Clothes up in smoke and chocolates eaten by squirrels: Which? reveals shoppers’ biggest delivery disasters

Clothes going up in smoke and luxury chocolates nibbled by rodents are among the disasters experienced by shoppers as Which? urges couriers and retailers to ensure their deliveries are up to scratch ahead of the festive season.

Which? surveyed over 2,000 members of the public in October 2024 and a quarter (25%) said they had an issue with at least one online order from a UK retailer in the last year. 

In a separate survey conducted in February 2024 on Christmas shopping and deliveries, Which? also asked more than 2,000 UK adults about the most bizarre delivery problems they had experienced. 

One respondent said they had a box of luxury chocolates left in their garden which were all nibbled by squirrels or rats by the time they found them. 

Another said their most bizarre experience was “a clothes order left on my central heating exhaust which started to smoke after my heating was switched on automatically while I was at work.”

Among those who experienced a delivery issue in Which?’s October 2024 survey, the most common issues included a delivery arriving late (39%), a parcel being handed to someone else even though they were at home (38%) and goods arriving damaged (35%).

Other issues include the parcel being left outside and stolen (25%), being delivered to the wrong address (25%) and never arriving at all (23%). 

These experiences often leave a sour taste - with one in four (25%) UK adults saying they have avoided ordering from a retailer after seeing which delivery firm they were partnered with.

With Christmas just weeks away, millions of people will be shopping online and relying on couriers to get their gifts. It is important for any issues to be resolved quickly and for consumers to know their rights if a delivery arrives damaged, late or not at all. 

If a delivery fails to arrive, customers should immediately contact the retailer, which should either help track down their order or send a replacement. Customers may also get a refund from their retailer if they paid extra for a special delivery that then arrived late.

However, Which?’s October 2024 survey found that one in three (31%) who had an issue with a delivery and contacted the retailer said they were told to contact the courier - despite it being the retailer's responsibility under consumer law to rectify any issues with deliveries.

For those who did complain to the retailer, many struggled to get their issue resolved quickly. One in five (20%) who had a missing, stolen or damaged parcel had to wait between eight and 14 days to have it resolved, 5 per cent waited longer than 15 days and one in ten (10%) said their problem was never sorted.

Rob Lilley-Jones, Which? Consumer Expert, said:

"The festive season is the busiest time of year for deliveries and many of us will understandably be worried about whether important Christmas purchases will arrive on time. 

“Any delivery firms or retailers that are falling short of their customers’ expectations need to up their game. They must ensure that they are properly prepared for the Christmas period and able to deliver people’s parcels on time. If anything goes wrong, issues should be resolved promptly and efficiently. 

“To help reduce the likelihood of problems with a delivery, it’s worth being specific when setting your preferences around timings - and if something goes wrong with your delivery this Christmas - it's the retailer and not the delivery company that you need to ask to fix the problem.”

-ENDS-

Notes to editors 

Research

Which? surveyed 2,132 adults in the UK between 4th and 7th October 2024. Fieldwork was carried out online by Deltapoll and data has been weighted to be representative of the UK population (aged 18+). Of those surveyed, 25 per cent (529 respondents) said they had an issue with at least one online order from a UK retailer in the last year. 

Which? surveyed 2,048 adults in the UK between 2nd and 5th February 2024. Fieldwork was carried out online by Deltapoll and data has been weighted to be representative of the UK population (aged 18+).

Most common delivery issues among the 529 respondents in Which?’s October 2024  survey who said they experienced a problem with their delivery

Your delivery rights if things go wrong

1. Complain to the retailer, not the courier - If you have a delivery disaster this Christmas, complain to the retailer, not the courier. Under the Consumer Rights Act (CRA) the retailer is responsible for delivering your order safely.

2. Late deliveries - Under the Consumer Contracts Regulations, you can cancel your online order from the moment it is placed until 14 days starting from the day after you receive your goods.If you paid more for next-day delivery, you can claim the extra delivery cost you spent on top of standard shipping if it’s late.

3. Beware that your rights are reduced if you nominate a 'safe space' or neighbour - If you gave specific delivery instructions for a parcel to be left with a neighbour or in a safe place, the retailer isn’t responsible if something goes wrong. If you didn’t leave instructions, the retailer is legally bound to replace your parcel.

4. Faulty or tampered-with parcels - If your product is damaged or faulty, you’re entitled to a refund, repair or replacement. Which? has heard from a number of consumers who have had parcels, containing high-value items, tampered with. If you get a parcel that seems to have been opened, take photos of the parcel from every angle before opening it. If your order is not in there, ask for a replacement.

Read more about your consumer rights if a parcel is late or missing here and how to complain about damaged goods here. 

Use Which?’s tool to make a complaint here. 

Listen to Which?’s podcast episode on how to deal with delivery disasters here. 

About Which?

Which? is the UK’s consumer champion, here to make life simpler, fairer and safer for everyone. Our research gets to the heart of consumer issues, our advice is impartial, and our rigorous product tests lead to expert recommendations. We’re the independent consumer voice that influences politicians and lawmakers, investigates, holds businesses to account and makes change happen. As an organisation we’re not for profit and all for making consumers more powerful.

The information in this press release is for editorial use by journalists and media outlets only. Any business seeking to reproduce information in this release should contact the Which? Endorsement Scheme team at endorsementscheme@which.co.uk