With commercial slogans such as 'order until 23:59, delivered the next day' and 'ordered today, delivered today', Bol.com tries time and again to convince the consumer that the delivery time is a guarantee. With the option 'select' from Bol.com you benefit from their unlimited delivery options without shipping and collection costs and choose the delivery day yourself. At least that's what the online shopping company would have you believe when closing their'select' option for 9,99 EUR per year. Nevertheless, consumers are experiencing more and more problems and Bol.com urgently needs to revise their advertising message to avoid irritation among consumers. Our advice: never stay at home for the parcel service to avoid disappointment.

Packet service

The company Bol.com all too often hides behind the delivery problems with its parcel services. There is always something standing in the way of delivering as promised. Whether it is due to the large crowds during the Valentine, Sinterklaas or Christmas period, or the corona crisis causes great crowds, so delivery is not guaranteed. If that is not the case, then something must have gone wrong in the sorting center at the parcel service or the package was not received on time by the carrier. In short, this service is often unreliable for the consumer. There is a 'red thread' in every story: deliveries with many parcel services are no longer guaranteed. Both DPD, UPS as a DHL face the same problems. We can even determine that PostNL is the most reliable.

"Your package will arrive a day later than promised, due to a delay with the delivery service. Please note that there will be no delivery on weekends. We apologize for this."

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Bol.com distribution center in Waalwijk

In 2016 bol.com already created a breakthrough in 'same day delivery'; your package delivered the same day at the lowest rate and available for a wide range. Sunday delivery also became a fact. Then all other delivery options were bundled in a subscription and therefore even cheaper. Because whoever becomes a member of 'Select' pays an amount once a year, after which all shipping costs are canceled for the rest of the year. Customers therefore no longer pay for orders under € 20, evening and Sunday delivery and the same day delivery services 'Delivered Today' and 'Vandaag Pickup'. Bol.com wants you to believe that they send your package for free while you 'select' subscription is the surrender of all shipping costs. 

"Ordered a webcam on Thursday morning. It would be delivered the same day after 18.00 pm. Received an email that my package will arrive a day later than promised. No package on Friday but another email that my package will arrive a day later than promised and that in do not deliver during the weekend, so wait and see which email I can expect on Monday."

Free Shipping

Sending a package is of course not free of charge. Low shipping costs have always been Bol.com's own investment and have always seen them as part of their service by investing in low shipping costs themselves. Sending a package for free or at a low rate entails more costs than the shipping costs that are charged, especially for items that only cost a few euros. So as a webshop you always focus on that yourself. Physical stores, on the other hand, have to deal with other costs, such as the rent or purchase of buildings, furnishings and staff who must also be present when there are no customers. They don't have to pay that at Bol.com. That's why they have no plans to stop free shipping.

more expensive prices

When you are looking for a product online, many consumers are often tempted by paying a little more for the same item when it is delivered the same day or the next day. The rates are often also more expensive than the same product at other providers on Bol.com with a longer delivery time. The website does warn in the fine print. When ordering, you can see exactly which delivery options are available for each item. Some services do not apply to all postcode areas.

Also read: Pick up package Bol.com at the Albert Heijn parcel machine

PostNL delivery service
PostNL delivery service
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