Courier firms lose the battle

Though usually requiring only a few clicks, online shopping can turn into a problem when the system is overloaded. The conundrum of when a package would be delivered was a hassle for many consumers over this holiday season, as courier companies struggled to deliver orders on time.

The sight of products still in piles awaiting delivery at courier firms’ sorting centers and stores is a very good illustration of the magnitude of the problem.

Delays of several days also led to other side effects, such as increasing the risk of consumers falling victim to digital fraud, with criminal rackets using e-mails from fake senders – in many cases posing as the Hellenic Post – to extract key personal information from recipients.

The problems have intensified since November – a month of enhanced demand due to the Black Friday sales – according to market players, who admit to multi-day delays.

Lack of information on the exact time of rerouting of a shipment and lack of communication with courier companies are common symptoms of short-circuits in the system. Even if it becomes possible to reach a company representative on the phone, in many cases there is an inconsistency between the updates of the electronic tracking systems and the information provided by telephone or on the firm’s electronic platform.

According to several disgruntled consumers who spoke to Kathimerini, in some cases the courier not only did not appear at the product delivery point on more than two occasions, but the customers were not given an alternative delivery time either.

In some other cases, the tracking system’s update on the parcel’s progress was completely different to what was communicated via a cellphone message, for example.

As once high-ranking executive of a local courier firms told to Kathimerini, the main reason for these problems has been the lack of staff, with demand for delivery employees rising in the last two years, also at online food ordering businesses.