You could be owed cash if your supermarket delivery is late - how to get it

Brits are eligible for a refund if their' supermarket delivery is late - but many never ask for one.

Online supermarket deliveries are essential for many and if you regularly do your supermarket shop online you'll have had a delivery turn up late at least once. This can happen for a variety of reasons but when it does it can be frustrating - particularly if you end up having to wait around for hours.

However, did you know you can get some money back if your delivery is late? The consumer group Which? say if you've paid for "special delivery" or if your order arrives "later than agreed" then you can claim back the delivery costs "as the service wasn't delivered".

Scott Dixon from the Complaints Resolver told Sky News that this instance falls under Section S49 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 which reads: "Every contract to supply a service is to be treated as including a term that the trader must perform the service with reasonable care and skill."

Scott told the news outlet that a late delivery would be considered a "breach of contract" under the 2015 act adding: "you paid for a time-specific delivery as part of the contract you entered into. You could request a refund of the delivery charge as the time-specific part of the contract constitutes a breach and has not been fulfilled."

If this happens to you, Scott says you should contact the customer service team at the supermarket store to request a refund. He noted that if you are doing this you should be "nice about it" adding: "You are more likely to elicit a better outcome that way given the value involved."

Tesco told Sky News that it judges things on a case-by-case basis. The supermarket encourages customers who have faced delays to contact their customer service team. Asda noted that it "always aims to deliver goods within the delivery slot agreed with the customer". However, if an order is delivered outside of this slot, then it will let the customer know they can request a refund on the delivery charges.

Morrisons and Ocado both say instances are judged on a case-by-case basis with Ocado noting that it "always" contacts the customer directly to let them know of any delays. A Waitrose spokesperson said: "In the event of a delay, the shop makes every effort to contact each customer directly in advance of their delivery to explain the situation and provide an updated ETA. If the customer is no longer able to accept the delivery, we work with them to reschedule it at a time that suits. While delays are often beyond our control, we assess each situation on a case-by-case basis, and Partners can offer a gesture of goodwill when customers are inconvenienced."