Unfair Delivery Charges

The Issue:

This is an issue which I’m confident most people in the Highlands can relate to. We’ve all tried to buy something online, through TV shopping, or in a catalogue (remember those?), got through to the point of purchase, only to be told that we don’t live on the UK mainland or something similar.

This is due to an outdated system that most couriers use to calculate postage costs which uses postcodes to determine fees. This means that if even a tiny area of the first couple of digits of a postcode are on an island, they will calculate shipping of the entire postcode to that effect.

The Impact:

Here in the Highlands, we are truly fortunate to have some of the most fantastic scenery, world-renowned hospitality and fantastic attractions and things to do. Due to our relatively small population size when compared to size by area, we don’t have the same opportunities to shop as those who live in Scotland’s bigger cities.

So, if we wanted to buy a specific clothing item, for example, shopping online and getting it delivered makes much more sense for most than travelling to Aberdeen or the Central Belt. But when faced with exorbitant delivery charges, it can very quickly become unaffordable. Aside from being unfair, this makes it more difficult to attract businesses and individuals to establish themselves here, which hurts us all.

Work I am doing:

This is perhaps my longest-running campaign, stretching back to my time as a councillor and throughout my time as an MP. This is an industry-wide issue which will take consensus to solve, this isn’t always easy to reach.

Aside from using the Parliamentary tools at my disposal to tackle this, I’ve met with many of the courier firms and raised the issue directly. There appears to be genuine understanding from most that this is a problem which not only hurts the consumer but also harms their own business interests.

The next stage in this campaign is to attempt to get representatives from the major courier companies around a table to work towards a solution to the benefit of all those who call the Highlands their home.

Share Your Views:

I’d love to hear your thoughts and experiences regarding unfair delivery charges.

Let me know them here: https://us13.list-manage.com/survey?u=79400f257882be15026d47c7a&id=3f9bf19ccd&attribution=false

RELEASE: MP praises CAB for their Fair Delivery Charges campaign

30th November 2020

Highland MP, Drew Hendry has praised the Inverness, Badenoch & Strathspey Citizens Advice Bureau and Nairn Citizens Advice Bureau for their local Fair Delivery Charges

Let’s be real, ‘shopping around’ is what we all do already.

14th March 2019

Trouble is, people in Scotland are still paying £38 million in excess delivery surcharges. You all know the problem – the one when you are

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