Amazon recruits Evri amid Royal Mail delivery woes

[TrueBlueTerrier]

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/compani ... ?ocid=qbeb

Amazon has parachuted in Evri to assist with deliveries as Royal Mail grapples with poor performance in the wake of a long-running industrial dispute.

The US tech giant has added Evri – formerly known as Hermes – alongside Royal Mail and DPD to deliver goods on behalf of businesses that sell on Amazon’s website.

“Seller fulfilled Prime” businesses offer Prime services such as next day delivery, but store stock themselves rather than Amazon doing it.

The move follows a trial where Evri met delivery targets on more than 97pc of occasions.

It means that Evri, which lays claim to be the UK’s biggest dedicated parcel delivery company, will deliver millions more next-day parcels. The company currently delivers more than 700 million parcels a year.

Previously, “seller fulfilled Prime” business would have had products delivered by Amazon’s own fleet of drivers, Royal Mail, or DPD.

Royal Mail is legally obliged to deliver letters to every UK address six-days-a-week and parcels five-days-a-week under its universal service obligation.

It is lobbying the Government to change the laws to scrap Saturday letter rounds so that it can focus on seven-days-a-week parcel deliveries.

Ofcom has opened a regulatory inquiry into Royal Mail’s failure to meet minimum letter delivery standards after the percentage of first class deliveries arriving on time hit record lows.

Just 74pc of first class deliveries were completed on time in the year to March 2023, in part as a result of a wave of strike action. Royal Mail is legally mandated to hit a target of 93pc.

Second-class performance was better, but still well below the minimum standards required by law. Around 91pc of second-class deliveries were on time against a target of 99pc.

The Communication Workers Union last week accused Royal Mail of blaming the company’s workforce for the failings, claims the union’s leaders said were behind its decision to suspend voting on a pay deal that would bring to an end a year-long industrial dispute.

Citizens Advice is calling for Royal Mail to be put “under the microscope, not just for recent failings, but for missing its delivery targets for four out of the last five years”.

Amazon declined to comment on the rationale for bringing in a fourth delivery company to service the growing number of "Seller fulfilled Prime” businesses operating on its website.

A spokesman said: “We always want to provide a wide range of options to selling partners, and after meeting the relevant requirements to participate in the programme, Evri has been added as an accredited carrier for seller fulfilled Prime.”

[funkflex55]

You know it's bad when a company chooses Evri over your delivery company!

[Mr Rush]

Amazon declined to comment on the rationale for bringing in a fourth delivery company to service the growing number of "Seller fulfilled Prime” businesses operating on its website.

The real story buried in the second last paragraph.

[enskied]

We were rammed with Amazon tracked yesterday, expecting the same today. Office failed in a spectacular fashion.
Simply haven't got the staff to cope anymore. The vans are too small.
Not one clear duty, most walks only completing one loop of mail .