Shoppers will spend TWO AND HALF HOURS sorting out a delivery problem this Christmas
People whose delivery is late, turns up broken or doesn't arrive spend hours trying to sort out the problem - but it is the retailer's responsibility to sort out issues
ONLINE shoppers who have delivery issues this Christmas will spend an average of two-and-a-half hours sorting it out, a report from Citizens Advice has warned.
According to the consumer rights charity, shoppers experienced 4.8 million delivery problems last Christmas and spent 11.8 million hours trying to resolve them.
Shoppers typically experienced late deliveries, items that turned up broken and items that didn’t arrive at all.
Those who were not compensated for delivery disasters were left £148 million out of pocket – £30 a parcel – because of damaged or lost goods, hours wasted and time away from work.
Analysis of the more than 2,000 calls to Citizens Advice about deliveries in the past 12 months showed difficulty getting through to the delivery company was the most common problem.
Confusion about responsibility and compensation and unexpected handling fees on parcels from outside the EU was also common issues.
The charity is advising consumers that it is the responsibility of retailers to sort out the delivery problem and is calling on businesses to uphold people’s rights.
It is preparing for an increase in shoppers seeking help for delivery problems after seeing a 32 per cent increase last year.
As many as 390 million parcels will be handled by parcel companies and Royal Mail between November and December this year.
Citizens Advice chief executive Gillian Guy said: “Shopping online should make people’s lives easier – but not if their items turn up damaged or don’t arrive at all.
“We’re expecting more people to seek our help over the festive season as consumers try to track down gifts or look to get compensation for items that are broken or never arrive.
“It’s really important people know that if an item they’ve ordered doesn’t turn up – or if there is a problem with it – it is for the retailer to sort out.
“Businesses also need to make sure they are upholding people’s rights by looking into delivery problems themselves instead of passing customers on to the parcel companies.”
TIPS ON DEALING WITH DELIVERY PROBLEMS
Bought something online and it hasn’t arrived? Get in touch with the company you bought the item from if it doesn’t arrive when you expect it to – it’s their job to make sure the item is delivered to you. They should chase the parcel delivery company and find out where it is.
If your item went missing after being delivered to a place you didn’t agree to, the retailer should replace it or refund you.
If your item arrives three or more working days after it’s due (or 24 hours for Special Delivery, guaranteed 1pm service) you can claim compensation for the delay.
If it doesn’t turn up after 10 working working days (5 days for Special Delivery) you can claim compensation for loss.
If you’re expecting something to be delivered by a courier service you should check their website – many couriers have online tracking services.
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