RESEARCH REVEALS WESTERN ISLES CONSUMERS PAY £2.66 MILLION PER ANNUM IN DELIVERY SURCHARGES

Alasdair Allan, SNP MSP for Na h-Eileanan an Iar, has hit out at the unjustifiable delivery surcharges islanders have to face after research has shown consumers in the Western Isles continue to pay over the odds.

The Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe) has estimated that consumers in the Western Isles faced £2.66 million in delivery surcharges over the course of 2018. This is a near 5% increase from 2017 where SPICe estimated the cost of delivery surcharges as £2.54 million.

The power to regulate parcel delivery surcharging is reserved to the UK Government. However, the Scottish Government has launched an action plan on tackling unfair delivery charges which includes steps such as developing a fair delivery charges map where consumers will be able to compare and track delivery costs and providing a crowdsourcing website where customer experiences of unfair deliveries can be shared.

Commenting, Alasdair Allan said:

“Islanders rely on being able to purchase items online that we cannot easily pick up locally. However, the Western Isles continues to be one of the worst places affected by retailers setting arbitrary and unjustifiable delivery surcharges. Island consumers are now paying more an astonishing £2.66 million in delivery charges.

“More has to be done to stop islanders being ripped off. While the Scottish Government’s recent action plan was a welcome step forward in the campaign against unfair delivery charges, ultimately the powers in this area are reserved to the UK Government and they must step up.

“Along with cross-party Highlands and Islands MPs, my colleague Angus MacNeil MP is preparing a list of companies who charge excessive fees to deliver to the islands with the aim of submitting this to the UK Government's Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS). I would encourage constituents to share their experiences with him by emailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..”