Online shoppers hit by parcel delivery problems
Half of British consumers have faced issues with parcel deliveries ahead of the Black Friday and Christmas period as more people turn to online shopping, research reveals.
A survey by Citizens Advice found that 47 per cent of adults have had problems with parcel delivery since the country first went into lockdown in March, with 51 per cent saying they feel more reliant on having goods delivered.
It also emerged more than 300 online domains have been suspended this year for issues related to the non-delivery of goods, counterfeit products and fake clone websites.
The Citizens Advice consumer service has received three times as many calls about deliver y issues since March compared to the same period last year.
The charity's online advice on parcel issues was viewed almost 208,000 times between March and October, compared to 94,000 in the same period in 2019.
Three in ten people also said they have had a parcel arrive late, while 24 percent said their experience of a delivery issue has affected their confidence when ordering goods.
A total of 2,026 UK adults were surveyed online between 23 and 25 October.
Alistair Cromwell, the chief executive of Citizens Advice, said :" It' s not right that the number of people having issues with parcels is so high. And it's especially worrying that so many people don' t know what their rights are if something goes wrong.
"With Christmas and Black Friday on the horizon, it' s important to remember that it's the seller' s responsibility - not yours or the courier's - to make sure the item gets to you.
"As online shopping become san essential, we want people to feel confident that they can shop safely and securely from home."
Meanwhile, the National Trading Standards (NTS) said it has suspended 323 domains due to issues surrounding non-deliveries, counterfeit products and fake clone websites imitating genuine business sites.
Mike Andrews, national coordinator of the NTS ecrime team, said: "As more people shop online in the coming weeks, it's important that consumers do so safely and know their rights."
He urged consumers to check product reviews, returns policies and the URL of a website before making a purchase.
Meanwhile, shoppers are again being warned to watch out for scams ahead of Black Friday and the festive period.
People looking for items such as games consoles, bicycles and clothing may be at a higher risk of encountering a scam, according to intelligence from the banking and finance industry.
There has been an increase in criminals exploiting shoppers looking for these favourite Christmas gifts, according to UK Finance.
Katy Worobec, managing director of economic crime at UK Finance, said: "As consumer spending has shifted online, criminals have ruthlessly adjusted their approaches to pursue those shopping on the internet.
"With Black Friday( November 27) and Christmas approaching, fraudsters are again stepping up their efforts to take advantage .”