One couple was left £14,732 out of pocket and unable to claim a refund
Shoppers are being warned to think twice about picking one delivery option when buying items online, after one couple was left £14,732 out of pocket and unable to claim a refund. The warning comes after private investigation company Adley Barton was contacted by two London residents who claimed more than seven packages were stolen from the lobby of their building in the space of two months.
The victims estimate that more than £14,732 worth of belongings have disappeared, and they have told the investigators that they have found some of the items being advertised and sold online. But private investigator Joseph Barton says the case should serve as a warning to anyone ordering items online.
Joseph said: “Porch pirates is a slang term for thieves who steal delivered mail. It’s been a big problem in the United States for a long time, but we are starting to have more requests for cases here in the UK, especially in London right now. With that in mind, I want to warn everyone that it is happening, and if you do have to buy items online, there is one setting that I would advise you never to select, and that’s the option to leave an item in a safe space or with a neighbour.”
Once you have told a delivery company that they can leave an item in a safe place or with a neighbour, if the item then gets stolen, getting your money back is nearly impossible.
Joseph said: “We had a client a few weeks back, bought an expensive gaming PC, delivery company said they had delivered it, but the customer didn’t have it. The customer got in touch with the company that sold him the PC. The company responded that the item was delivered to a safe space and it was then out of their hands.
“We then tracked down the item, it had been delivered to a different housing estate, and eventually we got the item back for our client.”
Don’t tick the box
Under UK consumer rules, the retailer is responsible for an order until it touches your hands. However, if you pick the option for a parcel to be left in a safe place, or with a neighbour, and the courier follows those instructions, then the retailer is no longer responsible if the parcel disappears.
If you tell the retailer or delivery company to leave the item in a safe space like behind a bin, by your back door or in a lobby, then it weakens your consumer rights. If the delivery company does this themselves without your permission, then this is a different issue, and the retailer will have to replace the item or provide a full refund.
Joseph said: “Don’t tick that box, because even if you trust your neighbours, or believe your space is safe, it only takes one of these thieves to spot the opportunity and they will take it. When they do, your item will be gone, and the retailer won’t refund you.”
“I do get it, most of us work 9-5, or we are out of our houses all day and waiting in for a delivery is inconvenient, but you need to start thinking about what will happen if the parcel isn’t there when you get home.”
The Metropolitan Police currently lists parcel theft as a neighbourhood policing priority in parts of London, with police in Southfields reporting parcels being stolen from communal entrances and identifying properties with communal entry systems as repeat locations. Police have also warned residents of flats not to buzz strangers into buildings or allow people they don’t know to follow them into communal areas.
“If you aren’t at home, try getting the item delivered to a secure locker or get a family member to wait at your home if they have the time, and the most important thing is to look at all of your online accounts and check if you have ‘leave at a safe space’ turned on by default in any of them and turn it off and never use again,” warns Joseph.
