Boots refusing to refund/replace a missing parcel

[Dustydolly]

Hi not an AIBU but posting here for quick answers as need to fire off an email asap.

I made a £250 order with Boots on Wednesday for next day delivery as had a day off work so I could be in to receive parcel, ended up having to go out for a few hours but could see from email delivery notice that parcel had been left of doorstep, got home, no parcel in sight, annoyingly I had put my ring doorbell on charge that morning as was planning on staying home.

Called Boots next day to report this and customer service had a look at the tracking and said that the parcel was not left in a safe space as was just left on the doorstep and they would send a replacement, next day I receive an email to say that the replacement had been rejected as it had failed the internal checks, I then called again to query this for customer service to apologise and say it must have been a glitch, they cannot order a replacement now but instead they can offer me a full refund, This now brings us to today where I receive another email repeating that I will not be getting a refund as it again failed internal checks, so I call again for the third time to be told that as far as they are concerned Royal Mail have delivered the parcel correctly and they will not be issuing either a replacement or a refund, I asked to speak to a manager and he put me on hold, came back again and said no, they're still saying that Royal Mail have delivered the parcel, I said I wasn't prepared to just leave it there, I cannot afford to lose that amount of money, I then get put on hold again, for customer service to come back and say they want me to take a photo of my house from a good distance so they can see my doorstep and decide if that is classed as a safe space, I've agreed to do that, but said regardless of this, I still have not received my parcel and I don't believe they will replace/refund despite this based on my experience so far.

Has anybody got any advice on what I can do please? Thanks

Do you not raise it with Royal Mail?

Can you do a charge back with your debit or credit card?

Did you use a credit card or PayPal to make the payment? I would raise a dispute and have them argue for you. Boots has become so unreliable, they used to be amazing!

Don't bother with Royal mail, request a chargeback from your bank card.

It's for the seller to do this. Boots aren't complying with consumer rights laws as they need to deal with the parcel going missing (refund / replace) and then raise it with RM, as they're the ones who have the contract with them.

Did you consent for it to be left on the doorstep as your safe place? If not, then it is retailer's responsibility under the consumer rights to make sure the parcel reaches the customer. I'd start by crying consumer rights 2015, this should shut them up. CAB could be of help here, possibly.
Any orders over £100 are covered by some fancy legislation which makes retailer and credit card company jointly responsible. If you paid by credit card, request chargeback.

I paid with my debit card, never had to do a charge back before but I'll call my bank tomorrow

What sort of delivery did you pay for? If you paid for signature on delivery then they need to refund. If you paid for delivery to door then Royal Mail can just drop and go and it's your responsibility if it's stolen. Did Royal Mail take a photo of the parcel on the doorstep?

I would persist if you paid for a signature delivery or if they can't provide a photo.

I paid for standard next day delivery, didn't see an option for a signature delivery. Yes they took a photo of it on my doorstep

Just recently had a battle with Paypal over a stolen parcel, we were all home, nobody knocked just took pic of parcel..Our road is known for parcel thefts and I have note on the door instructing delivery people not to leave items and to knock or leave with neighbour. paypal refused refund, i appealed and lost so i rang them and qouted law on delivery...items must be handed to person and taken inside for it to be considered a delivery...got refund in minutes...use that on Boots.

I'm not sure that's right. Unless OP has explicitly said that her doorstep is a 'safe place', RM should not have left it there. Boots contract is with RM, and as such, it's for them to investigate with RM (& refund/replace).

Royal Mail can't just drop and go. They can leave it in a safe place. That safe place needs to be indicated by the OP and there is a little box to be ticked on RM website which states that leaving parcel in a safe place removes responsibility from RM regarding safety of the delivery. So unless OP consented to the parcel to be left on the doorstep and accept all responsibility, RM should attempt another delivery or take the parcel back to the hub. Without consent, the responsibility lies with retailer to arrange a replacement or refund and claim any compensation from RM.