Postal operators must improve their customer service or face measures to protect consumers, the industry regulator has warned.

Ofcom told parcel delivery companies that it is considering โ€œadditional regulationโ€ after customer satisfaction levels fell in 2026, according to its latest research.

Average customer satisfaction had held around 78% between 2023 and 2025 but slipped to 75% for the year.

Evri saw the highest level of customer dissatisfaction for 2026 (Evri/PA)
Evri saw the highest level of customer dissatisfaction for 2026 (Evri/PA) (PA Archive)

The watchdogโ€™s annual survey of postal firms found that Evri and Yodel had the least happy customers, for the fourth year in a row.

Evri had the highest total level of dissatisfaction at 42% for the year, followed by Yodel with a 33% reading.

Amazon and FedEx were the two top performers in the latest data, with both receiving 15% for dissatisfaction.

The two delivery operators both also recorded the highest satisfaction ratings from consumers, at 56%.

Last year, people in the UK sent and received a record 4.6 billion parcels, up 8.6% against the previous year.

Across all operators, 71% of people receiving parcels experienced a delivery issue in the past six months, rising from 68% a year early.

The most common issue for consumers was delivery delays, at 32%, with 28% flagging parcels that were left in inappropriate locations.

Fergal Farragher, policy director at Ofcom, said: โ€œParcels are a vital part of everyday life, and people rightly expect packages to arrive on time and without hassle.

โ€œWhile some firms are delivering a good service, too many customers are still experiencing problems.

โ€œCompanies need to put customers first and improve performance, or we will consider further measures to make sure consumers are properly protected.โ€

An Evri spokesman said: โ€œOfcom data shows that Evri is delivering to more households than ever before as one of the UKโ€™s largest parcel delivery companies, and this polling highlights that the vast majority of customers remain satisfied โ€“ reflected in 4.4 million 5-star reviews on Trustpilot.

โ€œThird-party data from The Despatch Company, covering 1.3 million Evri parcels, found that 99.4% were delivered within seven working days, demonstrating the reliable service we continue to provide for customers across the UK.

โ€œWe handle more than a billion parcels each year โ€“ millions every day โ€“ and while Ofcomโ€™s data is unweighted by scale of carrier, it underlines the importance of continuing to invest in delivery choice, technology and customer support.

โ€œThat is exactly what we continue to do.

โ€œThis year, we have invested ยฃ32.2 million in infrastructure, technology and network capacity, while also introducing new ways for customers to access support: priority assistance through the Evri app, direct email access to customer services, and an enhanced Tell Us Straight escalation route.

โ€œThese improvements have been introduced since the polling was conducted.โ€