A retailer who offers the parcel delivery and return service Pass My Parcel told RN he is discontinuing it after the company left him with more than 50 unreturned parcels in-store. 

Chris Watson, of Coresford Keystore, in Johnstone, Scotland, said his Christmas was made a “disaster” because the company did not pick up returned packages for four weeks. 

“At one point I had more than 50 parcels in the back room before a delivery driver came to pick them up last week. It’s not been worth it. You build up a rapport with customers but when their refund is delayed because no one has picked up their returns, it harms business,” he said. 

Mr Watson added that the problem was rectified when he finally got through to head office. However, this was not enough to persuade him to continue.  

“I brought in Pass My Parcel to bring in extra business through added footfall, but it hasn’t. The hassle of it has outweighed any of the benefits,” he added. 

Smiths News, which runs the click and collect service, announced last year that customers would enjoy one of the fastest returns services through a partnership with online platform ReBOUND. 

Peter Wagg, who offers the Pass My Parcel service in three of his News on the Wharf stores in London, said he did not believe the problem of uncollected returns was nationwide and while the service did not translate into added sales, it did engender loyalty. 

“More than 1,000 parcels go through my shops every month and Christmas is a busy time. Delivery drivers know I deal in a high volume, so they do pick up. There are occasional problems, but I am largely satisfied,” he said.  

A spokesperson from Pass My Parcel said: “Christmas and New Year is our peak season with customer ordering and returning items. We apologise for the collection delay and are working closely with the store owners to get this resolved.”