Firms who f leece rural shoppers to be exposed
ONLINE firms charging rural customers rip-off delivery charges are to be named and shamed by the Scottish Government.
Shoppers north of the Border have paid £36million more than those elsewhere in the UK to receive parcels – with many in remote areas forced to pay ‘unjustifiable’ sums of money.
Yesterday, SNP ministers pledged to stamp out unfair fees with a series of measures to be introduced over the next year.
They will include publication of a list revealing the worst-offending firms and an online map showing which communities are being hit.
The plan, launched to coincide with Cyber Monday, will also see the creation of a hub for customers to comment on their experiences, as well as efforts to improve the accuracy of postcode classification tools, stopping accessible locations being mistakenly categorised as remote.
Business minister Jamie Hepburn said: ‘Unfair delivery practices are not only frustrating and discriminatory for consumers, they are a barrier to small businesses operating in rural and remote areas.
‘This action plan reinforces our commitment to ensure the delivery market works for people across Scotland irrespective of where they live. It will empower online shoppers to recognise and act upon Deputy Scottish Political Editor unfair or misleading delivery costs.’ The first part of the Fairer Deliveries for All action plan was launched with a website allowing customers across Scotland to share their experiences to create a map highlighting which areas are suffering the worst. Ministers hope to have it published by summer 2019.
The Scottish Daily Mail has highlighted concerns that rural Scottish communities are being hit with ripoff delivery fees by online retailers.
The Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) promised to issue enforcement notices to firms making excessive charges, while retail giants Amazon and eBay have pledged to curb third-party sellers.
Nationalist MSP Richard Lochhead, who has campaigned successfully on the issue, has been lobbying the UK Government for restrictions to be imposed on online firms and will meet officials in London today.
He said: ‘I will be pushing hard to make sure this is the last Christmas where folk in Scotland have to put up with discriminatory charges.’
Chief executive of Citizens Advice Scotland Derek Mitchell said: ‘We want to make sure that people know what to look out for when making a purchase and their rights if something goes wrong.’
Charges for parcel delivery for Highlands and Islands addresses are more than 30 per cent higher, on average, than those in other areas of mainland Great Britain, according to research carried out by the Consumer Futures Unit.
CRAIG BROWN IS AWAY