Has Evri spoilt yourChristmas?

Over the last 15 years there has been an explosion in online shopping, particular during the COVID-19 lockdowns, which have dramatically changed the nation’s shopping habits. It is very convenient to purchase items online from the comfort of one’s sofa or whilst at work and have them delivered to one’s home. Or at least it should be…

It is a fairly simple procedure to order goods online and have them delivered to an address of choice; one can even pay extra for express or next-day delivery. But unfortunately, the actual delivery of the items is often not quite so straightforward. Look at any local community page on social media such as Facebook and there is a plethora of anguished comments from people asking if anyone has received a mis-delivered parcel in error. There are even instances, all too often, of people finding parcels hidden in out-of-the-way locations such as recycling bins, or even stuffed into a hedge – often nowhere near the correct delivery address.

There can surely be no excuse for packages to be delivered to the wrong address in this day and age when virtually all mobile phones come with free mapping apps that can use GPS technology. Plus, there are free downloadable apps available such as ///what3words, that can pinpoint anywhere in the world on land or sea to within a 3m x 3m block.

Local residents in Moretonhampstead and North Bovey appear to be suffering more than most at the moment, through the incompetence of Evri – the courier firm previously known as Hermes.

Hermes rebranded themselves as Evri earlier this year in an attempt to leave their poor reputation behind shortly after they came bottom of a Citizens Advice annual parcel delivery league table. What has upset the residents of Moretonhampstead and North Bovey is not just the non-receipt or damage of parcels and the fact that they are unable to contact Evri directly, but the bare-faced lies about successful secure delivery when there has been no such delivery!

I declare a personal interest here. My daughter, Angharad Rego, ordered a delivery of baby clothes to our home address in Moretonhampstead whilst she and her husband and baby were away for a week. She received a confirmation of delivery message with a photo, but admittedly neglected to check the details. A week later she asked what the parcel was like. We had not seen it. She was able to chase Evri, by email, to request a re-send of the proof of delivery. The GPS location was for a completely different address in Forder Meadow, on the other side of Moretonhampstead; the photograph of ‘proof of delivery’ was an out-of-focus image of someone’s thumb or nose… not very helpful.

A physical search of the delivery address revealed nothing. Evri cannot be contacted by phone, their website suggests contacting the original provider of the goods. Meanwhile, two weeks after the package had supposedly been successfully delivered, it arrived on our doorstep correctly addressed by the provider, with the original posting date, accompanied by a ‘proof of delivery’ email with a correct GPS map and a photograph of the package on our doorstep. So, what was the original ‘proof of delivery’ notification all about? It was clearly a blatant lie.

Amazingly, the very same GPS location for a ‘proof of delivery’ was sent on the same date to Tina Barrington, a resident in North Bovey village! On the same date the local community Facebook pages had several other local residents complaining of missing parcels that had apparently been delivered ‘successfully’ – all to Forder Meadow in Moretonhampstead...

Another North Bovey resident, Sarah Shorthouse, realised that part of a Marks & Spencer order had not been delivered: “Evri stated it had been delivered ‘to an outbuilding’ (which is impossible at our place;unless they can climb over 6ft high locked gates) and then showed a photo of a Next parcel at an open doorway in Forder Meadow (in Moretonhampstead) 1.5 miles away from ours. I’m wondering if this delivery guy just uses the same photo on all his ‘missed’ deliveries?”

Sadly, these are not unique stories. There are several Facebook groups such as “EVRI (Hermes) Complaints & Advice - Unofficial” that has over 27,000 members, full of similar (and worse) tales of woe. According to the ‘Sun’ newspaper, a number of major high street retailers, including Marks & Spencer, John Lewis, Next and JD Sports are coming under increasing pressure to not use Evri.

Kate Adams, a Moretonhampstead resident, is having a particularly frustrating ongoing situation with Evri. ;“They have failed five of my deliveries in the last week with no explanation and the parcels are now deemed as lost. I have emailed the CEO’s office up to ten times a day for over a week now and the response;I’ve got is ‘to get a refund from the retailer’. Fine, but where are all these parcels disappearing to? Needless to say, I have informed all the companies who I have had refunds from. Also, having paid for them to collect a parcel from me, I then spent a week trying to find out why they hadn’t collected it on the date requested only to be told that they do not have a designated collections driver in this area. No one at Evri had picked up on this but had cheerfully taken my money. I’ll use Royal Mail in future (I had used Evri as this was requested by the recipient).”

And it doesn’t stop there for Kate – she recently had an email stating that they left a card at 20:46 the previous evening as there was no-one to accept delivery. Except that there was – and with three dogs that bark at anyone who approaches the door. As Kate said in her email to Evri complaining: “Could you please explain why your drivers continually fail my deliveries and lie about it?” Kate is not optimistic about a response.

Unfortunately, this sorry saga does not relate just to failed or late delivery of parcels. Devon Live recently posted a video taken by Ben Hardy showing Evri personnel sorting parcels outside their Plymouth depot, wildly throwing them into a crate without any regard for fragility – so if you are lucky enough to receive your package it could well be damaged. A link to the video is at the end of this article.

One excuse claimed by Evri is a massive backlog of deliveries – it has been claimed on a social media site that in order to clear the backlog, Evri are prioritising urban areas over rural areas – but when people are having paid deliveries go missing or turn up several weeks late, without explanation or apology, is that a level of service that should be excused or tolerated?

Poor delivery service or lost items by the courier also impacts the supplier of the goods, in terms of increased costs and a poor customer services relationship. It is quite evident from various posts on social media that many people are now advising suppliers that if Evri is the supplier’s courier of choice, they are no longer interested in purchasing the product from that supplier. As Ann Hayward, a resident of Moretonhampstead, explains: “I always complain to the sender and I had a response immediately today saying they are moving to DPD in the New Year. Result.”

Hopefully, you have by now received all your online purchases in time for Christmas, despite Evri’s best efforts…

The following weblinks provide contact details for Evri, as well as several social media groups where you may find additional support for any complaints about Evri’s services:

Evri CEO’s email and office –

Martijn.DeLange@Evri.com

HermesCustomerServices@hermes-europe.co.uk

Evri Customer Services –

https://www.evri.com/help-and-support/help-centre#/

Evri Executive Office

Evri, 1 Capitol Close, Morley, Leeds LS27 0WH

Evri Registered Office –

Capitol House, 1 Capitol Close, Morley, Leeds LS27 0WH

(Devon Live) Video of Evri mishandling packages -

https://www.devonlive.com/news/devon-news/evri-workers-filmed-throwing-packages-7926390?utm_source=sharebar&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=sharebar

(Facebook) EVRI (Hermes) Complaints & Advice – Unofficial -

https://www.facebook.com/groups/5746545512027979

(Facebook) EVRI Aka My HERMES Courier Compliments & Complaints –

https://www.facebook.com/groups/660411907494474

(Facebook) Unofficial Evri / MyHermes Complaints Group –

https://www.facebook.com/groups/hermessuck