Ministers refuse to bring in law to end scandal of delivery rip-offs
UK ministers have refused to introduce laws to tackle rip-off delivery fees, it emerged yesterday.
Small Business Minister Andrew Griffiths pledged to work with online retailers in a bid to solve ‘problems in the delivery system’ which have seen shoppers north of the Border pay £36million more to receive parcels.
But he said ‘regulating prices or intervening in how e-retailers decide on the best delivery solutions’ would not be in the ‘consumers’ best interests’.
The Scottish Daily Mail has highlighted concerns customers in rural Scottish communities are being hit with rip-off delivery fees when ordering products from online retailers.
Following this the Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) promised to issue enforcement notices to firms making excess charges, while retail giants Amazon and eBay have pledged to expel third-party sellers for overcharging.
Nationalist MSP Richard Lochhead, who has campaigned on the issue, branded the Government’s refusal to impose restrictions ‘disgraceful’.
Mr Lochhead received a letter from Mr Griffiths this week informing him of the decision. Despite opting not to legislate on delivery charges, Mr Griffiths said that he is ‘keen to find ways to resolve the problems in the delivery market’. And he has pledged to work with Ofcom, the ASA and retailers in an attempt to tackle rip-off fees.
Mr Lochhead has spearheaded the campaign on delivery charges and has held meetings with retail giants Amazon and eBay.
Yesterday he said: ‘It is disgraceful that UK ministers are so dismissive of the case for reviewing the current regulatory framework that is clearly failing Scottish homes and businesses.
‘UK ministers are unwilling to even consider the option of regulation to stop Scottish consumers being ripped off by absurd parcel delivery surcharges.
‘We are already paying an extra £36million a year in delivery fees compared to England. That situation is discriminatory and fundamentally unfair.’
Mr Lochhead has previously revealed he receives dozens of complaints about online surcharges every week.
One man living in the Borders was charged £19.99 for a trampoline to be delivered – but only found out after the company failed to deliver the item on time.
After phoning the online firm he was told he lived in a ‘remote’ part of Scotland and would have to pay a surcharge after already forking out for the item.
In other examples, a family in Inverness were charged £15 extra for a curtain, while a Nairn family had to pay an extra £35 for a headboard as the firm believed the town was not in the ‘British Isles’.