New polling by Citizens Advice has found:
? 96% of people say they have ordered a parcel since March
? The biggest problem consumers face is late delivery, with almost one in three
people (30%) across the country facing a delay
? Nearly one in five people (18%) who experience a parcel issue suffered some sort
of financial loss, with 40% of those losing over £20.

Citizens Advice Senior Consumer Expert, Kate Hobson, gives her top tips to help
people with their parcel deliveries:

1. Check delivery policies - before you place an order find out what the delivery
times, costs and returns policies are of the items you have ordered.

2. If you’re out of the house during delivery - Consider asking a neighbour or
friend if it can be delivered to their address if you think it may be a time or date
you are not home. But beware, if you do provide details of a safe space or
nominated neighbour and something goes wrong it’s not the seller or courier’s
responsibility.

3. Online trader or online marketplace? - Make sure you know if you are dealing
with a trader or a private seller on an online marketplace as dispute processes
may vary. If you have an issue with a trader, a dispute can be raised directly with
them, but if it’s a private individual it may be easier to go through a
marketplace's dispute process.

4. Review traders - Check and review if the trader is genuine. It’s always worth
taking a look at reviews to gain an insight as to how reliable the company is and
how well they deal with missing parcel complaints and refunds.

5. Who to deal with when a parcel goes missing - your purchase and contract is
with the seller. If your parcel goes missing you should speak to the trader to deal
with the problem, not the courier company.

Tel: 03000 231080
Out-of-hours contact number: 0845 099 0107

We are delighted to launch the Sutton Care Hub, a new single point of access for guidance, resources and information for all staff working across all Sutton’s provider services, in partnership with South West London CCG.

“This is long-lasting and life-changing. I suffered quite severe abuse, physically and sexually and yet I can walk away from that. It’s the economic bit that on the surface doesn’t look so bad but actually, that’s the one that going to have a lasting effect.” – Survivor

Surviving Economic Abuse is running a series of free webinars over the next few months, increasing understanding and awareness of economic abuse across six key issues. These include privately owned housing, banking, coerced debt, children, COVID-19 and the police. 

If you have any questions in the meantime, please email training@survivingeconomicabuse.org.

Webinar dates

A Crisis Café for Sutton

A Crisis Café is a safe, welcoming space where people can go for support outside of normal working hours, instead of using A&E or other urgent services. It is for people who are feeling emotionally distressed or experiencing severe mental health difficulties.

Sutton Mental Health Foundation is working with NHS Sut commissioners to look at setting up a pilot Crisis Café in Sutton.  They are keen to hear the views of people who have used mental health services and those who might use this service.  They would like to find out what people would find useful and what might help them in a mental health crisis.  The Crisis Café consultation is currently open for service users and there will be additional surveys for carers and professionals.  To take the survey or for more information visit smhf.org.uk/crisiscafe or email your comments to crisiscafe@smhf.org.uk or call 020 8770 0172 to tell us your views.

Scam training

It will take about 15 minutes to complete this scams training.  It will give you the tools to recognising scams and assisting those who could potentially become 'victims' of scams.

 If you think you have been scammed, contact your bank first

 Report it to Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 or www.actionfraud.police.uk to help stop it happening to others

 Get advice and report it to Trading Standards through the Citizens Advice consumer service on 0808 223 1133 or online advice at www.adviceguide.org.uk

The Citizens Advice consumer service provides free, confidential and impartial advice on consumer issues.

It is important that all complaints are referred to the Citizens Advice consumer service as they maintain a national database of complaints that provides an invaluable source of information and intelligence to the trading standards community

Details of all consumer enquiries, dealt with by the Citizens Advice consumer helpline, are made available to Trading Standards

 If you are in immediate danger, contact the police on 999

 To learn more about different types of scams and how to protect yourself and others, visit www.FriendsAgainstScams.org.uk and complete the free online training.  

                                                                     Becoming a SCAM MARSHAL

 A Scam Marshal is any resident in the UK who has been targeted by a scam and now wants to fight back and take a stand against scams.

 Scam Marshals do this by sharing their own experiences, helping others to report and recognise scams and sending any scam mail that they receive to the National Trading Standards Scams Team so that it can be utilised as evidence in future investigative and enforcement work.

 Visit www.FriendsAgainstScams.org.uk/ScamMarshals for more information and to sign up.

Please take a look at the Scam Factsheet and please share this with friends and colleagues.

 Useful Telephone Numbers