With parcel theft on the rise in the UK, ITV This Morning’s consumer editor Alice Beer took to the programme today to explain people’s rights to get their money back.
Recent Freedom of Information (FOI) requests to British police forces by tech company Quadient found parcel theft increased by 57 percent in the past year, with the average reported value of a stolen parcel at £66.50.
Ms Beer said: “People are leaving items of high value on doorsteps. It is a real issue and it’s not going to go away, so consumers have to know their rights, they have to empower themselves in order to recoup that money because it’s happening to a lot of people. “
Showing footage from a Ring Doorbell of a man walking over to a doorstep and stealing a parcel, Ms Beer said: “Even if you have got a video doorbell, you will see, it’s very common.
“There are people driving around neighbourhoods and if it’s got a good label on it, people can sell that on. Consumer marketplaces, it’s very easy. These things are highly desirable.”
Ms Beer added: “They’ll take anything.”
However, according to Ms Beer, 40 percent of people in the country “will not follow up” or “follow down the right avenue” to get their money back or a replacement because people don’t know their rights.
Delving into the rules, Ms Beer said: “Leave the courier out of it. The courier is the person that is hired by the retailer. You have a contract with the retailer.
“It says in your contract that you [the retailer] will deliver it to me [the consumer]. Not to my doorstep, not to my wheelie bin, not around the corner on my back porch; you’re going to leave it with me in my possession.”
The retailer’s responsibility goes all the way to the customer, and if the customer fails to procure the delivery, then it’s up to the retailer to substitute it.
Ms Beer added: “The retailer is always responsible. The retailer hired the courier.”
“I get grief online from small businesses saying, ‘Hang on a miniute, we can’t just substitute everything because the couriers are letting us down’, but I’m sorry retailers, you have a contract with those couriers. You have to say to them ‘Don’t leave parcels that are going to get nicked’.”
Moving on to the “two times” people won’t be protected, Ms Beer said: “One is if you have specified on the settings to leave it on the porch, a safe place or a neighbour. Then it goes slightly awol. Those are risky options.
“Always pick a Dropbox, or the Post Office, or somewhere where you physically go and have to show ID to pick it up.”
The other time consumer rights “go awol” is a marketplace, where a person is dealing consumer to consumer.
Ms Beer said in this instance, the consumer is a private seller and “you don’t have any consumer rights”.
She explained: “If they’re a trader on eBay, say, then you have consumer rights.”
Co-host Rylan Clarke then questioned whether having a Ring Doorbell with footage of a person stealing the parcel would make a difference.
Ms Beer said: “I appreciate Ring Doorbells for various reasons. One, they can be a deterrent, or it’ll let you know when someone is coming up to the door – you can tell the delivery person not to leave the parcel on the doorstep.
“You’ll have that in your history, that’s your evidence.”
The consumer expert added: “Know your rights. Go back to the retailer, and say ‘My parcel has not been delivered to me as you were contracted to do’.
“The same if it’s late. If it’s late by more than 30 days – that’s your statutory right – go back and say ‘It’s too late, I want my money back or a replacement.”
This Morning airs on weekdays on ITV at 10am.
