Amazon sellers hit by ‘massive delays'
Amazon sellers are warning of 'massive delays' at one of the online retailer's flagship UK warehouses ahead of its Prime Day sales event next month.
Some small businesses have complained that deliveries to the online giant's warehouse have not been accepted for weeks – with claims that trucks have been turned away from one of Amazon's vast fulfilment centres in Nottingham because staff say they are 'full'.
Third-party Amazon sellers typically send their products to the online giant's fulfilment centres before they are shipped to customers.
Laura Crawford, the founder of baby products business Mama Bamboo, claimed bungled deliveries and delays of more than a month had cost her business £20,000.
Ms Crawford said she had threatened legal action against Amazon over the delays. On Amazon's seller forums, multiple small sellers have complained of 'massive delays' at the warehouse, with packages going missing for weeks.
One seller complained: 'We've had thousands of pounds of stock being turned away for weeks.'
A source close to Amazon insisted its delivery network was operating normally and that there were no unexpected delays at the warehouse. The company is currently preparing for Amazon Prime Day, its annual sale, a particularly busy time for the online retailer.
Ms Crawford said her business was 'at the mercy' of giants such as Amazon and despite corresponding with John Boumphrey, Amazon's UK chief, the issue had not been resolved.
She said her deliveries had been handled by Swiss transport company Kuehne + Nagel.
In an email seen by the Telegraph, Kuehne + Nagel representatives said Amazon staff have been 'telling drivers they are full' and that it was 'causing issues with our relationships with the vendors'.
Ms Crawford said she was 'wholly accountable for every delivery to our customers', but that Amazon 'do not take any such accountability for failures to their sellers'.
An Amazon spokesman said: 'The build up to Prime Day is always a busy period for our operation. If any of our sellers should experience any issues, we will do all we can to support.'
When contacted by The Telegraph, Amazon said Ms Crawford's delivery had been accepted as of Friday.
Late payments
The delay claims come a week after Amazon was rapped by Britain's groceries regulator over alleged late payments to suppliers.
The Groceries Code Adjudicator, which has the power to fine Britain's biggest retailers up to 1pc of turnover for breaches under an industry code of conduct, said it was investigating Amazon's supplier practices after multiple complaints.
In a report from the regulator, Amazon came bottom in a survey detailing complaints by suppliers against retailers. It found 13pc of grocery suppliers said they had raised a complaint with Amazon in the past year, compared to 3pc at the next-worst retailer.
Of the investigation, an Amazon spokesman said: 'While we are disappointed with this decision, we welcome the opportunity to further demonstrate our ongoing compliance.
'We have already made significant improvements to our grocery supplier experience, including to payment practices, with supplier contacts on this reducing year-on-year.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Sun
32 minutes ago
- The Sun
Major DIY retailer offering free car air con checks as temperatures set to reach 34C
A MAJOR DIY retailer is offering motorists free car air con checks as temperatures are set to reach 34C. Halfords customers can get gas and refrigerant levels on their vehicle air conditioning units checked to make sure they're in working order. 1 It comes as temperatures are expected to reach as high as 34C in parts of the UK by Monday. Halfords lets shoppers book their free air con check on its website via You enter your postcode and vehicle registration and it tells you the nearest branch you can get it done. However, you may be charged based on where you live and the type of vehicle. The retailer hasn't said if the free appointments are available all the time, but we checked based on a North-East London location and there were slots until as far away as July 6. Halfords says if the check reveals you need to top up your car air conditioning unit's gas or refrigerant levels, you can buy the products to do this yourself in its stores. However, the RAC says this is usually a job for the specialists. You can also book in for an air con recharge service at Halfords from £65. Checkatrade says having this service done normally costs between £65 and £130, so Halfords is at the cheaper end of the scale. Halfords is not the only place you can have a free air con check carried out though - Kwik Fit also offers a free checking service. Urgent warning over easy nighttime driving mistake that could see you fined £5,000 - but the fix is free You can find out more via However, the cost of getting your air con unit recharged at Kwik Fit is £72.95 or more - more expensive than Halfords. Hot weather car mistakes that can cost you £1,000s Driving in the wrong footwear Swapping trainers for flip flops while driving during bouts of hot weather might seem practical, but it can land you with a big fine. Any shoes which could limit your ability to put pressure on the pedals breaks the Highway Code. If you are found to be ' driving without due care and attention ', you face a £100 fine and three points added to your licence. If the matter escalates to court, you could face fines of up to £5,000. Drinking water while driving If you get distracted and are not considered to be in proper control of your car while drinking water, you could face a fine. If you're involved in an accident as a result of a lapse in concentration, it could see you slapped with a £2,500 bill. The same rules apply to eating behind the wheel, so think again if you're considering diving into an ice cream while driving. Keeping your windows closed and A/C off It might be tempting to save some pennies by closing windows and keeping the AC off during hotter weather. But this can breach Highway Code rule 237, which states that a car must be kept 'well ventilated' in hot weather to reduce drowsiness. Not doing this and being caught could result in a £5,000 fine. How to save money on summer essentials SUNNIER days and warmer weather will leave many of us wanting to kit out gardens and outdoor areas. Sun Savers Editor Lana Clements explains how to get a great deal on summer essentials… It pays to know how to bag big savings on the likes of hot tubs paddling pools, egg chairs and outside bars. Many retailers have flash sales across entire ranges – often this ties into payday at the end of the month or Bank Holiday weekends. Sign up to the mailing lists of your favourite brands and you'll be first to know of special offers. It can be worth following retailers on social media too. Keep a close eye on the specialbuys at Aldi and middle of Lidl drops which drop a couple of times a week and usually mean great value seasonal items such as beach gear and paddling pools. If you are not in a hurry to buy an item, try adding it to the shopping cart and leaving it for a couple of days. Sometimes big brands will try to tempt you into the sale by offering you a discount. Always check if you can get cashback before paying. It's especially worth using sites such as Topcashback, Quidco and app Jamdoughnut when buying bigger ticket items such as garden furniture as you'll get a nice kickback.
Telegraph
32 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Our welfare system needs reform, not arbitrary cuts
As the smoke settles from yet another astonishing tyre-screeching U-turn by Kier Starmer on his welfare proposals, the stark reality is that instead of significant savings, we will all now face an extra tax bill of £3bn in the autumn. This U-turn isn't surprising to me because their proposal was a classic panicky short-term Treasury driven cut but in no way genuine reform. I even doubt that the savings would in the longer term have materialised. This is because I believe they were going at it the wrong way. The Covid lockdowns blasted a hole in our welfare system. Since 2020, the number of households where no one has ever worked has doubled. Economic inactivity due to long-term sickness has risen by 800,000. And taxpayers today are shelling out an extra £30 billion every year on sickness and disability benefits, on top of an already bulging bill. Lockdown reversed much of the progress we had made under the transformations of Universal Credit, in part relaxing eligibility rules and assessments for benefits, a leniency that astonishingly continues to this day. But also expanding the 'claim culture', albeit inadvertently, through schemes like furlough. It is easy to forget that by 2019 we had the lowest rate of workless households on record. Clearly, we have to get a grip. But solving this problem will take thought, courage and time. The Government's proposals are rushed in order to be 'scored' by the OBR in time for the Spring Statement. In a panic, the Treasury opted to simply top-slice spending by raising the threshold for disability benefits across the board. This leads to some deeply concerning outcomes. According to the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), three in four Personal Independence Payment (PIP) claimants with arthritis, two in three with cardiovascular disease, and even a third with cancer could lose support. Yet there is another way, one which focuses on the root causes of the crisis. But that must start with a grown-up conversation about mental health. Monthly PIP claims have more than doubled, driven in large part by a threefold increase in people citing mental health conditions. Meanwhile the majority of people on Universal Credit receiving health-related top-ups now also report poor mental health. Tragically, it is disproportionately young people fuelling this rise, those most likely to suffer the mental and emotional consequences of being out of work. And yet it is the system itself that is driving worklessness and dependency. Of course, PIP eligibility does not require someone to be out of work. Yet five in six recipients are. Taken in the round, once you tot up all the various benefits, the system has tilted towards incentivising ill health rather than supporting recovery. There is another way. New research from the Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) shows that better targeting of mental health benefits – focusing help to those with more serious conditions – could save the Government up to £9 billion. A more humane and sustainable approach to reform would recognise that, for many people with anxiety or depression, ensuring proper treatment is much more compassionate than parking them on benefits and slamming the door to an independent life. First, the government could use the savings to fund a £1 billion investment in NHS Talking Therapies, expanding 1.5 million additional treatment courses. CSJ polling also finds that nearly half the public believe people with less severe conditions should be supported through programmes and services, compared to one in five saying cash. Second, the Government should accelerate the rollout of Universal Support, originally launched by the last Conservative government and now rebranded as Connect to Work. This scheme works with the local charities and community organisations best placed to help people who are furthest from the workforce. These inspirational people are already on the ground, collaborating with employers to tackle the most difficult barriers to work, whether family breakdown, debt, addiction, and poor health. Finally, for the first time, sickness benefit is being brought into Universal Credit as I had designed originally. The DWP now has powerful tools Universal Credit provides. The NHS has made it clear that for depression and anxiety, the largest new claimant group, work is a health treatment. Yet far too many people were left on sickness benefit with no meaningful contact. Many who were off work for health reasons received no time with a work coach at all. Now under Universal credit that can change. The system should be doing more – using AI to free up work coach time – to increase the contact time with claimants and not leaving them parked on the sidelines. Our welfare system needs reform, not arbitrary cuts. I understand the pressure Liz Kendall is under. But short-term fixes risk doing lasting damage. We need a system that treats people with compassion while actively supporting them to recover and return to work. That's how to reduce dependency, control costs, and rebuild lives.
Scotsman
37 minutes ago
- Scotsman
Amazon's £40bn expansion brings 1000s of jobs: what it means
Amazon's investment will bring cutting-edge tech, better wages, and fresh career opportunities to the UK 🌍 Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Amazon is investing £40 billion in the UK over the next three years, boosting regional growth New fulfilment centres in Hull and Northampton will create at least 4,000 jobs by 2026 Two more warehouses planned for the East Midlands in 2027 will add thousands more roles Investment also includes upgrades to data centres, tech like drones, and Amazon's London HQ The move supports the government's 'levelling up' agenda, spreading innovation outside London Amazon is making a bold bet on Britain's regions, announcing a landmark £40 billion investment aimed at creating jobs and fuelling economic growth far beyond the traditional powerhouses of London and the South East. At the heart of the expansion are four new fulfilment centres – including confirmed sites in Hull and Northampton – which will bring at least 4,000 new roles by 2026. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Two more large-scale warehouse facilities are planned for the East Midlands in 2027, likely adding thousands more jobs, though the exact locations remain under wraps. But this isn't just about warehouses. Amazon's investment, which spans the next three years, also includes billions in data infrastructure, cutting-edge technologies like drones and robotics, improvements to staff wages and benefits, and a major upgrade to its London headquarters in Shoreditch. (Photo:) | Getty Images The scale and spread of the spending signals a new chapter in Amazon's UK strategy – one that aligns with the government's 'levelling up' agenda and sends a strong message to global investors: Britain, post-Brexit and amid political change, is still a key destination for innovation and growth. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer called it a 'massive vote of confidence in the UK,' while Chancellor Rachel Reeves described it as a 'powerful endorsement of Britain's economic strengths.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Amazon CEO Andy Jassy emphasised the company's commitment to reaching every corner of the UK. He said: 'When Amazon invests, it's not only in London and the South East – we're bringing innovation and job creation to communities throughout England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.' What does it mean for the UK economy? With more than 75,000 already on its payroll, Amazon is one of the UK's largest private sector employers. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad This new injection of funding not only strengthens its logistics network but also helps build long-term regional resilience by introducing high-tech jobs, skills training, and digital infrastructure in under-served areas. For Hull, Northampton, and the East Midlands, it means more than just jobs – it could mark the beginning of a deeper transformation, bringing global tech investment into areas historically overlooked. As the UK economy seeks stable ground and sustainable growth, this investment could provide a much-needed anchor. Are you struggling to make ends meet as costs continue to rise? You can now send your stories to us online via YourWorld at It's free to use and, once checked, your story will appear on our website and, space allowing, in our newspapers.
