What to do if your Christmas delivery doesn't arrive

It’s one of the busiest time of years for deliveries and as Christmas is creeping closer here’s what to do if your orders don’t arrive.

Hannah Maundrell, editor in chief of money.co.uk , said: “It’s so frustrating if you’re left waiting for a parcel that doesn’t arrive; but don’t waste your energy getting angry. You’ve got rights and you have options and that puts you in the driving seat.

“Don’t waste time contacting the delivery company about anything other than rescheduling a delivery; if there’s a problem with your order it’s the retailer's fault and they’re the one that has to put it right. This is the case whether your order is missing, late or damaged. If they don’t step up then make a formal complaint and ask for compensation for inconvenience and any costs you’ve incurred. If you’re not satisfied you can turn to the Retail Ombudsman for an independent look at what went wrong."

Hannah added: “If you need a delivery by a certain date then you need to specify this when you buy, or you won’t be able to complain if it doesn’t come; your other option is to go for a delivery option that guarantees it’ll arrive on time. A cheeky way to hedge your bets is to order the same item from two companies – as long as the item isn’t personalised or perishable you should be able to cancel one and send it back for a full refund within 14 days; just make sure you don’t get stung twice for delivery costs.”