‘Sorry we missed you’: how drivers dodge deliveries
Survey by Which? finds delivery staff use online notes to avoid dropping off parcels at Christmas time
FOR all the convenience of online shopping, there is always the risk that your deliveries may not arrive on time – or at all.
Who has not suffered the frustration of sitting around all day waiting for a delivery, only to miss it while nipping to the lavatory and, upon their return, seeing the “sorry we missed you” note?
Now a survey by Which? has found that delivery drivers are using notes to avoid having to deliver packages during the busy festive season.
Nine per cent of customers in the survey of 2,000 people found that a delivery driver had left a “sorry we missed you note” and failed to deliver the parcel when they were, in fact, in.
Many have complained on Twitter, such as Julie Docherty, who was waiting for a wine delivery. She tweeted that her order had changed from being the next delivery to suddenly being categorised as “sorry we missed you”.
She added: “I don’t think so. I stood here at the window watching. You definitely never even drove into the street.”
Another customer wrote: “Been waiting in all day for a delivery only to have an update on the app at 20:04 say: ‘Sorry we missed you, we left you a calling card’. Well I have checked CCTV … no sign of [delivery driver] and no card. Very unhappy.” Six in 10 people said at least one parcel did not arrive as planned over the Christmas period last year. Parcels were also left in strange places, such as in the bin, thrown over a hedge or fence, or left with a neighbour without being given consent. One customer reported that their delivery was “left in the recycling bin and was taken by binmen”.
One in 10 people had a parcel left outside the door without prior consent. However, despite these dificulties, shopping online at Christmas is still popular, with nine in 10 buying at least one item online and 51 per cent five or more. Alex Neill, Which?’s head of home products and services, said: “If you face a delivery issue, remember that you have rights and should contact the retailer as soon as possible.”
♦ An Amazon boss has denied the online giant is “single-handedly killing the high street”. Lesley Smith, director of public policy, insisted the website is responsible for a “relatively small part” of digital sales in the UK during a grilling by the housing, communities and local government committee yesterday.
She was also forced to defend suggestions by MPS that Amazon takes advantage of low business rates while making use of the same services and infrastructure as physical retailers.
One customer reported their delivery was ‘left in the recycling bin and was taken by binmen’