Christmas delivery delays: Yodel admits parcels will be days late and stops taking new collections

Customers of Amazon, Argos, Boots and Waterstones are among those hit by the chaos

Christmas presents (PA)

The second largest delivery firm in the UK has been forced to temporarily suspend new collections and said packages currently in its possession will be up to three days late.

The company, which is used by retailers such as Amazon, Waterstones, Argos, and Boots has admitted it is unable to cope with a spike in demand caused by the Black Friday and Cyber Monday promotional periods.

The courier hopes to restore service by Monday in time for the final run up to Christmas Day.

Frustrated customers took to Twitter to vent their anger about their late deliveries.

Craig Johnson-Pass from London said the courier had failed to deliver an item, a new headboard, for 16 days straight.

“[It’s] been with them 16 days now and their staff are rude,” he said. “It’s sitting in their warehouse and they won’t redeliver it”.

Alison Farley from the South Coast of England described the company as “a joke”, while Lola Turvey from Basingstoke said it was “not the first time I’ve experienced shocking customer service from you guys”, referring to Yodel.

Andy Kilner from Hackney joked about the company telling him they had left a parcel of his with a person who he had not heard of.

“I guess [Yodel] are just doing their bit for the festive spirit. Forcing us to find out the names of all our neighbours,” he tweeted.

Other people queried why the company had not properly prepared for the festive period.

The company’s executive chairman Dick Stead said some anecdotes about the firm’s performance were “totally unacceptable” and apologised for the delay.

“I had a phone call from a gentleman who unfortunately had waited eight days for his parcel and that's totally unacceptable,” he told BBC News.

“You have to remember that from the point of order to delivery there are a number of points in that chain. Whatever, the retailers and the parcel companies as an industry as a whole -we've got to do better under this circumstances. Again, I say apologies, but we will get it back on track.”

The courier's website pledges to deliver parcels in time for Christmas, and lists a number of frequently asked questions from customers about the disruption. One reads: "Why should I believe you?"

The company's response is: "Good question. We commit to keeping you updated. Of course we cannot predict exactly what will happen next Monday (look at the previous Monday!) but we promise that we are doing everything that we possibly can."