Shoppers have been warned to make sure their safe online delivery space is in the best possible place ahead of the summer.
The evenings are brightening up and families will soon be heading out to enjoy a – potentially – sunny day, so the importance of leaving your delivery in the correct place is vital.
With this in mind, Citizens Advice has alerted online shoppers to be mindful of which options to select if they won’t be in.
Last year, around 16,000 parcels were stolen, as reports to police about theft of deliveries increased by more than 500% in four years, according to Parcel Pending’s data.
Further, the most likely time for the theft was between 9am and 5pm, when the majority of families will either be at work or school.
‘Important to check your options’
Kate Hobson, senior consumer expert at Citizens Advice, said: “As we all spend more time out of the home in the warmer months, it’s likely some of us may be out enjoying the weather when the delivery driver comes calling.
“It’s important to check what delivery options you’ve selected to make sure your parcel is safe and find out who is responsible if things go wrong.”
So you can have faith your delivery will be there when you arrive home, the charity has provided five tips below.
Five tips if you won’t be home for a delivery
- Check with the parcel company you’re expecting a delivery from to find out what its policy is on leaving parcels and whether you’re able to opt out. You could look into opting out on a parcel-by-parcel basis or by company.
- A safe place should generally be somewhere out of public view, waterproof, safe and easy for the delivery driver to find. It could be anything from a garage or a shed to an enclosed porch.
- Don’t give your safe place preference unless you’re willing to accept responsibility if your parcel is lost, stolen or damaged from the safe place, or have checked that you would not be responsible.
- If buying goods from a seller on an online platform, you could check if they offer insurance or extra protection, or if the postal service they’re charging for covers the value of the item(s) bought.
- Consider using other options for parcel delivery such as diverting to a parcel shop or to a locker.
