happening to my package? It was supposed to be here on December 16.
“No word at all about when it’s going to be delivered. I logged an incident yesterday and still have not heard anything.
“Then I got a call to say the system was down, so delivery could take up to 10 days. So it’s not getting here for Christmas.”
Another branded the firm the “most incompetent delivery service ever!”
An Evri spokesperson said: “We are seeing much less volume through the network this week and have a very strong level of service with deliveries taking place up to, and including, Christmas Eve.
“More than 99% of parcels are successfully delivered on time and every parcel matters, so if customers need help, they can get in touch online or by phone.”
Which retailers use Evri?
Here is a list of some of the retailers that use Evri:
- Next
- ASOS
- Boohoo
- Missguided
- PrettyLittleThing
- John Lewis
- Debenhams
- eBay
- Amazon
- Jacamo
- JD Williams
YODEL
Yodel is also facing a barrage of criticism, with customers reporting similar issues of missing parcels and unanswered queries.
One frustrated shopper tweeted about a pair of shoes ordered on December 7 that still hadn’t arrived despite the parcel being with the carrier since December 10.
Another described Yodel as a “joke company” after a delivery was made to the wrong address.
A third shopper posted on X and said: “I know I’m not the only one, but Christmas comes every year.
“Plenty of time to prepare for extra online shopping, but wait until you see it’s Yodel delivering!
“Over 10 days and no update! So how many of us are having Xmas ruined by a “delivery” company not delivering.”
This follows a capacity crisis that saw Yodel begging clients like New Look and Gousto to use other couriers earlier this month.
The last recommended sending date for standard Evri deliveries was December 16.
For Evri Priority, the deadline is tomorrow (December 21).
Yodel has been contacted for comment.
Which retailers use Yodel?
Here is a list of some of the retailers that use Yodel:
- Clothing and Fashion: Very, ASOS, AllSaints, 7 For All Mankind, H&M, Gap, Laithwaites, Matalan, Missguided, Jack Wills, K&Co
- Home and Garden: Argos, Asda, BHS, Bedeck, Blinds 2 Go, Dunelm, Habitat, Homebase, Laura Ashley, Littlewoods, Marks & Spencer
- Health and Beauty: Boots, Birchbox, Lookfantastic
- Food and Drink: Gousto, BrewDog, Naked Wines, Nescafé Dolce Gusto
- Books and Entertainment: The Book People, The Entertainer, ELC (Early Learning Centre), MyGeekBox
- Sports and Leisure: Halfords, On-One Bikes
- Other: Amazon, Anyfoam Ltd, Bellroy, Brand Alley, Bulk Powders, Coggles, Discount Supplements, Ebuyer, Firebox, Gardening Express, GoNutrition, Great Little Trading Co, House of Fraser, I Want One Of Those, John Lewis, Moleskine, Monster Pet Supplies, Mothercare, Myprotein, Newham Bookshop, Next, Office Shoes, Offspring Shoes, oki-ni
DPD
DPD hasn’t escaped the festive fury either, with complaints ranging from cancelled deliveries to parcels being returned to sender without notification.
One customer expressed “disgust” after DPD allegedly lied about three delivery attempts, resulting in a smartwatch meant as a Christmas present being returned to the retailer.
Another customer said on X: “DPD please can you explain why you cancelled delivery of my son’s Christmas present, returned it to sender and failed to let me know.
“It’s now too close to Christmas to order a replacement.”
The last recommended posting date for DPD is December 21.
However, this is for drop-off; the last collection date was yesterday (December 20).
A DWP spokesperson said: “We haven’t had any significant issues or delays in the run up to Christmas and we will be out delivering as normal every day, right up to and including Christmas Eve.”
Which retailers use DPD?
Here is a list of some of the retailers that use DPD:
- ASOS
- John Lewis
- Currys
- Boots
- Halfords
- Next
- River Island
- Marks & Spencer
- AO.com
- Screwfix
- Debenhams
- New Look
- B&Q
- Very.co.uk
- Sports Direct
- Zara
- JD Sports
- H&M
- Missguided
- Boohoo
- Argos
- Wickes
- PrettyLittleThing
- Mango
- Adidas
- Dyson
- Dunelm
- Urban Outfitters
- Reebok
- Ikea
- Clarks
- Holland & Barrett
- Lush
- Primark
- Burberry
- Wickes
- The Range
- TK Maxx
- Toolstation
- AllSaints
- Smyths Toys
- Office Shoes
- The White Company
- Wayfair
- Oak Furniture Land
- Bensons for Beds
- Evans Cycles
- Selfridges
- Harrods
- Fortnum & Mason
- Lakeland
- Le Creuset
- Waterstones
- WHSmith
- House of Fraser
- Hobbycraft
- Pets at Home
- Superdrug
- Holland & Barrett
- French Connection
- Monsoon
- Accessorize
ROYAL MAIL
Even Royal Mail, the nation’s postal service, hasn’t been immune to criticism, although specific details of complaints were not readily available.
The widespread delivery chaos has left many shoppers in despair, with one tweeting: “Honestly had no luck with deliveries this Christmas!
“Royal Mail didn’t deliver my parcel…
“Yodel smashed one of my parcels and lost another and Evri left my parcel at the wrong house.”
The last date to send your letters in time for Christmas using 2nd class stamps was December 18.
The deadline for first class stamps and Royal Mail Tracked 48 was yesterday (December 20).
Customers can still send via Royal Mail Tracked 24 by December 21 and by Special Delivery Guaranteed by December 24 to ensure their parcel arrives in time for Christmas.
A Royal Mail spokesperson said: “We are not experiencing any current network-wide delays.
“Any local issues, stemming from examples such as adverse weather, are being addressed and our posties are continuing to work extremely hard to ensure everyone’s gifts arrive in time for Christmas.”
UPS
UPS hasn’t escaped the festive fury either, with complaints ranging from cancelled deliveries to parcels being returned to sender without notification.
One customers said on X: “My delivery time slot is changed every few hours, you have had my parcel since December 10 and have messed me around every day!
“I’m sick of waiting around for your drivers, it’s supposed to be Christmas! Thanks for ruining it!”
Another said: “UPS has failed us again! After 12 months of delivery disasters, they’ve outdone themselves.
“Five Christmas packages returned because their driver couldn’t find our address.”
The delivery deadline by Christmas Eve is December 23 for those wishing to send a parcel via UPS Next Day Air.
UPS has been contacted to for comment.
What are my rights?
MILLIONS of shoppers will be relying on delivery firms to ensure presents they have bought online arrive in time for Christmas.
However, there are several ways to reclaim your money if your item is not delivered.
We have detailed your rights below.
Claim against the retailer
If your parcel does not arrive by the date agreed, you can make a claim against the retailer.
And if you didn’t select a particular delivery date or window at checkout, you are entitled to a refund if the item doesn’t show up within 30 days.
When buying online, if there isn’t an option to select a specific delivery date, try to add a note stating “time is of the essence” and that you need it before December 25.
Follow this up with an email asking the company to commit to this timeframe.
It will give you extra refund rights if something goes wrong.
Cancel and buy again
With anything you buy online or over the phone – apart from items that have been personalised such as with your initials – you have the right to a refund within a 14-day window.
This cooling-off period applies even if there is nothing wrong with your purchase. The clock starts the day after you receive delivery.
The only other exception is for electronic items where the seal on the box has been broken.
This can be a useful tool if you know that a delivery is running late and you want to go out and buy a replacement before Christmas Day.
But when refunding you for the item, companies only need to reimburse the cost of the cheapest delivery option.
So if you paid for a premium “next day” or “named day” service, you may not get all of your money back.
Seek damages
If your purchase is damaged when it arrives, it is the retailer’s responsibility to then refund you.
Sometimes if you or the courier are in a rush, you might not have time to properly remove the item from its packaging and inspect it before signing.
Most of the time you are just signing to accept delivery rather than confirm the condition of your purchase – but to cover yourself, add “not examined” when you sign.
Pay by credit card
Using a credit card gives you an extra layer of protection under the Consumer Rights Act.
Section 75 protection can help claw back your cash in the event that something you buy arrives faulty or undelivered.
A lesser-known protection offered to those who make purchases with a debit card could also help in these circumstances.
Chargeback lets you ask your bank to reverse a payment if there is an issue, like not getting what you paid for.
We’ve previously explained how to reclaim your cash using these methods.
Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing money-sm@news.co.uk.
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