Remote Delivery Costs - Small Business Survey

3rd March 2014

For the past three years the Scottish CAB Service has been campaigning against unfair delivery charges for online deliveries. Citizens Advice Scotland’s report ‘The Postcode Penalty’ analysed over 3,000 customer complaints and over 500 online companies, uncovering a ‘postcode penalty’ that sees some Scots having to pay an average of nearly £19 extra when buying goods online. The problem does not just affect remote rural and island areas, but postcodes right across Scotland.

The report also found evidence that remote delivery surcharges disadvantaged businesses as well as families. CAS heard from a number of small businesses based in Scotland who had been hit by the ‘postcode penalty’ when receiving goods. We also heard feedback from several businesses who felt that they were unfairly blamed for surcharges by customers and were wanting to give their side of the story.

Complete The Survey HERE

Citizens Advice Scotland is keen to hear the views and experiences of small businesses who have encountered surcharges for deliveries based on location.

• Are you based in a remote area and the cost of receiving supplies hits your bottom line?
• Does the cost of sending items put you at a disadvantage?
• Have you been unfairly blamed by customers for excessive delivery charges which were beyond your control?

We are particularly interested to hear views from small businesses based in rural Scotland, though evidence from businesses of all sizes from any location is also welcome. The survey will take more than 5 – 10 minutes of your time to complete. It is anonymous and no views expressed will be attributed to your business. The purpose is to further inform Citizens Advice Scotland’s work on this issue by giving us a clearer picture of the cause and impact of excessive delivery surcharges.

The closing date for all responses is Friday 14 March 2014. If you have any queries regarding this survey, or Citizens Advice Scotland’s work on this issue, please contact info[AT]cas.org.uk. Thank you in advance for your participation.