Layla Moran writes to Evri about ‘appalling service’

Liberal Democrat Layla Moran, who represents Abingdon and Oxford West, has written to Evri following numbers of complaints from people who have has issues with its services.

The company has already apologised to customers in different parts of the UK for delays to parcels over Christmas but reportedly these have since continued.

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A spokesman for the company said the delays were due to Royal Mail Strikes, staff shortages and bad weather.

More recently, another delay has been caused after hundreds of parcels were stolen from the company’s Lingard Lane site in Brinnington, Stockport, on Friday last week (January 6).

However, Ms Moran said she has been ‘dismayed’ by the company’s performance over recent months.

Writing on Twitter earlier this week, she said: “Words of dread from Evri – we have your parcel – forgive my scepticism.

“I know many of my constituents have been already disappointed by the appalling service recently. I will write to them to ask for an update on their issues and report back.”

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She has now written to the company, stating: “Local people across Oxfordshire, and indeed the UK, are still waiting for parcels sent before Christmas.

“Residents report that the online help service is poor, and the tracking tool provides no useful updates when parcels are significantly delayed.

“Many of use are deeply disappointed with the appalling services. I understand that there have been particular strains on the system with industrial action and staffing shortages, however this situation is untenable for customers.”

Tweeting the letter, Ms Moran added: “I have been dismayed by Evri’s lacklustre performance over recent months. I have written to them to request an update. Who knows how long it will take for an update to be delivered.”

Many have been quick to agree with the MP, adding that they too are still waiting for deliveries from Christmas.

One Oxfordshire resident said they have had six out of seven parcels go missing in the last month from the courier.

Writing to the Oxford Mail, they said: “I understand delays due to the strikes, increased Christmas demand and the Black Friday sales.

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“However, Evri has not been clear about their delays to their customers and keep stating the delays are ‘localised’ with just a few customers experiencing them – it is incredibly infuriating.”

Evri told the BBC the backlogs should be cleared ‘over the next few days’. The company added that the company continued to be affected by the backlog caused by the industrial action, as well as staff shortages and bad weather conditions.

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This story was written by Gee Harland. She joined the team in 2022 as a senior multimedia reporter.

Gee covers Abingdon, Didcot, Wallingford and Wantage.

Get in touch with her by emailing: gee.harland@newsquest.co.uk

Follow her on Twitter @geeharland