100 f irms ‘penalising’ rural Scots customers
AN advertising watchdog is to investigate claims that 100 companies have penalised people living in rural parts of Scotland by forcing them to pay ‘unfair’ delivery charges.
The Advertising Standards Authority has been urged to look into a wide range of new examples where businesses force rural Scots, mainly in the North-East, to pay exorbitant fees for delivery.
Nationalist MSP for Moray Richard Lochhead has submitted a dossier to the ASA, which has confirmed it will ‘carefully consider’ his complaint.
Earlier this year, an ‘enforcement notice’ was issued forcing delivery companies to ensure any charges are ‘clear and upfront’ and that they do not promise ‘free UK delivery’ when there are charges in some parts of the country.
Among the cases cited by Mr Lochhead are a firm charging £30 for delivery of a car rear guard to Moray, despite the website stating £9.60 delivery to ‘Highlands and Islands’, and a £59.94 charge for delivery of a radiator to Brechin, despite being quoted £20 cheaper for ‘mainland UK delivery charges’.
One firm also advertised a woodburning stove as costing £31.99 including free UK delivery, only for the delivery charge to rise to £35 when a postcode for Forfar, Angus, was entered into its website.
A beer brew kit valued at £58 included free UK delivery, but a £19.09 charge was added to send it to Dornoch, Sutherland.
Mr Lochhead, who has been running a Fair Delivery Charges campaign, said: ‘This false advertising and discrimination against consumers and businesses in many parts of Scotland has to stop.
‘A recent survey found that nearly one in four small and medium-sized businesses in Scotland have to pay delivery surcharges because of their location, and over one in five experience delivery delays for the same reason.
‘Delivery surcharges are estimated to cost consumers in Scotland £36million a year – it’s completely unacceptable to penalise consumers and businesses because of their location, with some retailers applying absurd delivery surcharges.
‘I welcome the support I’ve received for my campaign so far, and I hope the Advertising Standards Authority takes action based on my dossier.
‘But we need to go further and end this location discrimination once and for all. Local government and Scottish ministers are stepping up to the plate and we also need to see concrete action from the UK Government in Westminster.’
The Scottish Daily Mail has highlighted concerns that customers in rural Scottish communities are being hit with ‘rip-off’ delivery fees when ordering products from online retailers.
Shoppers north of the Border pay £36million more for deliveries – with some companies adding on charges despite claims of free or lower fees on their website.
In April, the ASA issued an enforcement notice to firms across the UK in an effort to protect customers in the most remote areas from surcharges.
The ASA guidance means retailers must make any restrictions or exclusions clear to customers and display the real cost of deliveries prominently.
A spokesman for the ASA said: ‘We can confirm we have received the dossier and it will be carefully considered.’