GLS is the best parcel operator in Austria ahead of DPD, Austrian Post and Hermes, according to an in-depth test by ÖGVS, the national organisation for consumer studies.
The test covered the services of the four parcel operators in four main categories including shipping time, delivery quality, prices for domestic and international shipments and the service quality at the respective branch or parcel shop.
GLS fulfilled the criteria set as part of the quality test best of all and emerged as the test winner, followed by DPD and Austrian Post, the organisation said. GLS excelled with the best delivery quality and good marks in all other categories.
Ranked second, DPD scored with the fastest delivery service and the best parcel shop service. Austrian Post was rated third thanks to second fastest delivery times combined with good shipping quality.
As part of the test, each parcel operator had to deliver nine parcels between several Austrian cities including Vienna, Graz, Linz, Innsbruck and Salzburg. In terms of the prices, five different parcel sizes were evaluated to be sent both within Austria and abroad.
With all shipments reaching their recipients, the delivery time of DPD, GLS and Austrian Post amounted to one working day for most of the parcels and was evaluated as ‘good’. Hermes, however, achieved this result only for two parcels, with its remaining shipments arriving only after four days.
But Hermes was able to partially offset the longer delivery times through favourable prices: a parcel within Austria with the dimensions 30x20x20cm and weighing 5 kg costs €4.00 at the Hermes parcel shop but €8.55 if shipped with Austrian Post which is nearly double. The price differences between other parcel sizes were not that big but around 25% could be saved on postage for domestic shipments and 22% on international parcels.
In terms of delivery quality, 39% of the parcels arrived damaged with marks indicating that the shipment had fallen or even with fissures and holes in the cardboard box. As the result, the content of the boxes was also damaged for 14% of the shipments. GLS was the only parcel operator that managed to deliver all the products in the boxes undamaged and therefore became the winner in the category delivery quality.
For the service at the post office or parcel shop, all parcel operators achieved quite good results, with nearly all of the employees being friendly and customer-oriented. With the exception of two cases at the GLS shops, a parcel number for shipment tracking was handed out. In this category, DPD emerged as the winner thanks to its consistently clean and tidy shops as well as very courteous staff.
“Gaining the first place in this independent parcel test is both confirmation and motivation for us,” said Axel Spörl, Region Manager GLS Austria and Portugal. “In three out of four main categories, GLS performed above average. We will evaluate the results in detail and use them to improve ourselves further.”
