A CARELESS Evri driver has been sacked after hurling a fragile parcel 15 FEET over a fence “like it’s an Olympic sport”.
Jim Cameron was angered when he checked CCTV cameras at his lighting company depot on February 9 to understand how the lava lamp had been smashed to pieces.
Kennedy NewsThe Evri driver delivered the parcel on a Sunday when the business was closed[/caption]
Kennedy NewsHe hurled it 15 feet over the fence[/caption]
Kennedy NewsThe parcel was then left until normal operating hours the next day[/caption]
Startling footage shows the driver crouching down to seemingly build momentum, then launching the cardboard box, which is said to have tape with “fragile” written on it.
It easily clears the 7ft-tall fence to crash down onto the yard but the courier had already turned his back to grab his phone and take a proof-of-delivery photo.
Jim, 54, shared the clip on Facebook three days later, sarcastically thanking the delivery driver and comparing his efforts to “shot put at the Olympics”.
The Glow Company owner has also shared photos of the shattered £24.95 lava lamp and its box which says “glass – be gentle with me”.
Jim explained he sells products on Amazon without using Evri but when a customer returns something Jeff Bezos‘ e-commerce giant does send it back using them.
He says nobody was around to take in the unexpected delivery as it happened on a Sunday when the business was closed.
Evri apologised and said “the driver will no longer be delivering on behalf of Evri”.
Jim, from Doncaster, South Yorkshire, said: “They’re treating it a little bit like an Olympic sport. It’s a little bit like the shot put.
“He threw it approximately 15 feet in the air. It’s not the way to conduct business really.
“I feel angry and I feel disgusted because it’s a fragile parcel with fragile tape over it and you’re throwing it over a 7ft-high fence. So what’s going to happen?
“One of the items that was thrown over was a lava lamp, one of our blob lamps, and obviously that was smashed to bits.
“It’s the same delivery driver every time but it’s not necessarily his fault. I mean, it’s not very good morally, it’s just wrong.
“He’s throwing them over the fence and then they’re staying there all the way through to Monday morning because we’re closed over the weekend like many businesses.
“We’re not residential, this is a business.
“Like a lot of businesses in the UK, they close at the weekend and they should be totally aware of this but they just want to get that parcel off their hands.
“Obviously, Evri is aware of this but hasn’t done anything about it so it’s really coming from the top.
“It’s just a total disregard for anybody’s property but it’s the response from Evri that is worse, the ignorance of it because they’re clearly not that bothered about sorting anything out.
“It is costing us because the products that are getting sent back just have to be thrown away.
“They need those parcels delivered regardless of how they get delivered.”
The dad-of-two says he’s had issues with Evri returns previously but says it has been difficult to get in touch with them as he doesn’t have an account with them.
He claims he has contacted them about the incident and was told his complaint was being escalated but never got a response.
Jim said: “We don’t use Evri because they are too cheap and nasty for us because they do things like this.
“It’s a small amount of money really but it’s mainly the principle.
“As a business we get wastage, that’s what happens, things break and you replace them.
“Evri haven’t contacted us but in my emails I have threatened to take them to small claims court but in all honesty, I haven’t really got the time to be doing this. I need to be looking after my business.
“I wanted to get some media attention because I think the only way that this is going to change is if they get exposed for doing this.”
Evri said they handle 800 million parcels per year and are rated “great” on Trustpilot with over 3.5million 5-star reviews.
An Evri spokesperson said: “Our ambition is that every customer’s experience with Evri is a positive one and we are very sorry that in this instance that was not the case.
“We have apologised to Jim for his experience and any inconvenience caused, our customer service team are supporting Jim with his claims.
“We have conducted a thorough internal investigation and steps have been taken to prevent this from happening again and the driver will no longer be delivering on behalf of Evri.
“We handle 800 million parcels a year and we are committed to instilling a culture where every parcel matters and encourage those who work with us to treat every parcel like they would for themselves or a family member.”
Amazon declined to comment.
Delivery firm Evri reveals staggering number of packages that will be lost or stolen this year
PARCEL giant Evri admits it will lose track of eight million packages this year — 22,000 a day.
The delivery company, which estimates it will handle 800million parcels in 2025, predicts it will lose track of one per cent of them.
That equates to 153,846 parcels every week. Some will eventually reach their destination after a delay.
But others will not arrive at all thanks to being damaged or stolen.
Evri counts late or lost parcels under the same category — making up the one per cent.
The firm insists that most issues with packages stem from poor quality of packaging or labels becoming separated from the parcel.
Evri last year delivered more than 730million parcels. Thanks to an investment boost of £32million in operations and customer services, it claims to have a 99 per cent success rate.
The scale-up saw the firm deal with 12million customers per week last year.
And more than 7.3million parcels a year did not reach their destination on time or at all in 2024 — 20,000 a day.
Evri delivers 4,000 parcels to UK households every minute during peak delivery periods.
Now some are questioning whether the sudden scale-up has impacted on customer service.
Professor David Edmundson-Bird, of Manchester Metropolitan University, said: “When businesses expand too quickly without proper infrastructure and planning, customer service often becomes a significant casualty of growth.”
Evri said its couriers are rated 4.7 out of five by customers and it is “on track” to handle 800million parcels this financial year — with more than 99 per cent successfully delivered on time.
Offering advice on lost parcels, consumer expert Jane Hawkes said: “Customers awaiting parcels from Evri might be disheartened to hear this.
“Although 99% of parcels are delivered successfully, the mis-delivery, loss or theft of the 1% does cause a great deal of stress, inconvenience and upset.
“It’s important to remember that your contract is with the retailer NOT the courier.
“It is up to the retailer to investigate, find a solution and if appropriate provide a refund or appropriate redress. Make your problem theirs.”
Kennedy NewsThe parcel on the company’s forecourt where it was left[/caption]
Kennedy NewsThe packaging warned it was fragile[/caption]
Kennedy NewsThe lava lamp was smashed to pieces[/caption]
Kennedy NewsJim Cameron was left fuming[/caption]
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