Local social media forums have been abuzz with expressions of frustration over long wait times for parcels to be delivered by Aramex New Zealand but the company says it now has new systems in place to improve delivery times.

Many of the posts report delays since before Christmas and a lack of response from the courier service to phone calls and emails.

“Is anybody else waiting on a parcel from Aramex,” read one post. “Has anybody received any parcels from them lately?”

Enquiries into the delays by the Wānaka App were met with a very apologetic response from Aramex saying their service has been overwhelmed.

“During the Christmas period, parcel volumes were up more than 70 percent across the Aramex New Zealand network compared to the previous year,” an Aramex representative said.

“The rapid rise in popularity of online shopping during business shutdowns and lockdowns has also significantly increased volumes.  

“This demand on services did lead to delays and backlogs before new freight could be sorted, registered, and processed for delivery.”

Aramex said it has increased resourcing at its Cromwell depot to improve delivery times and added a full time staff member dedicated to enquiries.

“Under this new model, the Aramex Central Otago team is swiftly working through all outstanding enquiries and sincerely appreciates the community’s patience and support,” Aramex said.

“As of today (January 25), there are delays of up to five working days in Wanaka, up to two working days in Arrowtown and up to five working days in Queenstown.”

Aramex (formerly Fastway Couriers) is a global provider of logistics and transportation services based in Dubai. The Aramex regional franchise owners (Cromwell) are Isabel and Carmelo Garcia.

PHOTO: Supplied