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Residents in west Dorset villages such as Toller Porcorum and Cattistock previously raised issues about having packages delivered by the company Evri, saying they have been losing hundreds of pounds as they can’t get a refund.
A number of deliveries were unsuccessfully carried out by the company with residents left confused at where their package has gone, with some reportedly turning up in nearby villages.
At the time, Evri said that it was “very sorry” that recent deliveries hadn’t met expectations and that it was working closely with the courier to monitor the situation to hope it improves.
Edward Morello, MP for West Dorset, spoke at a debate in the Houses of Parliament on postal services in rural areas, highlighting the problem for residents in Cattistock, Maiden Newton and Sherborne, before calling on the government to strengthen Ofcom’s powers to make sure delivery companies standards are akin to Royal Mail’s.
He is also advocating for retailers to state which courier will deliver an item.
In his speech, he said: “As every postie knows, rural delivery is hard. Homes are harder to find, walks between addresses are longer and journeys to sorting offices take more time. That reality means that our posties work incredibly hard, particularly during peak periods, and they deserve better support to deliver their services.
“Parcel delivery companies such as Evri present a huge problem for many. Ofcom research shows that 68 per cent of customers in the south-west experienced delivery issues in the last six months.
“Say what you want about Evri, it is consistent: consistently bad and consistently among the worst performers.
“Residents of Cattistock and Maiden Newton have contacted me about parcels being delivered to the wrong village altogether, or simply disappearing.
“One constituent put it plainly: rural areas appear to be outside Evri’s business model, yet customers are never told this up front.”
He suggested this points to a “clear imbalance” due to Royal Mail’s regulation compared to private firms, and that the government could make two changes; strengthen Ofcom’s powers over parcel firms, and make sure vendors state which courier will deliver an item.
Speaking to the News, Mr Morello added: “Residents write to me all the time frustrated about the appalling service they have received from Evri.
“Packages going missing or to the wrong address, in some cases delivered to the wrong village all together, and the inability to get hold of anyone to speak to.
“Retailers should have to be clear about which delivery firm they are planning on using, or even better; give the customer the option to select their preferred delivery firm.
“If Evri plans to continue with this level of service, customers must have the ability to vote with their feet.”
A spokesperson for Evri said: “Evri handles over 900 million parcels each year with the vast majority being delivered successfully, including to rural communities.
“Our on-time delivery rates are amongst the highest in the industry, and we invested more than £36 million ahead of our peak period which included operational enhancements, recruitment, and technology.
“We are proud to be the only parcel carrier recognised by Citizens Advice’s independent Parcels League Table, which found Evri’s service scores had improved the most since 2021.”
Evri says most of its couriers are highly rated by customers (average 4.6/5 and over 4 million five‑star Trustpilot reviews) and that its support team responds to nearly all customer queries within 24 hours.
