Evri deliveries pressure continues as Christmas looms

Pressure on delivery service Evri over delays is continuing as Christmas comes closer.

The firm had apologised after complaints over missing and delayed parcels, with a union describing "teething issues" at its new £1.3m depot in Mallusk, County Antrim.

Now, two politicians have spoken out as people continue to experience issues with parcels, while a union that represents couriers told BBC News NI that festive demand, traffic and new homes were all adding pressure on the workforce.

Evri said it was "actively tracking service levels in Northern Ireland" and that it was committed to "addressing any issues quickly".

Louise Muldoon, from Belfast, has had to rely on online shopping after having ankle surgery.

"The first thing I will do if I'm ordering anything online is see who is delivering it and if it's Evri, it will be a no, I'll do without," she said.

Ms Muldoon said one of her parcels, which was to be delivered on 5 December was reported "lost".

After contacting Evri, Ms Muldoon said: "Someone in the warehouse checked for two days and just came to the conclusion that my parcel was lost in their network.

"How can something be lost inside your warehouse? Everything's tracked, so where is it?"

She said another two parcels have been in the Mallusk warehouse since Friday and she doesn't think she'll receive them before Christmas.

"I'll just have to get a gift voucher or say it's in the post," she added.

"In the grand scheme of things it's a Christmas present, but if someone was waiting for a... toy for their child and didn't have any money, because they spent their money on this gift, you know, it's a hard time of year for everybody.

"People just don't have the money to go out and buy a new gift."

Alan Perry, from the GMB union in Northern Ireland, told BBC News NI the increased festive footfall was adding to the pressure drivers are under.

He said "everyone wants their parcels for Christmas" but the demand has been compounded with traffic and finding new housing estates.

"There's no doubt especially coming up to the festive period there's an increase in parcels coming into the hub in Belfast and no doubt that is adding to the pressure drivers are under.

"But certainly we are working with the company to alleviate any stress concerns that our members may have."

The company is a market leader, but a recent customer survey of the 11 biggest delivery firms by industry regulator Ofcom, external suggested Evri had the most issues for parcels not being delivered and the highest level of customer dissatisfaction.

Robin Swann MP wrote to the chief executive officer at Evri about the "standard of service" on Monday.

In an open letter posted online, he said concerns include "parcels not being delivered at all, 'proof of delivery' photographs consisting only of black or blank images, and difficulty in obtaining customer support".

Swann has since said "hundreds" of people have now contacted him.

Foyle MLA Mark H Durkan said worries were intensifying for customers who had paid for products they had not yet received.

"People have ordered presents in advance and in good faith, that they will arrive in time for Christmas and as time is marching on, those worries have only intensified," he said.

"While we appreciate this is a busy time of year, we've heard of significantly delayed parcels and notifications of missed deliveries when people were at home waiting."

In a statement, Evri said it has 30,000 couriers "working around the clock to deliver around four million parcels a day in our busiest weeks of the year, with the overwhelming majority arriving on time, and in good condition".

The firm said it appreciated concerns and that service levels were being actively tracked in Northern Ireland.

"We value feedback from MPs and customers alike and remain focused on delivering all parcels as quickly as possible," the statement added.

The Consumer Council NI said there are a number of steps customers can take: