Parcel delivery firms must get better at handling complaints, regulator Ofcom has warned.

Ofcom has just announced that, from April next year, customers will need to be told exactly who to contact and what channels they can use to make a complaint, as reported by This is Money.

But the new measures will only be guidance, rather than regulation, and it's not clear if all delivery services will comply.

Under the new guidance, parcel firms will be expected to tell customers what the complaint process will be and how long it will take to resolve. Issues should be dealt with by properly trained staff.

Ofcom said it would consider enforcement or tighter rules in future if firms don't follow the new guidance.

The regulator said that operators, including Royal Mail, Evri, UPS, Whistl and Amazon have 'broadly agreed' with its proposals.

Almost two-thirds of customers had issues with deliveries last year, with around a quarter finding it difficult to complain when a delivery went wrong.

Ofcom's research found that complaints were only partially resolved for two in five customers, with nearly one in 10 left with their complaint completely unresolved.

The biggest complaints were about having to wait at home for parcels, parcels arriving late, deliveries left in insecure locations and drivers leaving parcels or slips before they can get to the door.

Around four billion parcels are received in the UK every year - more than 10 million a day.