The problem with mail order
The growth and convenience of shopping on the internet is dampened by one major problem: the goods have to somehow get from them to you.
The problem is that in order to pay for your purchases, you have to earn a living at your job. This means you’re out of the house during the day, precisely when the post office or courier try to deliver to your house.
So, why not have it delivered to another address I hear you say, perhaps your place of work? Unfortunately, the rise in credit card fraud has put paid to that – several internet retailers refuse to deliver to anywhere other than the cardholder’s address.
What is required is for the credit card companies to allow you to register a second authorised address on your credit card account to which deliveries can be made.
As a student I am in during the day…. Unfortunately Royal Mail and a private courier seem incapable of ringing the door bell!
On Friday I stayed home all day (between 9am-6pm, actually I arranged ‘cover’ from 3.30pm so that I could attend a meeting) for Sony to collect a monitor (under warranty) and deliver a loaned monitor whilst mine was/is being repaired*. At around 2.30pm I hear the letter box and go to the door to see the delivery guy walk away from my property. For some reason he claims I must have been asleep. (contrary to belief, being a [computer science] student *is* hard work. And we don’t spend [all] our time sleeping). Later I realise the reason he claimed I was asleep – when I discover you weren’t home notice. It would appear, rather than actually do their jobs couriers would rather dump notes claiming we weren’t in and maximise the number of ‘drops’ they manage a day.
Monday morning, 8.55am, my housemate and I are both at home. She isn’t due to start till 10am and didn’t leave the house till 9.15. I was planning to be home until midday. Royal Mail seem to have failed to actually bother to ring the bell and prefer to leave a `come and pick up your package’ notice. This isn’t the first time Royal Mail have done this! And its not just me. A fellow student was left a note today – despite 3 people being in, all with perfect hearing and the ability of hearing the doorbell…. if it were pressed!
* I consider this to be superb warranty cover from Sony and will probably buy a (pair of) Sony TFT monitor when I eventually upgrade (from dual CRTs)
Refering back to your point – “Unfortunately, the rise in credit card fraud has put paid to that – several internet retailers refuse to deliver to anywhere other than the cardholder’s address.”
Actually, many retailers claim to do this…. But, I have never had a problem. My credit card is registered at another address, to which I very rarely have anything delivered.