New research from the Citizens Advice released this week, suggests that more than two-thirds (69%) of online shoppers have had parcels lost, damaged or turn up late in the last year.
The research suggests that problems with late deliveries affect online shoppers the most – including those who paid for a premium service guaranteeing next day or a named day delivery. 38% of people have had a parcel arrive late, 16% of whom had paid for a premium delivery service. More than one in 10 had received items damaged and more than one in five had a parcel go missing.
Other common issues include parcels being left in unsecure locations, such as bins, for 28% of customers and unnecessary failed deliveries – where people waited at home for a parcel, only to receive a note saying they’d missed it – for the same proportion.
The research, which forms part of a new report ‘Parcel delivery: Delivery services in the online shopping market’ published by the charity this week, suggests many customers suffer in silence however. If found that more than half of people (54%) don’t take any action if their parcel is late – such as complaining or asking for a refund.
Meanwhile a third of consumers who receive a damaged parcel don’t take action. For those that did try to complain, over 40% ran into problems – such as difficulty contacting the retailer or delivery company on the phone.
The research also found that half of consumers were unsure about who was responsible for the delivery of their parcel in the first place. Citizens Advice’s consumer service helps people with around 2,600 parcel delivery issues each year. And in 2016, over 23,000 people also visited the charity’s website seeking help for parcel problems.
Citizens Advice chief executive, Gillian Guy, said: “Online shopping should be quick and convenient – but problems with delivery create unwanted hassle. Waiting at home for an item that doesn’t arrive is frustrating and time-consuming – but our research shows many people aren’t taking action to resolve delivery issues, and others are running into problems if they do.
Retailers are responsible for getting the parcel to the customer – and making this clearer to customers at the checkout could help them sort out problems quicker if deliveries go astray,” she said.
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