BusinessWeek suggests that no one should have been surprised by the influx of online deliveries this year, since in-store shopping overall has trended down while online sales have continued to increase. Moreover, Amazon reported that "more than 1 million new people signed up for [Prime] in the third week of December," meaning a huge surge of customers were demanding the benefits of 2-day delivery immediately before Christmas.
SEE ALSO: Christmas Shipping Deadlines for 2017: Make Sure It Arrives in Time!
It's unclear how many retailers were affected by these delivery snafus, although we know that Amazon contacted affected customers to apologize; the retailer offered a $20 account credit to be used on a future purchase, in addition to the customary Amazon late delivery refund. Prime customers might want to further inquire about receiving an additional month of services for free. (That said, one of our staffers reported that he was asked to choose between a credit or a shipping extension, in which case the $20 is the better value.) Walmart is reportedly also offering gift cards, although there's no word on what the amount is. Kohl's and Groupon also experienced delays.
Regardless of the retailer, if you didn't receive a guaranteed package in time for Christmas, it's worth contacting a customer service representative, either by email or phone. There's a good chance that the retailer may extend a similar voucher or refund offer in order to maintain your business.
Readers, did any of your guaranteed packages arrive late this year? Did you receive an apology from the retailer in question? Take our poll below and leave us a note in the comments section.
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I hope that all of this falls on Amazon and the like - it isn't fair for UPS to take the fall if Amazon didn't forecast this uptick in demand.
Read this weeks' cover of BusinessWeek - how UPS makes the holidays. They plan for December 11 months out of the year.