A pharmacy chain has dropped a “discriminatory” £50 surcharge for delivering a terminally ill woman’s mobility scooter and has promised to review its entire fee policy.
Robert Boyle, from Keith, was shocked to discover Lloyds Pharmacy demanding the extra payment when he tried to buy the £1,080 machine for wife Jean, despite the firm advertising free UK delivery.
The Press and Journal highlighted the problem last week, and Moray MSP Richard Lochhead wrote directly to the managing director of Lloyds to demand the charge be dropped.
The firm have now written to Mr Boyle, a retired offshore engineer, telling him he will not have to pay.
He said: “They’ve dropped the charge for me, but whether that affects other people here I don’t know.
“We’ll have to wait and see if they do make any changes.
“I understand they are looking at a corporate restructure of the postage charges.
“I got a letter from them and when I spoke to them on the phone, I asked them if it cost any extra to deliver it. They wouldn’t answer.
“I could tell them the answer: it won’t have cost them any more than sending it anywhere else in the UK.
“Companies charging extra for delivery here has been an ongoing problem for years.
“I’m happy we did the story, but we should not have to go to those lengths. It’s time to get this issue addressed. “
Mr Lochhead said: “Customers in the north of Scotland have had enough of being ripped off when it comes to excessive and greedy postage charges and its time that all companies reviewed their practices and put a stop to discriminating against customers who live rurally.
“I’m really pleased that Lloyd’s Pharmacy has responded quickly to my letter and has agreed to carry out a review of their delivery charges policy. I understand this is something the company hasn’t looked at in some time and I hope that the outcome will be that customers in Moray and the North of Scotland no longer face unfair and excessive postal charges.
“I very much welcome the company’s decision to now offer my constituent free delivery and I would urge them to ensure that all customers in the rural Scotland also benefit from free shipping.”
