Parcel customers to be treated 'more fairly' under Ofcom proposals

Senders and recipients of parcel deliveries are set to be treated “more fairly” by carriers under new protections proposed by the communications regulator Ofcom on Thursday, following an investigation into the sector.

Ofcom said it had found that 64% of customers had experienced problems with deliveries in the last three months, with about a quarter of senders finding it difficult to make a complaint, or to contact parcel operators, when a delivery goes wrong.

It said two in five found complaints were only partially resolved, while almost one in 10 were left with their complaint completely unresolved.

The regulator said its evidence also suggested an “inconsistent” level of service across the industry, with customer satisfaction scores on complaints handling ranging from 29% for one operator, to 71% for another.

As a result, Ofcom said it was proposing new guidance requiring all parcel firms to tighten their complaints handling, as well as planning to require better protections for disabled customers, who were almost 50% more likely to experience “significant problems” with deliveries.

Under existing rules, all postal operators needed to have a “simple and transparent” complaints process, with the new guidance requiring firms to make it clear to customers who they can contact, and what channels they could use to make a complaint.

Delivery operators would also be required to tell customers what the complaint process would be, how long it would take to resolve, and ensure complaints were dealt with by staff with “appropriate” training.

Ofcom was also proposing a new requirement for parcel firms to establish, publish and comply with “clear and effective” policies and procedures for the fair treatment of disabled customers.

It said that would include ensuring that disabled customers could communicate their delivery needs to the parcel operator, and setting out how couriers would meet those needs when delivering parcels.

The regulator said that if “substantial improvements” in customer service and complaints handling were not achieved, it would then consider enforcement action or further regulation.

“Parcel deliveries have become increasingly important to our daily lives and customers rightly expect a positive experience,” said Ofcom’s networks and communications group director Lindsey Fussell.

“We’re planning to strengthen our rules to make sure people are treated fairly by delivery firms.

“If we don’t see significant improvements in customer service, we’ll consider enforcement action or tighten regulations further.”

Ofcom also said it was looking to maintain “strong regulation” of Royal Mail as the UK’s universal postal service provider.

As the universal provider, Ofcom sets “strict” annual delivery targets on the company and imposes a cap on second-class stamp prices, with its review finding that the rules and safeguards were “generally working well”.

As a result, Ofcom said it was proposing to maintain the current framework for regulating Royal Mail for a further five years.

“We continue to be concerned about Royal Mail’s efficiency performance,” Ofcom said.

“To increase our understanding of its longer-term sustainability outlook for the universal service, we propose requiring the company to set out its longer-term efficiency ambition and report publicly on progress against this.”

Ofcom said a consultation on its review of postal regulation would close on 3 March, with its final decisions set to be published next summer.