Delivery charges discussed with MP

The challenges of tackling problems faced by Highland consumers in both identifying and understanding delivery charges made by internet and mail order traders was highlighted at a meeting today (Friday) between Trading Standards Officers of The Highland Council and Danny Alexander, MP for Inverness Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey.

The Council recognises the difficulty such charges pose for local businesses in the Highlands, when trying to remain competitive whilst being faced with what appears to many as unjustifiably high commercial delivery charges for goods being brought into stock.

Gordon Robb, Trading Standards Manager, said “Business to business transactions are not subject to the same degree of legal control that business to consumer sales are, with no legal requirements currently being placed on businesses to openly publish details of their delivery charges when selling to another business. Only if the information provided to a customer in such circumstances is later found to be misleading, including a false or misleading statement about delivery charges, would there be a legal case to answer and Trading Standards would be able to investigate under the Business Protection from Misleading Marketing Regulations 2008.”

He added: “Given the lack of any prescriptive regulations about business to business transactions, there is very little that Trading Standards can do proactively to deal with the concerns expressed by some Highland based businesses and none of the cases recently highlighted in the press resulted in any complaints to Trading Standards. If any such complaint was received we would certainly followed this up.”

-ends-