MORE than 100 companies have been referred to the advertising watchdog following an SNP MSP’s campaign against “rip-off” delivery charges imposed on Scots.
Richard Lochhead launched a drive to highlight high fees and firms that advertise “free UK mainland delivery” but then insist people living in some parts of Scotland must pay.
The Moray MSP began his campaign after raising the case of car accessories firm Halfords at First Minister’s Questions. He said it wanted to charge one of his constituents in Speyside £50 for delivering a pair of car towels costing £5.99.
Lochhead set up a website to draw attention to the issue and subsequently received letters, emails and messages from around 2000 other people with similar experiences.
He has now sent a dossier to the Advertising Standards Authority – with copies going to Citizens Advice Scotland and Trading Standards Scotland – naming 124 firms where he believes there is enough information for an investigation.
Lochhead said: “It is ridiculous and completely unfair that consumers in large parts of Scotland face higher delivery fees – sometimes even having their order refused or told that their mainland address is offshore.
“In some cases these delivery fees can be eye-watering and really hit rural families in the pocket. What really angers consumers is when companies advertise free delivery across the whole UK, but then say this doesn’t apply if you live in the Highlands.”
He added: “That would appear to be a clear case of false advertising and I hope that the Advertising Standards Authority takes action.”
Lochhead said he had received support from both the Scottish and UK governments, and called on the UK Government, which has the power to regulate the firms’ advertising messages, to step in and stop the companies from giving misleading information to customers.
Some 236 of the complaints flagged to Lochhead are related to 85 companies where the company advertised either “free delivery” or “free mainland UK delivery” and then charged the customer an additional sum at a later stage of the order process. He also was told of 63 cases relating to 11 companies where the company advertised delivery to “mainland UK” but subsequently said that they do not deliver to parts of Scotland or Scotland at all; and some 50 complaints relating to 20 companies where the customer was told of an additional charge at order checkout.
Lochhead also received 27 complaints relating to 10 companies who accepted orders but then contacted the customer and asked them to pay an additional charge for delivery.
Around 14 complaints related to six companies that took an order from a customer but cancelled it after learning the address. Eight complaints related to four companies where a customer who lives on mainland Scotland was told their address was classified as offshore.
Research last year by the Scottish Parliament’s information centre found Scots pay £36.3 million more per year than online shoppers in the rest of the UK due to delivery charges. A separate study for Citizens Advice Scotland found those living in the north and north-east pay at least 30 per cent more for delivery than consumers elsewhere, with the figure rising to 50 per cent more on average for the Scottish islands.
The Advertising Standards Authority has been considering action to tackle excessive surcharges, while UK and Scottish ministers have agreed to investigate cases highlighted by the campaign — such as a £500 delivery fee to the Outer Hebrides for items costing £85.
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