Moray SNP News

MSP BEING INUNDATED WITH ABSURD DELIVERY CHARGES CASES

NORTH EAST BREWERY DELIVERS CHEAPER TO ENGLAND THAN TO ELGIN

Richard Lochhead MSP has urged North East firm Brewdog to review their delivery charges pricing policy after constituents contacted him to express their shock that they charge less to deliver their products to customers in England than they do to those in nearby Elgin.

The Ellon base brewery charges £5 for UK-wide 3-5 day delivery but customers with an IV postcode, including households in Moray, face a £9 delivery charge, despite being less than a 2 hour drive away.

Constituent’s contacted Mr Lochhead, who is campaigning hard to end unfair delivery charges, to express their shock at this latest example of an unfair delivery charges policy.  Moray’s MSP is now calling for Brewdog to speak to their courier service to put a stop to discriminatory delivery charges for customers in nearby Moray, as well as the rest of the Highlands.

Commenting, Mr Lochhead said:

“Since ramping up the campaign against excessive delivery charges to households in rural Scotland I’ve been inundated with folk wanting to share their stories and flag up some of the most absurd examples.

“This is just another example where there appears to be no rhyme nor reason in terms of the delivery surcharges some companies are charging. In fact it is pretty astonishing that a company based in Ellon will deliver cheaper to England than they do to Elgin. 

“Of course, customers can opt for other beers and we certainly have many popular craft beers produced in Moray and the Highlands but I’m sure a popular North East company like Brewdog doesn’t wish to discriminate against customers in the North of Scotland and so I’ve written to the brewery urging them to speak to their courier to try to bring delivery charges to Moray and the Highands into line with the rest of the UK Mainland.  I hope that Brewdog will look to review their policy as other companies have done.

“In the meantime, I encourage folk looking to buy beer over the festive period to support local breweries by buying local beers.”

Richard held a roundtable on delivery charges on 24 October with key stakeholders including couriers, the regulator Ofcom, Royal Mail, and Citizens Advice Scotland.

He has also secured a Members Debate in the Scottish Parliament on unfair delivery charges. The motion to be debated is as follows:

Motion S5M-07776: Richard Lochhead, Moray, Scottish National Party, Date Lodged: 19/09/2017

Unfair Parcel Delivery Charges

That the Parliament understands that, compared with other parts of the UK, people in Moray, the north of Scotland and other rural areas are often charged excessive rates for parcel deliveries; understands that recent examples of this practice include Halfords charging £50 to send towels, which cost only £5.99, to Speyside, and LloydsPharmacy charging £50 to send a mobility scooter to a terminally-ill woman in Keith, despite advertising free UK delivery online; recognises what it sees as the frustration of consumers living in postcodes such as IV and AB, who have to pay these charges, which it considers unfair; welcomes both Halfords and LloydsPharmacy reported decision to review their charging policies in response to public concern; acknowledges the importance of challenging companies over such policies, and notes the view that there is a need for the relevant authorities to address this issue, which it believes affects many thousands of households and businesses.