Letter: The trouble with Internet shopping

Sir: The major snag in electronic retailing or mail-order purchasing (letter, 10 January) is that someone has to be at home to take delivery of the goods.

Delivery times given are often imprecise, making it impractical for those who work or have to pick up children from school or have better things to do. If the goods delivered are faulty, the customer has to waste time again.

There is a fortune waiting for someone who could circumvent this problem, perhaps with a series of local pick-up points. After a brief and frustrating attempt at mail-order shopping, I will not be scanning the Internet for my grocery bargains unless I can avoid having to spend all morning at home two or three times a week.

GILLIAN DAVIDSON

London SE24