This in from Isle of Wight Conservative MP, Andrew Turner’s, office in their own words. Ed
Andrew Turner last week attended a round-table meeting with industry representatives, consumer bodies and other MPs to discuss problems of delivery of retail goods ordered online, particularly to more remote areas and how to explore how consumers may have fair access to online retail services.
The Island’s MP said:
“The Isle of Wight is often affected by restricted delivery options for online retail. One of the main points made during the roundtable meeting was that retailers need greater guidance on how to give consumers clearer and more upfront delivery information. It should be clear before the ordering process begins what the options and costs of delivery are.
“We have all seen ‘free delivery’ or ‘next day delivery’ advertisements as part of the marketing for various goods. These kinds of promises are often not applicable for the Island and are therefore misleading advertisements. There will be a follow-up meeting in a couple of months, I am asking Islanders to send me information whenever they see such examples so that I can raise specific examples at the next meeting.”
He added that it is sometimes worth asking retailers to look at their delivery policies.
“I have heard of cases where people have queried delivery charges to the Island, and retailers have looked into it and found that their couriers do not in fact charge a premium for Island delivery. It is always worth a try!”
Nick Boles, Minister for Skills, chaired the round table meeting and attendees included representatives from the British Retail Consortium, John Lewis and Royal Mail.
You can email Andrew Turner on [email protected]
Image: robbertjnoordzij under CC BY 2.0
