LONDON, September 4, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

An independent survey has uncovered the truth about the UK's courier and delivery services, and knows how you can break the trend!

In a recent survey of some 2,000 Anyvan users, designed to find out the truth about how much time people are forced to waste waiting for deliveries to arrive, it was discovered that the average number of times each person would wait for a delivery in a year was 6. Each delivery also averaged five-and-a-half hours of waiting. That works out to 33 hours of waiting each year!

The report also found that 18% of those individuals who took part had been forced to take another day off of work to wait for their delivery as the courier did not call to confirm or could not find the address.

Overall, the results show that the total number of hours spent waiting on deliveries throughout an average working life is 69 days. That's just less than 10 weeks. Let's put that into perspective:

• If you were pregnant, this is when you could find out whether your baby will be born a girl or a boy. It's also when they start kicking.
• Remember the 33 Chilean miners that were trapped underground in 2010? That's how long they were stuck!
• The London 2012 Olympic Flame travelled the length and breadth of Great Britain in this time. The torch lit "the cauldron" at the opening ceremony on day 70.

The company that conducted the independent survey does not accept these statistics. They are putting their customers back in the driving seat! Here's how:

• Customers log onto their website.
• They post a job description.
• A driver in the area or heading in that direction will respond with a bid.
• The customer chooses the best man with a van with the best offer on price.

The company's survey also found that "no shows" and receiving no phone calls were regular complaints from participants. They developed several tips to help customers avoid this:

• Ensure you receive a two-hour time slot. These can often be requested if you give enough time.
• Always leave your phone number so there is no chance of the courier not finding your address. Then, if you have to pop out for a few minutes they can't claim to have already been and gone!
• Use more independent courier, delivery and trade companies as you often get direct contact with the driver. This means he can at least make you aware of when he will arrive.
• Ask the courier service to call you or even send a text when they are 30-60 minutes away.

Already, the company estimates to have saved its users a combined £7,284,323. They also offer free quotes online, and customers regularly experience savings of up to 75% when using tradesmen from their website.

About AnyVan:

AnyVan.com is a delivery auction website where customers can post their needs for a delivery truck, a man with a van or a car transport. A courier who is travelling in the same direction as your goods will bid online for your job. The company is dedicated to providing a simpler, safer and more economical courier and delivery service. For more information, see http://www.anyvan.com/.

SOURCE AnyVan Ltd.