How to sort out delivery problems this Christmas

Delivery delays

If an online store arranges the delivery of a product you’ve bought, it is responsible under the Consumer Guarantees Act for that product until it arrives with you. If the delivery is taking longer than expected to arrive, you shouldn’t have to contact the courier company yourself – the store should follow up with the courier to find out where the parcel is.

If your parcel doesn’t show up by the time it was meant to, and the retailer has had the chance to sort it out, you can contact your bank and ask for a chargeback if you’ve paid by credit card.

Damaged deliveries

Under the Consumer Guarantees Act, goods must arrive in acceptable condition. If you open your parcel and find it’s damaged, take photos and contact the store as soon as you can. You don’t need to sort it out with the courier – again, it’s the store’s job to do this.

Normally you would be responsible for the cost of returning something you’ve bought online, but that’s not the case if it’s damaged or faulty. You can claim the cost of the return delivery from the store. It can be easier to ask the store to send you a prepaid courier ticket so you can arrange pick-up.

Here are some things you can do to help make online shopping for Christmas presents stress-free.

• A web address that ends with “.co.nz” doesn’t guarantee a business is in New Zealand. Check out its contact page to see where it’s based and get an idea of how long your parcel might take to arrive.
• Using a credit card when you pay online makes it easier to get your money back if things go wrong, as you can request a chargeback from your bank.
• Check a website’s returns policy before you buy. It’s good to know how relaxed a store is about refunding an item if it arrives and isn’t what you thought.
• If you’re ordering gifts to send overseas, make sure you give yourself plenty of time to get them and then send them on. The cut-off for sending to Australia using NZ Post’s economy service is 2 December. For sending to the South Pacific, Asia, Europe, North America and the UK it’s 1 December.
• If you’re tempted by an offer from a trader you’ve never heard of, do an online search of the trader’s name alongside “scam” or “fraud” to see what turns up. Be aware that social media marketplaces can be a mecca for scammers, so tread carefully.