Most common Christmas online delivery problems - Which?

More than half of online shoppers experienced at least one delivery problem last Christmas, a Which? survey suggests.

The most common complaint was orders arriving too early, meaning people were not at home to collect it.

And around one in four people said their orders did not arrive at all.

Other problems included deliveries being left in the rain for days and a woman who found a parcel in her toilet after it was pushed through a window.

The survey, conducted by Populus for the Which? consumer group, asked 2,071 shoppers about their online orders between November 2018 and January 2019.

It found 54% of people said they had at least one delivery that did not go to plan.

Nearly one in six people said their parcels arrived late, while 29% complained their delivery arrived earlier than expected so they were not there to accept it.

Around a quarter of people said the courier did not follow pre-arranged instructions properly, meaning their deliveries were handed to unauthorised neighbours or left in unexpected places.

One person complained that their delivery was left in the rain for 48 hours while they were away for the weekend.

Meanwhile, nearly one in ten reported that a delivery driver had left a note claiming the recipient was not at home when they were.

One shopper said that they received such a note after seeing the courier pass their home without attempting a delivery.

Pippa Park said she ordered a pair of £150 sunglasses online for her sister for Christmas last year.

But the package was left in the recycling bin by the delivery company- just one hour before it was due to be emptied by the refuse collectors.

"I wanted to give the present to my sister before she went travelling and the delivery had already taken two weeks," said Pippa, who lives in London.

She was refunded but said she was left feeling very frustrated by the incident. The glasses were recycled.

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Which? consumer rights spokesman Adam French said missing, late, or damaged deliveries can be a nightmare for shoppers.

Retailers have a duty to ensure online orders are delivered within a reasonable time and in good condition, under the Consumer Rights Act, he said.

However, he warned people to "think very carefully" about any instructions you leave for couriers.

He added: "But be aware if you give permission for your delivery to be left in a specified safe place, or received by a nominated neighbour, and something goes wrong, you will still be considered to have received the delivery."