News / Delivery surcharges still giving islanders ‘raw deal’
SHETLANDERS frustrated with high delivery costs are being encouraged to make their voice heard after it was revealed islanders are paying over 15 per cent more on rural surcharges than they did three years ago.
A new report published this week by Citizens Advice Scotland (CAS) into rural delivery charges showed that islanders are still being given a raw deal by some businesses when it comes to delivery fees.
On Tuesday the organisation unveiled ‘The Postcode Penalty: The Distance Travelled’ – a survey of how business practices of 534 online retailers have changed over the last three years.
While the study showed that less companies now charge specific Highlands and Islands delivery surcharges than they did in 2012, those that do are asking for more money.
People living in the Scottish islands now pay 15.8 per cent more on surcharges than in 2012, with those in the Highlands shelling out 17.6 per cent more.
The report also finds, however, that fewer retailers now refuse to deliver to Shetland than three years ago.
In response, the isles’ local Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) branch called on the community to contact them if they feel they are being treated unfairly, or tell companies of their concerns directly.
“The reduction in the number of traders who choose to make a surcharge for delivery is good news, and that shows that this campaign is having some effect,” Shetland Islands CAB said.
“However, the increased amount of surcharges where they are applied shows that some retailers continue to give people in remote communities a raw deal.
“Shetland CAB will continue to support this national campaign to highlight the problem. Consumers in Shetland and across rural Scotland deserve better.
“We would urge local people to let us know about any charges they encounter which they believe to be unfair. We would also urge people to consider stopping using such traders and to let them know why.
“This is a people’s campaign and we want to encourage people to use their power as consumers to effect change.”
Sheila Fowlie, a businesswoman from Virkie, added that the “exorbitant costs” of delivering raw materials to Shetland forced her to recently rethink her company’s plans.
She decided to give up on making preserves and instead focus on the knitwear side of her business due to the price of having goods, such as glass containers, posted from the mainland.
“It was going to cost me nearly as much to ship my glass jars up here as it cost to buy them,” Fowlie said. “For some reason the place I got them from stopped using Royal Mail.”
Highlands and Islands list MSP Mike Mackenzie, meanwhile, said that the SNP will continue to put pressure on the UK government to ensure delivery costs are fair for rural communities.
“I welcome the publication of this important report by CAS while lamenting that the problem of high delivery surcharges for consumers in rural areas has not gone away,” he said.
“The problem continues to impact the Scottish Highlands and Islands more than other rural areas of the UK.
“Unfortunately for these communities, it still falls to Westminster to protect consumer interests through reserved legislation. However, the UK government has repeatedly failed to heed calls to regulate this market.
“The SNP Government will continue to press Westminster to revise the universal service obligation to include all delivery operators and put an end to unfair charges being imposed on rural areas.”
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