at Failing to deliver!

Delivery firm, Evri has apologised to customers for continued localised delays. The firm said how Royal Mail strikes, poor weather conditions, and staff shortages contributed to the delays over the festive period, which have left some unhappy customers awaiting their deliveries.

Nick Drewe, founder of WeThrift, has shared his top tips on what rights consumers have if their parcels go missing.

Drewe says, “Given the disruption to the postal service and the other factors mentioned in Evri’s apology, parcels can, unfortunately, be delayed or even go missing. With this in mind, it’s important to know your rights when chasing up problems with a missing delivery.” Here are some things to keep in mind:

1. Contact the retailer

Many people mistakenly fall into the trap of contacting the courier for delivery issues, when it should be the retailer. As outlined in the Consumer Rights Act 2015, the retailer has full responsibility for the condition of products until they are received by the customer.

It is the retailer’s responsibility to chase the courier to investigate what has happened to your order, in the event of a delay. If it turns out the item is missing, the retailer is legally obliged to either rearrange the delivery or give you a full refund.

2. Check your payment method

If your item has not arrived and you used PayPal to complete the original transaction, you are protected by the Buyer’s Protection guarantee. This will reimburse you the full amount of the product, as well as any postage and packaging fees. Similarly, PayPal will also compensate you if the item does not match the seller’s description.

If you have paid with a credit card, you could claim under Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act, as long as the item is worth at least £100 and under £30,000. For debit card purchases, you can contact your bank and tell them you want to use the ‘chargeback scheme’ for non-delivered items.

If the bank authorises this, they will request the seller ’s bank to reverse the payment back into your account.

3. The 30 day refund policy

Under the Consumer Rights Act, your delivery must be made without undue delay and within 30 days from the point of purchase, unless you and the retailer have agreed otherwise. If you haven’t received your item after this time period, you are entitled to a full refund.

4. Check your delivery instructions

Parcels are often delivered to an alternative place that you specified in the delivery instructions. Even though it wasn’t delivered to your front door, couriers will specify that your item has been delivered if they’ve left it in your safe place.

So, it’s best to double-check your order details if you have been waiting for your parcel for a while. If you didn’t provide delivery instructions and it turns out the item is in fact missing, the retailer is legally bound to replace or refund your order.

5. Report any incidents www.wethrift.com/tag/delivery

Report all incidents of package theft to the police. This will help them keep an eye out in your neighbourhood for package theft.

Let the retailer know that your package was stolen. Amazon may require the retailer to file a claim. If the retailer doesn’t cooperate, reach out to the shipper about the stolen package.

Sometimes, a stolen package could be covered by homeowners’ or renters’ insurance. If you file a claim, you will likely have to pay a deductible that might be higher than the value of the stolen package.