If you’ve been waiting ages for an online order to arrive, you’re not alone.
Companies including ASOS, H&M and JD Sports have been getting hundreds of tweets asking: “Where’s my stuff?”
A lot of anger seems to be aimed at courier Evri, with some complaining of packages stuck at depots for a week or more.
It says it’s delivering more than 3 million parcels daily and working to get items to people before Christmas.
But quite a few customers say they’ve not been among those lucky ones and have faced “unacceptable” waits for items.
A common complaint is that Evri’s tracking tool says their order has been delayed – followed by no further updates for days.
Others have complained of paying for next-day delivery and not getting it.
And a few say their items have been marked as lost after going missing – only for their replacements to suffer a similar fate.
‘Incredibly frustrating’
Lucy Hall, 29, from South London, says her parcel containing her Dad’s Christmas present has been stuck outside a depot for the past week and a half.
She placed the order on 23 November.
“I knew it was Black Friday coming up so it might arrive a bit later,” she says. “I got a confirmation email straight away from the seller so I thought it was all fine.
“Then two days afterwards I saw a message saying Evri had the parcel – then I knew it wasn’t going to go well.”
Lucy would like sellers to declare which courier they work with – and says she would avoid buying from those using Evri in future online shopping.
“I don’t know if I’m ever going to get this parcel,” she says. “I’ve not been able to speak to a real human being just to explain what has happened.
“I’m now thinking am I going to lose money if I have to buy it twice, or should I wait and risk my Dad not getting a Christmas present?
“It’s incredibly frustrating and it’s extra stress I don’t need.”
What does Evri say?
Evri – which used to be known as Hermes – said that it was “sorry customers in certain local areas are experiencing short delays in receiving their parcels”.
It said the delivery sector was experiencing higher than normal demand “driven in part by the Royal Mail strikes”.
Couriers for companies such as Evri have not gone on strike, but it’s thought more sellers are using them while postal action continues.
Evri also says it’s experiencing “final-mile staffing shortages” – a lack of drivers – in some areas.
Customers have complained that Evri’s online help service is no use, and that getting hold of staff by phone or e-mail is extremely difficult.
Evri says customers with concerns about a delivery should contact the seller first.
The company adds that its local teams “are working hard to ensure that any delayed parcels will arrive before Christmas”.
