Guidance

Parcel deliveries: best practice guide

This sets out best practice principles to ensure retailers' delivery services meet the needs of customers who live in remote communities.

• From: Department for Business and Trade and Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy
• Published: 31 July 2014

Documents

Statement of principles for parcel deliveries

Ref: BIS/14/973

PDF, 277 KB, 7 pages

Details

Citizens Advice has worked with industry to develop this guide to help consumers know what delivery costs they may face when ordering goods online. It will help retailers ensure their delivery charges are transparent and given to consumers as soon as possible in the ordering process. It will help consumers in the UK, in particular those who live in remote communities, to make better choices when buying online.

The 6 principles are that online retailers should:

• apply delivery surcharges only when they are justified
• do their best to provide the widest possible delivery coverage
• ensure that consumers can access clear, timely and transparent delivery policy information at the earliest possible stage in the online buying process
• work with their carriers to consider how to use delivery options and services to increase the success of first-time delivery
• aim to provide consumers with other relevant delivery information that they hold when the order is completed and/or dispatched
• include options for consumers to provide feedback about their delivery experience

The guide contains practical advice for businesses on how to apply the 6 principles to their own delivery systems.

Published 31 July 2014