Delivery charges

NORTHERN isles MP Alistair Carmichael has promised to find a way of tackling high delivery charges, if a private members bill fails to make it through the House of Commons.

On Wednesday Carmichael welcomed the bill proposed by fellow Liberal Democrat Sir Robert Smith to force online retailers to make their delivery charges clearer to customers living in remote areas like Shetland.

However he warned that there may not be enough time to see the Delivery Services (Transparency for Consumers) Bill passed through Parliament, pledging to find other ways of addressing the issue if that happened.

“Bob Smith’s bill seeks to empower consumers to make the right choice when ordering online,” he said.

“This has the potential to make businesses consider their delivery policy to rural areas.

“I know that the bill to hold a referendum on the European Union is likely to take up a lot of parliamentary time and there is a risk that Bob’s bill may not have enough time to progress through Parliament.

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“If that appears to be the case then I will be speaking to government ministers to see if there are other avenues which we may pursue to implement this sensible proposal.”

Island residents often complain about being charged extra for delivering to Shetland, with some firms refusing to deliver at all.

Smith said people living in Aberdeenshire had the same infuriating problem.

“Some of the extra charges made by online couriers to deliver to parts of Scotland are just outrageous,” he said.

“Retailers need to think about finding more reasonable ways to deliver their products to rural areas.

“One option is to deliver goods by Royal Mail which charges one price to deliver anywhere in the UK.

“Alternatively retailers need to think about using couriers that charge more reasonable amounts for delivery in Scotland.

“People in rural Scotland and on the islands understand that products may take a little longer to arrive, but the additional cost charged by some companies just seems out of all proportion.”