Caitríona Redmond: The fast way to Christmas delivery frustration

Who is responsible when deliveries go missing?

Amazon: "The vast majority of deliveries make it to customers without issue. In the rare case something occurs, we work with customers directly to make it right."

Between the dreadful flu season and the awful weather, it’s safe to say that Christmas shopping has come with additional obstacles this year.

Small wonder then that so many people are turning to online purchases to help fill the stockings instead.

However, there are extra delays lately with this method because the unfortunate collapse of Fastway couriers has pushed their deliveries onto alternative services.

I know I’m not alone when I say I’m waiting longer for deliveries this December.

Apparently, it takes nearly 19 days and counting to ship an item from the Netherlands and this includes 10 days to shift a parcel from one depot to another in Ireland and still not drop off my parcel.

As I didn’t buy from the courier, I can’t contact them and ask where my parcel is, apart from constantly refreshing the tracking link.

If the parcel hasn’t been delivered by December 21, I can request a refund but that won’t fill a Christmas stocking.

Packages left on doorsteps have become commonplace with delivery drivers under immense pressure to meet targets and ensure Santa’s helpers get their parcels on time.

I work from home, so I’m used to listening out for a thump on the mat and a short doorbell ring which means another delivery has made its way to my house.

But for those who aren’t home, there’s a Schrödinger’s Cat effect where a package may or may not be on the doorstep depending on whether the customer is there or not.

Recently, local Facebook and Whatsapp groups have become a virtual lost-and-found as irate customers get their parcels ‘delivered’ but those same packages then go missing.

To add insult to injury, many of those delivery notifications even come with a pretty picture of a parcel at the front door.

That’s when the pesky porch pirates might have pilfered your property. Those opportunist swindlers swoop in and snatch up items that don’t belong to them from doorsteps.

As far as the retailer is concerned, the delivery has occurred and the householder can whistle for it.

What does ‘taking delivery’ mean anyway? Is putting a parcel on the doorstep an acceptable way to deliver a package, and what recourse do customers have? 

I asked the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission to clarify and they couldn’t be clearer: 

“When a consumer orders something for delivery, their contract is with the retailer, not the courier. Under the Consumer Rights Act 2022, it is the retailer’s responsibility to ensure an ordered product arrives safely with the
consumer, ie the consumer taking physical possession of the delivery.

“As such, placing a delivery on the consumer’s doorstep without a signature or a prior agreement to do so does not qualify as an acceptable delivery under consumer law, unless the consumer has explicitly agreed to this in advance.”

That last part is the interesting part because if you have an Amazon account, you may be automatically signed up to doorstep deliveries.

It’s very clear in the ‘your account-your address’ settings that the default delivery option is the doorstep. 

If you don’t want your parcels to land on your doorstep, you must either add a new delivery instruction or opt for another location.

For their part, Amazon says: “Every day at Amazon, our employees and independent delivery partners come together to provide fast, reliable, and safe delivery for our customers. The vast majority of deliveries make it to customers without issue. In the rare case something occurs, we work with customers directly to make it right.”

Caitríona Redmond: "Make sure you select your preferred delivery location specifically. If you have your doorstep selected as a delivery location, keep a sharp eye out for parcels and understand that if you are not home, your parcels will still be delivered to your doorstep. You can also set delivery preferences for individual orders which may work if you know you won’t be at home to take in a parcel."

If you have an Amazon account, then log into your addresses.

Make sure you select your preferred delivery location specifically. If you have your doorstep selected as a delivery location, keep a sharp eye out for parcels and understand that if you are not home, your parcels will still be delivered to your doorstep.

You can also set delivery preferences for individual orders which may work if you know you won’t be at home to take in a parcel.

Amazon is both the retailer and the delivery agent, whereas An Post handles deliveries only. To be very fair to Amazon, getting in touch about an issue is an awful lot easier than trying to contact An Post.

It’s not an isolated issue for retailers though: An Post also allows householders to nominate a neighbour’s address, or another location for packages that don’t fit in the letterbox.

Once that delivery is made to your neighbour, even if it gets damaged in their house, it’s your problem.

Handily, if you have registered your full name and email address with An Post, then you will get a notification ahead of deliveries. That notification will contain a link where you can set a one-off alternative location.

The same issue applies if you have an out-of-home bank of lockers. Once the item is put into the locker, it’s effectively considered to have been delivered.

Some of those locker services may not cover the full value of a parcel and you could be considerably out of pocket if anything happens to your order.

Have you been affected by porch piracy or had an issue with deliveries made to your doorstep? Let us know.

Redmond Recommends:

My important advice this week is to ensure that your delivery settings across all your retailers and their delivery partners are consistent.

If you have set your parcel to be delivered to your recycling bin and you’re not around, once the parcel lands into the bin it’s your responsibility.

Ask yourself, what would happen to items that arrive on bin day, and if you like shredded items?

Be mindful of delivery deadlines if you’re ordering online between now and Christmas. Allow plenty of leeway in case problems do crop up.

An Post’s last date for parcels in Ireland is December 16!