MoneySavingExpert shares list of best and worst parcel delivery services across the UK

Users of MoneySavingExpert (MSE) have ranked Amazon Logistics as the best parcel delivery firm in the UK for the first time in its annual post-Christmas poll.

The results come after another challenging year for firms across the country who continued to provide essential services amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. However, MSE says consumers should still complain to their retailer to get them to apply pressure on courier firms when they fail to deliver.

The UK’s biggest consumer website, founded by Martin Lewis, asked its users to rate their experience of each delivery firm they had used during the past 12 months.

The poll received more than 9,000 responses from MoneySavers who were given the option to rate specific couriers used throughout the year as either ‘great’, ‘OK’ or ‘poor’.

MSE users voted Amazon Logistics the best of the bunch for its work in 2021, knocking DPD Local off the top spot.

Meanwhile, its sister company DPD, which held a seven-year winning streak until 2020, has stayed firm in second place for two years on the trot.

Overall, five out of 17 firms are rated better by MoneySavers in this year’s poll compared to last year’s.

At the other end of the scale however, CitySprint and Hermes – also known as MyHermes – have received the poorest ratings from MoneySavers.

Though a minor improvement of just one per cent on last year’s ‘great’ score, CitySprint sits at the bottom once again, with just 12 per cent rating it so.

This year’s results see Hermes/MyHermes drop down two places to 16th place. Yodel also remains in the bottom three for the seventh year running. See below for the full results.

Parcel firms ranked from best to worst by MSE users

1. Amazon Logistics
2. DPD
3. DPD Local
4. Royal Mail
5. DHL
6. CollectPlus
7. Parcelforce Worldwide
8. UPS
9. FedEx UK
10. APC Overnight
11. DHL Parcel UK
12. UK Mail
13. DX
14. TNT
15. Yodel
16. Hermes/MyHermes
17. CitySprint

Commenting on this year’s results, Chris Newlands, news and investigations editor at MoneySavingExpert.com, said: “There’s no doubt that this past year has once again proven to be very tough for parcel delivery firms, especially with some staff forced to self-isolate.

“But sadly, we continue to hear of missing, late, damaged and dumped parcels, so it’s important for consumers to use their rights and vote with their feet when firms don’t deliver the goods.”

Chris added: “If it’s something you’ve ordered, chances are you won’t get much choice on which firm shows up at your door. But if you’re unhappy with the delivery, or it simply doesn’t arrive, complain to the retailer – that’s who your contract’s with – and make sure they know. It’s their responsibility to put things right, and if others are complaining too, they will have no option but to apply pressure on their couriers to raise their performance, or ultimately they’ll use another service.”

MSE’s top three need-to-knows on delivery rights

Your contract is with the retailer, not the delivery company

Unless you paid directly for the delivery with a parcel firm, then it’s the store that owes you a duty of care. If the item doesn’t turn up or is damaged, your rights under the Consumer Rights Act kick in and you should be due a full refund or replacement.

If that doesn’t work, try escalating a complaint to the retailer. If that doesn’t work, and you’ve paid for even a proportion of the cost by credit card, then you could try to claim via Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act (for items worth between £100 and £30,000). If you’ve used a debit card or paid for an item worth less than £100 on a credit card, you might be able to apply the Chargeback rule.

If your parcel is late, you can likely send it back

If you ordered something online and it turns up late, under the Consumer Contracts Regulations you’ve got 14 days after you receive a package to notify the seller that you have changed your mind, regardless of whether it’s faulty or not. You then have a further 14 days to send back the item. This means if your parcel doesn’t arrive in time for what you need, you can send it back and get a refund. (Some items – such as personalised or perishable items – aren’t covered by these rules.)

You have fewer rights if you buy something in store and request it for delivery, but you can boost your delivery rights when buying in store with the ‘time is of the essence’ trick.

If you had to wait in for a delivery that was delayed, you may be able to get compensation

If you had to take extra time off work for a redelivery, you may be due compensation for ‘consequential loss’, such as loss of earnings or holiday taken. Importantly, you can’t claim for the original no-show day, this is about EXTRA time taken off.

For full details on your rights, see MSE’s Parcel Delivery Rights guide here.

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