UK shoppers experiencing delivery delays, claims Which? report

A new survey from Which? has claimed that UK online shoppers are reporting “lengthy delays, damaged packages and poor communication” with their deliveries over the past month.

The survey, which took the views of over 2,000 UK consumers about their deliveries within the past month, found that more than half (56%) reported that a delivery didn’t come when expected, including a quarter (26%) of people receiving a delivery early. One in five (21%) told Which? that at least one delivery did not arrive at all and for 18% at least one delivery was late.

According to a statement from Which?: “One person was outraged that a parcel was left under their car, another had a parcel left with a neighbour without permission, who opened it and showed it to others in the village, and a third found a fragile delivery after it had been “tossed over the gate”. There was further evidence of poor service with consumers noting that a delivery had been left outside the door without consent (10%), in the rubbish or recycling (4%) or thrown over a hedge or fence (3%).

“The study revealed that numerous packages were also being left in inappropriate places. One in eight (12%) had a delivery left with an unauthorised person, although were still able to collect it from them. However, 2% had a delivery left with an unauthorised person and were unable to retrieve it.”