One stop shop website for parcel surcharging concerns
A new website has been launched to answer UK consumers’ concerns over “parcel surcharging”.
As previously reported, consumers in some of the less central areas of the UK, such as Highlands and Islands of Scotland, have been angered that they often have to pay more for their parcel deliveries.
Using funding from Trading Standards Scotland, a Highland Council Trading Standards team has now led on developing a new website – http://www.deliverylaw.uk – which tackles this issue.
In a statement issued on Friday (22 June), the Highland Council said consumers’ concerns centered around issues such as:
- Blanket claims like “free UK delivery” when many consumers are excluded
- Surcharges being added at the very end of the online buying process, or even after the sale has been completed
- Very high and disproportionate surcharges
- Refusals to deliver to remote or rural areas
David MacKenzie, Trading Standards Manager at the Highland Council, said: “We receive complaints and enquiries every day about parcel surcharges and our officers’ investigations lead all the time to online sellers agreeing to change their practices. But our work can only go so far and we are delighted that the issue is being tackled across the UK. We think that this new website will make an important contribution to the battle to ensure that internet shoppers are treated fairly on parcel delivery.”
The site’s section for consumers has information about consumer rights, with examples of each type of potentially problematical scenario. There are also “self-help” tools for consumers to test whether they have a case and template letters to use to raise cases. There is a section to enable consumers to report unfair practices to the correct Trading Standards department or to the Advertising Standards Authority, as well as clear signposting to the Citizens Advice Consumer Helpline where consumers can access more advice.
But the site is not just for consumers. There is a section for business with a range of information about how website operators can comply with the law and treat consumers fairly, together with tips and template letters for businesses to use when they encounter unfair surcharges in their buying. The “practitioners” section of the site is aimed at advisers, investigators, solicitors, policy-makers and others who want to look into the legal requirements in more depth.
