Hermes delivery staff filmed throwing parcels against wall

John Lewis, Marks & Spencer and Next ask courier giant for explanations

(DPA/AFP via Getty Images)

Workers for delivery giant Hermes threw parcels against a depot wall and routinely failed to deliver next-day orders on time, an investigation claims.

A manager told an undercover reporter posing as new recruit to “act stupid” if customers complained, and one driver was caught on film describing customers as “c***s”.

Demand for home delivery of goods has soared during the pandemic, making more business for delivery services.

The Hermes staff were under such time pressure that they hurled packages across the room into transport cages, regardless of the contents, footage suggested.

The video, secretly filmed by The Times in the run-up to Christmas at a sorting centre in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, prompted the company to launch an investigation.

Retailers that use Hermes to deliver online orders, including John Lewis, Marks & Spencer and Next, said they were “alarmed” at the findings and had asked the company for explanations.

One courier was filmed admitting it was tempting to throw parcels over people’s fences instead of opening gates and knocking on doors.

Describing an affluent area with large, gated houses, he said: “You’ve got to wait for the c***s to open it. Best thing to do is just f***ing chuck it over the gate.”

A manager said that in the “horrendous” and “chaotic” run-up to Christmas, shoppers were paying for next-day deliveries that, he suggested, were unlikely to be fulfilled. A corner of the depot that is supposed to be emptied every day before Christmas never is, he said.

The reporter, who was paid around 30p-60p per delivery with no money for petrol or sick pay, was encouraged to tell customers it was his first day.

He also claimed parcels are regularly left in the rain.

Complaints about damaged and lost parcels have risen this year, and hundreds of shoppers whose parcels have been lost or damaged while being handled by Hermes are having to take legal action to get their money back, according to the paper.

Last month, Citizens Advice ranked Hermes bottom of its parcel delivery league table for criteria including customer service, delivery problems and accessibility.

Ofcom, which regulates postal services, has also rated Hermes lowest out of delivery companies for customer satisfaction and proposed new rules to protect consumers, including improving handling of complaints.

The company said it had launched a full urgent investigation into The Times’s findings but that it was confident the vast majority of claims were “unfounded and do not reflect our business”.

It said that the delivery units where the reporter worked were performing well and there were no issues regarding service or damage but that in an operation of its size there would be individual issues that needed to be improved.

On customer complaints, Hermes said the number of enquiries it had received had fallen over 18 months when adjusted in line with the increased volume of orders. It said it was improving customer service and 98 per cent of the next-day deliveries it handled arrived on time.

A spokeswoman said: “All courier rounds pay above national living wage and the average courier pay is £14.88 per hour after expenses.”

Retailers said customers should contact them directly if they had problems. John Lewis told the paper it was alarmed and had asked Hermes to investigate urgently.

Marks & Spencer said it worked with several courier companies and took the allegations “very seriously”.

Next and H&M said they were in discussions with Hermes about the findings. Asos said: “Our customers are at the heart of what we do, and we expect all of our partners to reflect this.”

Last year Hermes announced it would create more than 10,000 jobs in the UK in response to the surge in online shopping during the pandemic.

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