Anger over rural delivery charges

[TrueBlueTerrier]

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Scots living in rural and remote areas are being charged "rip-off" prices for delivery when they buy goods online, according to a consumer survey.

Citizens Advice Scotland (CAS) said it also found rural Scots were often refused delivery because their location was classed as "remote".

It claimed many consumers were angry at what they saw as discriminatory and unfair policies by online retailers.

CAS said sellers should ensure charges were based on actual costs incurred.

In a survey of nearly 900 consumers run by the Citizens Advice Bureau service across Scotland, more than 300 different retailers were pinpointed as either charging high delivery prices or refusing to deliver to them at all.

Some respondents claimed private sellers on sites such as Amazon and eBay often charged much more than it would cost to send an item by Royal Mail.

However, CAS said the majority of the companies named were smaller companies who might be unaware of their obligations under distance-selling regulations.

The survey also suggested consumers were frustrated at companies and couriers who appeared to charge extra based on a postcode area rather than the actual cost of delivery.

With the price of delivery sometimes outstripping the cost of the product, many consumers reported abandoning online sales at the checkout or cancelling after purchase.

As well as high charges, 84% of consumers said they had been refused delivery because of their "remote" location.

Consumers in Orkney fared the worst, with 93% saying they had been refused delivery. They were followed by online shoppers in the Western Isles (91%) and Highland residents (79%).

More than 99% of rural consumers asked said they would buy more regularly from a company with reasonable delivery charges.

CAS called on retailers to comply with distance-selling regulations by clearly displaying delivery costs on their website before the point of sale.

It also said it was keen to see the Royal Mail's Universal Service Obligation maintained in order to protect rural and remote consumers from high costs for delivery.
'Huge anger'

Angela Murphy, from CAS, said: "We've been taken aback by the scale of the response, and the level of anger expressed by Scottish consumers.

"It's without doubt the biggest response we've ever had to a survey of this kind.

"The comments reveal huge levels of anger, and some of the examples reported are really shocking. With families watching every penny at the moment these excessive costs are a major burden for many people.

"But it's not just about the money. This survey reveals that rural people feel exploited, and frankly discriminated against. They are very angry and want something done about it. And so do we."

CAS said it would report its evidence to the Office of Fair Trading and trading standards officials, as well as to both the UK and Scottish governments.

It will also be writing to companies named by respondents, to ask them to change their policies.

Ms Murphy added: "We will be naming the companies and publishing more detail of that in the New Year."
'Timely' report

Orkney Scottish Liberal Democrat MSP Liam McArthur described the report as "timely".

He said: "The findings highlight the real disadvantage many people in remote and rural areas face from unfair delivery practices.

"The fact that so many of those who responded to the survey live in Orkney comes as no surprise at all. I know from my own mailbag and surgeries, how much of an issue this is for those living in the islands."

He added: "In this already tough financial climate, we need to make sure those in remote and rural areas are not penalised because of where they live.

"For that reason, I will be commending this report and its recommendations to the parliament."

CAS has reopened its delivery survey to enable more people to report on the issue. It will close at midnight on 19 January.

[DGP1]

We have the same thing over here, only RM don't charge extra do deliver to NI (some companies don't even deliver here at all).