Furious Hermes customers in West Lothian set up online group to share Christmas horror stories

Ruth Bishop was eventually told an item she ordered as a Christmas present had been lost.

Hermes couriers are cancelling Christmas for hundreds of families with their inability to deliver parcels on time.

Gillian Archibald, 40, of Winchburgh, set up the group after spotting several posts that complained about Hermes on a Winchburgh community group on social media.

She said: “I personally have not been affected by Hermes this Christmas but I noticed at least one person a day complaining about issues with the courier on our local community Facebook page. Many people saying parcels had been lost, not receiving them on time and finding it impossible to reach Hermes to have their issues resolved.

“I filled an A4 sheet of paper with names of those impacted on our community Hermes page which had just under 100 members after only being set up a few days ago. You feel for people on limited incomes that cannot go out and buy new gifts at the drop of a hat.”

Ruth Bishopp, 25, also from Winchburgh, had been waiting for her parcel to be delivered since it was reported to be with her courier on December 10. However, after several attempts to get clarification on her delivery by email, online chat and phone call, Hermes eventually told her her parcel had been lost and would not be with her for Christmas.

She said: “It was near impossible to speak to someone regarding my delivery. It was a gift for a friend at Christmas but unfortunately they will have to wait for a replacement that has been sent by the company I ordered from who said they will be using a different courier.”

She added: “It just adds extra stress to an already stressful time of year. I definitely feel like I have been let down by their lack of communication.”

The issue, however, did not seem to be isolated to Winchburgh, with Stewart Davis of Clermiston stating that he had ordered brogues on a next day delivery on December 15, only for them not to arrive in time for a wedding on the 21st.

He said: “I am still awaiting a response on a refund and for this to be rectified. I will not be using Hermes again.”

A spokesperson for Hermes said: “Hermes delivers 390 million parcels a year and during the peak period, like other carriers, we always experience a sharp uplift in parcel volumes. This has resulted in some small delays in pockets around the country including West Lothian, which has now been cleared.

“We apologise for any inconvenience and ask that any customer who has ordered parcels through a retailer should contact them directly about any delivery issue, as is industry practice.

“We would like to apologise to Ms Bishopp and will be offering her a goodwill gesture of £20.”