Royal Mail, Hermes and DPD: UK parcel delivery firms ranked

MoneySavingExpert.com shared the results of its latest poll, which asked those who have used specific couriers to rate their experience.

The poll ran in early January and asked users to rate their experience over the previous year. 

In the survey, 11,440 people voted and the delivery companies were ranked either by "great", "ok" or "poor".

This year, DPD Local ranked as the best delivery firm for the first time. Previous poll winner DPD dropped to second place. In third place came Amazon Logistics followed by Royal Mail in fourth.

Inside an Amazon factory in the UK

Royal Mail received 49 percent "great" votes, 36 percent of participants thought the service was "ok" while 15 percent thought the service was ‘poor’.

This compares to DPD Local who received 71 percent of "great" votes and just 10 percent of "poor".

The biggest improvement in score came from DHL Parcel UK (formerly Ipostparcels) which jumped from bottom place in 2020 to 11th place in this year’s poll.

Steve Nowottny, news and investigations editor at MoneySavingExpert.com, said: "There's no doubt that it's been a really tough year for parcel delivery firms – they’ve had to grapple with a surge in demand while dealing with the considerable practical challenges of delivering in a pandemic.

"Many couriers have done a sterling job in difficult circumstances, and that's perhaps reflected in the improved scores many firms received this year.

"Yet the poll results also reveal marked differences in how firms were rated, suggesting that while some firms have been really delivering, others too often fall short.

"When you order something, in practice you may have little choice over which firm delivers your goods, as this is frequently decided by the retailer.

"Generally, you have no direct relationship with the delivery firm, as the retailer's their employer.

Parcels at a Hermes depot in Yorkshire

"But consumers do have rights when firms don't deliver – and you should use them.

"If you're unhappy with a delivery or it simply didn't arrive, complain to the retailer – that's who your contract's with, and it's up to the retailer to put things right.

"Ultimately, if retailers get lots of complaints, they will force firms delivering parcels on their behalf to up their game."

What the parcel delivery firms say

DPD Group UK chief executive Dwain McDonald, speaking on behalf of both DPD Local and DPD, said: "It has been an unprecedented 12 months for everyone, and our industry has been one of those right in the spotlight... so I think everyone in the logistics sector deserves a massive pat on the back.

"I'm incredibly proud of our own drivers and the whole team for what they have achieved during this period.

"To improve our scores, with around 40 per cent to 50 per cent more parcels in the network every single day, takes some doing."

A CitySprint spokesperson said: "Our congratulations to everyone on this latest ranking, which comes after a challenging 12 months for everyone that has seen a great deal of collaboration between carriers to help support consumers, businesses and the community.

"It is important to note that, unlike others on this list, the vast majority of our business is B2B, undertaking specialist same day delivery work between businesses rather than to the public. 

"This type of work means that we are rarely afforded the opportunity to plan routes in advance, providing a very different set of challenges to others."

Record numbers of people have been shopping online during the coronavirus pandemic

Yodel chief executive Mike Hancox said: "We're pleased to see the work we do as part of Collect+ delivered by Yodel recognised as one of the top services for shoppers.

"That said, while we always welcome consumer feedback and review it to help us improve our service, it is important that the MSE poll is viewed in the context of other ratings.

"Trustpilot puts our overall customer satisfaction score at 4.5/5, and the results from Maru/edr's survey, which each week receives responses from around 81,000 Yodel customers and has gathered over 13 million reviews to date, are markedly better than the MSE scores."