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| Yodel blamed for late Mother's Day flowers | Yodel blamed for late Mother's Day flowers |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| Courier firm Yodel has faced criticism after it failed to deliver some Mother's Day flowers on time. | Courier firm Yodel has faced criticism after it failed to deliver some Mother's Day flowers on time. |
| Marks and Spencer and Interflora used the firm to deliver bouquet orders but a number of customers were told on Saturday these had been delayed. | Marks and Spencer and Interflora used the firm to deliver bouquet orders but a number of customers were told on Saturday these had been delayed. |
| The loss-making company has been criticised in the past for failing to deliver on time and for breaking goods in transit. | The loss-making company has been criticised in the past for failing to deliver on time and for breaking goods in transit. |
| The BBC asked Yodel to give its side of the story but it has not yet done so. | The BBC asked Yodel to give its side of the story but it has not yet done so. |
| Yodel is the UK's second largest parcel carrier. It handles over 155 million parcels every year, according to the company. | Yodel is the UK's second largest parcel carrier. It handles over 155 million parcels every year, according to the company. |
| It is owned by the billionaire Barclay brothers, who also own the Telegraph group of newspapers. | It is owned by the billionaire Barclay brothers, who also own the Telegraph group of newspapers. |
| A spokesperson for Marks and Spencer said it had been warned of delivery problems on Saturday: "Yodel called us on Saturday evening and said that there had been some delays." | |
| It said this affected "a very small number of orders". | It said this affected "a very small number of orders". |
| Marks and Spencer said it believes that all of its Mother's Day orders have now been delivered. | Marks and Spencer said it believes that all of its Mother's Day orders have now been delivered. |
| 'Wrong' | 'Wrong' |
| However, the BBC understands that some customers are still waiting for their bouquets to arrive. | However, the BBC understands that some customers are still waiting for their bouquets to arrive. |
| An email from Marks and Spencer seen by the BBC appeared to admit outstanding problems: "It's not the quality of service which you have a right to expect from M&S. | An email from Marks and Spencer seen by the BBC appeared to admit outstanding problems: "It's not the quality of service which you have a right to expect from M&S. |
| "Something has gone wrong at this time, and for this we sincerely apologise. You will receive your order today if you have not done so already." | "Something has gone wrong at this time, and for this we sincerely apologise. You will receive your order today if you have not done so already." |
| Some affected customers have had their purchases refunded and received a £15 voucher. | Some affected customers have had their purchases refunded and received a £15 voucher. |
| Marks and Spencer uses Yodel to deliver only orders of flowers, said its spokesperson, and has "no current plans to change [courier]". | Marks and Spencer uses Yodel to deliver only orders of flowers, said its spokesperson, and has "no current plans to change [courier]". |
| Interflora said: "We were advised of some delivery issues on Saturday by Yodel, who assured us that any outstanding gifts would be delivered on Mother's Day itself. | Interflora said: "We were advised of some delivery issues on Saturday by Yodel, who assured us that any outstanding gifts would be delivered on Mother's Day itself. |
| "We contacted each of our customers this affected personally to advise them of the delay and resolved this with them." | "We contacted each of our customers this affected personally to advise them of the delay and resolved this with them." |
| The florist would not say how many orders were affected. | The florist would not say how many orders were affected. |
| Poppies | |
| Some disgruntled customers have taken to Twitter to complain about their experiences. | |
| "Failure to deliver for mothers day disappointing, not to mention your lack of response to complaints #poorservice," said twitter user Catherine Jones. | |
| "No delivery was not what I expected when I ordered M+S flowers," said a Marks and Spencer customer on twitter. "Didn't make my mum feel special! Not a #HappyMothersDay." | |
| However, online florist ArenaFlowers said that it has been satisfied with Yodel's service this Mother's Day. | |
| It used Yodel to send tens of thousands of bouquets sucessfully to customers this week, said the company's chief executive, Will Wynne. | |
| Breakages | |
| Yodel was recently criticised after some Remembrance Day ceramic poppies were broken in transit. | |
| The poppies were part of a display at the Tower of London to commemorate those who died in World War One. | The poppies were part of a display at the Tower of London to commemorate those who died in World War One. |
| The courier responded to complaints of late deliveries and breakages saying "our staff have been briefed to treat these packages with the utmost care". | The courier responded to complaints of late deliveries and breakages saying "our staff have been briefed to treat these packages with the utmost care". |
| Yodel posted a £112m loss for the year to 30 June 2013. | Yodel posted a £112m loss for the year to 30 June 2013. |
| The Barclay brothers bought Yodel in December 2012 and refinanced the company's debt with HSBC. | The Barclay brothers bought Yodel in December 2012 and refinanced the company's debt with HSBC. |
| This fuelled accusations of bias in the Daily Telegraph's coverage of HSBC, as the Barclay brothers also own the newspaper. | This fuelled accusations of bias in the Daily Telegraph's coverage of HSBC, as the Barclay brothers also own the newspaper. |