Christmas delivery nightmare: More than half of online shoppers suffered delivery issues last year
More than half of people suffered a delivery disaster during last year’s festive period after ordering online, according to new research from Which.
Of the 2,071 people survey, 54 per cent said they had encountered problems with the delivery of their packages.
The issues ranged from being left outside in the rain to not turning up at all.
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One in five people said at least one of their deliveries had failed to arrive on time, while a quarter revealed they had ordered a parcel that never turned up.
One respondent was unable to leave university for the Christmas break on time due to waiting for a package, while another had a delivery left with an unauthorised neighbour who was then away for two weeks.
Parcels were frequently left in unauthorised places too.
One person told Which the “courier put the parcel through the window to the downstairs bathroom and it literally ended up in the toilet”, while another said their parcels were constantly left at the back of the house where they got “wet and damaged”.
Around nine per cent of respondents said they had been left dishonest notes from couriers claiming they weren’t in, when they were.
A further 29 per cent of respondents said deliveries arrived earlier than expected, which in some cases meant the recipient wasn’t home.
Despite consumer’s rights meaning retailers have a responsibility to ensure online orders are delivered to customers – and are liable if it doesn’t – just 31 per cent complained about the delivery to their retailer.
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Adam French, Which consumer rights expert, said: “Under the Consumer Rights Act, online retailers have a duty to ensure online orders are delivered within a reasonable time and in good condition, so if your delivery hasn’t gone to plan, don’t suffer in silence and speak to your retailer to resolve the issue.
“But be aware if you give permission for your delivery to be left in a specified safe place or received by a nominated neighbour and something goes wrong, you will still be considered to have received the delivery. Think very carefully about those options when you’re making a purchase”