The charity is warning urgent action is needed across the parcel delivery industry after its first annual parcel company league table found consistent problems across the sector.

The league table, which compared the five biggest parcel firms against criteria such as customer service, problems and accessibility, found that no delivery company received more than three out of five stars overall.

Amazon Logistics scored highest, but with just 2.75 stars overall. Royal Mail scored 2.5 stars and DPD 2.25 stars. Hermes and Yodel scored 1.5 and 1.75 stars respectively.

DPD scored lowest when consumers were asked if they’d had a problem with their last delivery. Four in 10 (41%) of DPD customers polled by Citizens Advice reported a problem with their last delivery, whereas at the top end a third (32%) of Amazon Logistics customers reported an issue.

When trying to resolve issues, 48% of people polled weren’t able to get the help they wanted. This rose to 56% for Yodel and 43% for Amazon Logistics.

The delivery companies were measured against four criteria using data from Citizens Advice, consumer polling and social media complaints.

One man got in touch after he received confirmation a pair of headphones he ordered had been delivered to Australia, despite him living in and ordering them to his address in Hertfordshire. Another man contacted the charity after he was forced to repeat his problem to almost 30 different customer service agents when his parcel worth £150 was stolen.

The charity is calling for stricter rules for parcel companies, better complaints processes, and fines from the regulator, Ofcom, if company negligence leads to parcels getting lost or stolen.

Dame Clare Moriarty, chief executive of Citizens Advice, said: “Parcel deliveries became a lockdown lifeline for us all, but the scale of the problems experienced by many of us shows huge cracks in the sector.

“Even though Amazon Logistics and Royal Mail top the table there’s still significant room for improvement. And Hermes and Yodel need to improve in leaps and bounds to make sure they’re providing a solid service to their customers.

“While this should be a wake -up call for firms to strive to deliver a five-star service for consumers, we have serious reservations about how far companies will improve if left to their own devices. Our findings show it’s time for Ofcom to come forward and introduce tougher rules across the board for delivery companies.”