Private carriers have cited the on-going Royal Mail industrial action for their own delivery delays, DPD and Evri have both reported an increase in demand and therefore pressure on their services as postal workers strike.
Evri, formerly Hermes, said on its website that “high parcel volumes, Royal Mail strikes and staff shortages” are responsible for delays to its services.
DPD has stressed it can no longer promise next-day delivery due to similar issues. It apologised to customers, as did Evri, as both firms saw an increase in demand as retailers turned from away from Royal Mail in the run up to Christmas.
As previously reported by DeliveryX, Currys has dropped Royal Mail as one of its delivery providers “for now” because of disruption from strike action, and has switched to an alternative carrier to ensure delivery in the run up to Christmas.
Other retailers including Asos, H&M and JD Sports have received complaints over missing and delayed deliveries.
A spokesman for JD, said: “We are aware that carriers are experiencing higher than expected volumes at the moment as a result of the Royal Mail strikes.
“We use a number of carriers with the majority of our deliveries being made within expected timelines despite the high number of orders we are currently experiencing.
“If a customer does have a concern regarding their order, we would encourage them to please visit our website and contact our Customer Care team, who will be happy to assist.”
Royal Mail staff, who are members of the Communications Workers Union (CWU), will walk out again on 14, 15, 23 and 24 December. The delivery giant has already brought forward its final Christmas delivery dates, with the deadline for first class now 16 December.
Furthermore, in an open letter to customers Royal Mail has shared a best and final offer for pay and change. The revised offer includes improvements that have been made during the negotiations with the CWU, including an enhanced pay deal of 9% over 18 months and a number of other concessions to terms and agreements.
