Parcel deliveries are on the rise as Christmas approaches.

(Illustration) -

INA FASSBENDER

  • With the closure of so-called “non-essential” businesses during containment, and now the fear of contamination in stores, online shopping is more than tempting for Christmas shopping.

  • But what to do in case of delay or loss?

    Without a registered delay, the online merchant has 30 days after purchase to deliver the order.

  • The seller remains responsible for the goods and for anything that may happen to him if the carrier is not mandated by the customer.

With the containment measures and the recently enacted curfew, internet shopping has become one of the most efficient ways to shop.

Notably his Christmas presents, as New Years Eve is fast approaching.

Express delivery, relay point or post ... Packages sometimes arrive late, are declared lost, or even stolen.

And the customer is sometimes helpless when making a complaint.

What to do then? 

20 Minutes

 gives you a little helping hand to see things more clearly.

My package has still not been delivered after the indicated delivery date has passed.

Can I request a refund?

An order on the Internet is most of the time accompanied by a more or less precise delivery date.

When signing the deed of purchase, the seller sometimes even commits to an exact delivery date.

If he cannot respect it, he is entitled to inform the client and to suggest a new date.

If the first solution is of course to contact the seller or the carrier by phone or email (many sites offer an online parcel tracking service), article L 216-2 of the Consumer Code indicates that the consumer is entitled to "terminate" the contract, and thus request a refund.

Many websites do not promise a specific date, but an estimate of the delivery time.

Some say nothing.

In these two cases, the law provides that the delivery must be made within a maximum period of 30 days after the act of purchase or the signing of the contract.

Likewise, after this period, the consumer is entitled to request a refund.

If the package was expected for a special event (birthday, Christmas, etc.) and the seller has made a written commitment to meet this deadline, even if his site or his general conditions indicate a longer deadline, he is required to reimburse the sale. to the customer, if the latter so requests.

The seller indicates that the package has been lost or stolen and returns me to the carrier.

What can I do ?

Unless the consumer has appointed a carrier other than that offered by the seller, full responsibility for the transport is borne by the latter.

Article L. 221-15 of the Consumer Code specifies that it is the seller's responsibility to actually deliver the order once it has been validated.

Thus, whether the seller has entrusted his goods to his own delivery services, to an external carrier, to the Post Office or to a courier, he remains responsible until the agreed place of delivery.

If the package is lost, stolen or even damaged at the time of delivery, he is required to offer the buyer a replacement or refund.

In addition, always if the parcel is lost or stolen, the consumer can require a new sending, by giving an additional time to the merchant.

This can be done "by registered letter with acknowledgment of receipt or durable medium such as an electronic mail", specifies the General Directorate for Competition, Consumption and Fraud Control (DGCCRF).

How to request a refund for a parcel?

If the customer wants a refund, the easiest solution is obviously to go through the online platform on which the purchase was made.

Most automatically offer an order cancellation and refund.

Otherwise, it is possible to contact the seller directly to make the request.

If he does not provide for reimbursement, then a complaint must be sent to him by mail.

Models can be found on the Internet.

For those who doubt their ability to do so, it is possible to contact consumer associations to ask them for help in this process.

Do not hesitate to use social networks either.

Their power is not negligible, and the fear of bad publicity can make salespeople react.

Without a response within eight days, it will then be necessary to send a formal notice to the seller by registered letter with acknowledgment of receipt.

Article L 216-2 of the Consumer Code provides that "the contract is considered terminated upon receipt by the professional of the letter (…), unless [it] has been performed in the meantime".

The seller must then reimburse you in full within 14 days maximum, under penalty of an increase.

Society

No, La Poste does not charge Amazon only 7 cents per package delivered

Miscellaneous

Bourgoin-Jallieu: A postwoman, suspected of parcel theft, confused thanks to a GPS tracker

  • Economy

  • Covid 19

  • The post office

  • Confinement

  • Christmas

  • Coronavirus

  • Amazon

  • Ecommerce

  • Delivery