Pass the parcel
Many of us this year have joined the online revolution and done some if not all of our Christmas shopping online, one of the largest places to buy presents is Amazon. With a wide selection and their Prime service for next day delivery, they are an obvious choice to go to. But if you’re expecting that special present before the big day, you might want to have a backup plan as Amazon workers in Germany are staging one of the largest strikes the company has ever seen.
Timed to create the maximum of impact and disruption, the Union has claimed that they are trying to hurt the American-based firm as much as possible over disputes on pay and conditions. The strike will mean other centres across Europe including the k will have to pick up the slack and may cause delays in packages being delivered in time for Christmas.
Although at the moment Amazon are claiming that there is not a problem and that the majority or parcels will be delivered, it’s the key work majority that’s worrying. Amazon have taken on thousands of extra staff this year and more as more of us take to the keyboard instead of the high street, relatively confident that what we ordered will be delivered in time for Christmas, but what if it’s not?
A lot of companies this close to Christmas raise the price of delivery to guarantee it will be at your door in time for the big day, and most of us are willing to pay that little bit extra if it does indeed manage to get here on time. But always check, many items you buy have small print that state how long the item COULD take in the post, some are up to 28 days!!!. If it states it will be here for a certain date, then that’s when it should be there, if it says expected delivery then I would check the fine print. They are not obligated to guarantee it will be at your door by that time, it’s just the best estimate based on the delivery company’s track record.
One of the good things about ordering items on the internet is the level of protection you get. If you walk into a shop and buy an item, unless there is a problem with it or the store state they have a no quibble money back guarantee then they are under no obligation to take it back. The same is not true for the internet, if you have bought an item online, get it home and you don’t like it, it doesn’t fit or you realise it’s actually too expensive for you, you can send it back and are entitled to a full refund of the cost of the item ( not the p&p unfortunately).
More relevant at the moment if the goods arrive too late for Christmas and you have to nip out and get them from the shops, the same term apply, send it back or even refuse delivery and get a full refund. The protection if you pay with a credit or debit card is also a wonderful thing, if you have charged it to either of them; then if the item just fails to turn up, is broken, or a fake (a lot of those online at the moment) you have protection with your card company, so even if the seller refuses to refund the money all is not lost. It’s always a good idea when making the larger purchases, even if you have the cash to pay to put all or some of it on your card, the protection kicks in even if you have made a part payment towards the item with a card.
Hopefully everyone’s parcels will arrive safely and on time, ready for wrapping and under the tree for Christmas morning, but if they don’t quite make it at least you know you can get your money back.
By Jenifer Drew The Coupon Detective.
CLICK HERE to read your rights if your package is late or doesn’t arrive.
