Delivery company Evri has been crowned the 'worst' parcel firm in the country based on customer satisfaction, for the third year running.

More than two in five customers were unhappy with the contact and complaints process at the company, according to regulator Ofcom, which annually polls households on deliveries made by nine couriers.

Just 31 per cent of those surveyed were happy with the customer service offered by Evri after contacting it.

Yodel was named the second worst delivery company by Ofcom as one in three consumers were not satisfied with the process of contacting the firm. 

Only 38 per cent were happy with the contact and complaints process.

Almost seven in ten of more than 4,000 consumers polled faced a delivery issue across all firms in the year to June, the watchdog reveals.

The most common gripes were delayed deliveries, parcels left in inappropriate locations such as a recycling bin, and the courier not knocking loudly or ringing the doorbell.

While overall customer satisfaction across all delivery companies is high – 78 per cent – Ofcom has warned there is a stark difference in the quality of experiences between courier firms.

Parcel deliveries are climbing as a record 4.2 billion deliveries were made last year – up 7 per cent year-on-year – but this has not drastically improved the quality offered by couriers.

Making up the rest of the league table is UPS (55 per cent of customers satisfied), DHL (55 pr cent), Parcel Force (52 per cent), Royal mail (46 per cent) and DPD (44 per cent).

Meanwhile, Amazon and FedEx have the happiest customers, with both receiving customer satisfaction scores of 57 per cent based on their complaints handling process.

Just 16 per cent of households voiced concerned about Amazon, while for FedEx it was 18 per cent.

If someone buys a product online and their parcel is damaged or does not arrive, they may be able to seek redress from the online retailer under consumer law. The sender may then seek redress from the parcel firm, and sometimes a recipient may need to contact the parcel operator.

Ofcom ordered firms to improve their complaints processes in 2023. It pressed companies to clearly tell consumers how to make a complaint, how long it will take to resolve the issue and to train their staff to deal with gripes.

While the watchdog claims complaints processes have marginally improved in the past few years, droves of households remain unhappy with the service offered by select firms.

Ofcom claims it is still 'pressing parcel operators to make further, sustained improvements'.

In particular, it is ordering companies to make the delivering process easier for disabled customers as they are more likely to face issues with deliveries.

An Evri spokesman says: 'Customer satisfaction is our top priority and every parcel matters to us. That is why, over the past year, we’ve invested £57 million in our operations and technology – all to make our parcel delivery service smoother, faster and more sustainable.

'From the nation’s leading retailers and marketplaces to pre-loved platforms, our partners and customers continue to trust us and the service we deliver, and our growing parcel volumes and almost four million five-star Trustpilot reviews are proof of this.

'We are set to deliver about 900 million parcels this financial year and – having completed our landmark merger with DHL UK in October – we are on track to become the UK’s premier parcel delivery company for businesses and consumers alike.'

Yodel has been approached for comment.