RECENTLY I read a survey which stated that late or inaccurate deliveries can have a major negative impact on consumers' future decisions to shop with a retailer.

This took me back to the days when you bought a large item and if it was too big to fit in your car, you had to arrange for it to be delivered to your house.

Whether it was a washing machine, a fridge or a bed, you had no choice but to take a full day off work and wait patiently hour after hour at home for your delivery as you had no idea what time of the day it would arrive.

And, if you were lucky, your item would arrive early in the morning.

However, as often as not (or that’s the way it seemed to me), your item was the very last one on the list.

And, as fate would have it, the minute you nipped round to the shops for a bread or milk whilst waiting on your goods, the delivery van would appear, discover there was no-one home and return your purchase to the warehouse.

Argh……

Next day when the shop reopened, you had to phone and arrange to go through the whole process again.

Recently, I was relieved to be able to leave my key with my neighbour for delivery of my new washing machine.

I had been two weeks without one and things had piled up somewhat.

“They will disconnect and take away the old one and plumb in the new one,” I assured my neighbour.

“So don’t worry if they seem to take a while.”

That evening I rushed home and got the key from my neighbour and excitedly entered the kitchen ready to get stuck in to my backlog of laundry.

But as luck would have it (my luck), there were now TWO washing machines sitting right bang in the middle of my now very cramped kitchen.

The old one and the new one.

And neither of them worked.

“Ah, the guys couldn’t disconnect your old machine to take it away,” the shop assistant explained.

“So obviously……They couldn’t fit your new one.”

“Obviously.” I sarcastically nipped the head off the assistant.

Moaning to my friends about my delivery disaster, Mae then unfolded her washing machine delivery difficulties.

“I specifically went to a certain shop because I was told they could deliver on a Sunday and a Monday which are my days off work, or any evening," she said.

“This was perfect for me as I have no one to leave a key with to let the delivery man in.”

“The machine cost me almost £500 so naturally it took me ages to choose the right washer dryer.”

But apparently after paying for her new machine, Mae went home and phoned to arrange a delivery time only to be told that the delivery days were actually Tuesday to Friday and daytime only, which was the complete opposite of what she needed!

The long and the short of it was she cancelled her purchase, got a refund and had to start the whole process again until she finally got delivery dates she wanted before she made another purchase.

“Do you know what?” Mae explained.

“I actually ended up buying a washer dryer because the delivery times suited, and not because of its functions.”

And as Mae and I found out, deliveries can be a nightmare, but collection times can be ambiguous too.

Leaving the car key with my daughter Jenna, I arranged to have a lease vehicle uplifted and returned to the lease company.

However, I was more than a bit bemused to read the email I received regards collection times.

“Dear Ms Bell, We will uplift your vehicle on Monday, March 20 anytime between 8am and dusk.”

“Dusk?” My daughter quite rightly asked.

“When the heck is dusk?”

None the wiser, I went on to my computer and Googled the word ‘dusk’ in the hope of giving Jenna a clearer idea of the collection time.”

“Jenna,” I said, "Dusk occurs at the darkest stage of evening twilight.”

“The what?”

“The time of dusk is the moment at the very end of astronomical twilight, just before total darkness or night.”

Silence………

“Did you get that Jenna?”

“Eh?” I could tell she wasn’t taking in any of this new information as I added.

“Basically it’s the darkest part of twilight before night begins.”

“Twilight?”

“Yes, twilight is defined by the solar elevation angle……...”

And before I could finish my clarification as to when dusk was she said: “So I need to work out the time of the astronomical twilight next Monday so that I don’t miss the collection of your car?”

“That’s more or less what it says in the email,” I confirmed.

“I think you’re in the twilight zone mum.”

Ignoring her jibe I added.

“Any problems, give me a call.”