Online shoppers face dealing with late, damaged or missing parcels this December as a survey by Which? reveals two in five people shopping online experienced at least one issue with their delivery last Christmas.

One in seven shoppers who received a delivery between November 2021 and January 2022 reported their parcel was late, while one in 10 said it was left outside without their permission. Some 8% of shoppers said their parcel was not delivered at all.

Which?’s survey found that nominating a safe place does not always stop buyers from having problems with a delivery. One in four who nominated a safe place for a delivery had something go wrong, with some saying their instructions were ignored altogether.

One shopper who named their enclosed front porch as their safe place instead found the parcel in the middle of the garden in torrential rain.

Other examples of delivery disasters included pet tarantulas held overnight, a parcel thrown into a pond and laptop left in the pouring rain.

Best and worst parcel firms

Courier DHL ranked bottom of a separate survey conducted by the consumer champion which asked how satisfied customers were with the company delivering their parcels.

Some 64% of those surveyed said they were satisfied with the delivery. One in 10 said the condition of their parcel was poor when it arrived.

Amazon Logistics came top of Which?’s survey on courier firm satisfaction.

On the whole, shoppers’ courier satisfaction levels were high as eight in ten respondents said they were satisfied with the delivery.

But it was when things went wrong with deliveries that people experienced issues and often found themselves on shaky ground when enforcing their rights to a refund or a replacement.

A quarter of people said they had avoided shopping with a retailer because of its choice of courier.

Know your delivery rights

Which? shares these delivery rights tips:

• Shoppers may be entitled to a refund from their retailer if they paid extra for a special delivery that then arrived late.
• If a delivery fails to arrive, customers should immediately contact the retailer which should either help track down their order or send a replacement.
• Shoppers with deliveries coming through Royal Mail might not be able to claim any compensation for items that are late as a result of the strikes because the majority of Royal Mail services are not guaranteed day services.
• For Special Delivery Guaranteed items sent via Royal Mail, the guarantee will be suspended for items that are sent the day before the strike until the industrial action is over.

Lisa Webb, Which? consumer law expert, said: “With postal strikes looming, many consumers will be understandably worried about whether presents will arrive on time.

“Unfortunately, the festive season is peak time for late, damaged or missing parcels and we have heard about scores of delivery disasters.

“It’s important to remember that 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.”