Dick Stead, Executive Chairman, Yodel

Yodel’s Executive Chairman Dick Stead has responded to allegations raised in a Dispatches programme aired on Channel Four earlier this week.

In a statement posted on the company’s website Stead was quoted as saying: “The allegations brought to our attention by Dispatches indicated some unacceptable practices. There were some specific and isolated incidents that were brought to light that we are investigating and are taking appropriate action on. We are very sorry for the occasions when we let customers down”.

“During the busy Christmas period, over 3000 self-employed couriers worked for us helping to deliver the high seasonal volume of parcels. For the vast majority, the flexible nature of the work suits their lifestyle. An independent survey carried out in the last six months showed that 84% of self-employed colleagues enjoy their job and 85% are committed to the success of Yodel.

“We handle over 155 million parcels every year and the vast majority of these are delivered successfully thanks to our committed and valued people. Clearly there are still improvements to be made and we will accelerate activities which have already seen our customer satisfaction score increase from a disappointing 35% two years ago to over 80% today which is among the best in the industry.”