• 56% of customers said their orders had not been delivered when expected
• In the run up to Christmas, 21% also said at least one parcel did not arrive
• One customer told Which? their fragile delivered had been tossed over the gate
• Another said their neighbour opened it and showed it to others in the village 

More than half of customers say their online orders have not been delivered when expected in the run-up to Christmas, a survey has found.

A massive switch to shopping online has not been matched by the recruitment of the drivers and other staff needed to handle the deliveries.

The net result, according to the survey by the consumer group Which?, is that people cannot trust companies to deliver their purchases when promised.

The Daily Mail has detailed how anxious customers have been bombarding the Twitter feeds of delivery companies such as Hermes and DPD with complaints about missing and delayed items.

Hermes is second only to Royal Mail in terms of Christmas deliveries and serves retailers such as Amazon, Debenhams, John Lewis, Asda, Tesco and many more.

Many customers are complaining that couriers are marking items as delivered when there is no sign of them, creating fears they have been stolen. This is a double whammy for online shoppers, because not only are they missing what they ordered but it can be difficult, if not impossible, to get a refund.

Which? surveyed more than 2,000 people about their experience of receiving deliveries within the past month.

Only 35 per cent received all their deliveries as expected. Fifty-six per cent reported that a delivery did not come when expected.

In 26 per cent of cases the item arrived early, which is potentially welcome but can create problems if people are not home.

Twenty-one per cent said that at least one delivery did not arrive at all and for 18 per cent at least one delivery was late.

A Which? spokesman said: ‘Consumers complained about lengthy delays, lack of communication, delivery instructions being ignored and packages being damaged when forced through letterboxes.

‘One person was outraged that a parcel was left under their car, another had a parcel left, without permission, with a neighbour, who opened it and showed it to others in the village. A third found a fragile delivery after it had been “tossed over the gate”. There was further evidence of poor service with consumers noting that a delivery had been left outside the door without consent (10 per cent), in the rubbish or recycling (4 per cent) or thrown over a hedge or fence (3 per cent).’

The survey found that 12 per cent had a delivery left with an unauthorised person, but had still been able to retrieve it.

However, 2 per cent had been unable to get back a delivery that had been handed to an unauthorised person. Which? said it is important customers realise that their contract is with the retailer rather than the delivery company.

Consequently, if something goes wrong they should contact the store, not the courier firm to sort it out. Alex Neill, from the consumer group, said: ‘A delivery nightmare can cause unwanted stress at this time of year, when more than ever customers want to know things will arrive in one piece and on time.

‘Make sure you know your rights this Christmas in case something happens to your delivery.’

Hermes, which operates under the brand MyHermes, said delivery problems are ‘extremely rare and not acceptable to the business’. It said: ‘We encourage enquiries through social media and other online channels as it allows us to investigate and correct any issues quickly.

‘We believe that our couriers are doing a great job this Christmas, particularly during the recent bout of bad weather where many went the extra mile to ensure that parcels were delivered safely.

‘This attitude is reflected in our independent customer satisfaction scores which are high and rising consistently.’

DPD customer service staff have apologised to customers and promised to trace missing items.