A Which? survey reveals that nine percent of 2,000 customers received the "sorry we missed you" notes either electronically or through the door despite being home all day.
Last year the same watchdog found that 58 per cent of online Christmas shoppers had at issues with at least one of their deliveries.
Almost a quarter had a failed delivery and 11 per cent had a package left outside.
The treatment of people's precious Christmas gifts are also an issue for many, with one person posting a video of a delivery driver throwing her parcel over the fence and another was fuming to find it had been put in the bin.
Responding to the negative feedback from disappointed customers, one driver told Sky News: "Working as a self-employed courier in the run-up to Christmas meant 18-hour days with no breaks.
"It meant arriving at the depot at 4.30am to sort parcels and on some days not finishing shifts until about 11.45pm.
"On average I would deliver 170 parcels a day, and on my busiest, I delivered 254."
Last Christmas, shoppers faced chaos as supermarkets ran out of delivery slots, while Amazon faced a backlash for failing to deliver to Prime customers on time.
This year, some rural areas in the UK ran out of supermarket delivery slots at the start of the month, while bigger cities, such as London, have sold out in some locations as well.
Your delivery rights
If you bought something from a business to be delivered, it’s the seller’s responsibility to make sure the item is delivered to you.
If the seller used a courier, they should chase the courier to find out what’s happened to your order – it’s not your responsibility.
Under the Consumer Rights Act, you can ask the seller to deliver the item again if the item wasn’t delivered either:
- by an agreed date
- within a reasonable time – usually within 30 days
Citizens Advice has a template letter you can use to write to the seller.
You can cancel your order and ask for your money back if you don’t get the item either:
- within 30 days of buying it
- on the date you agreed with the seller – if it was essential to receive it by then (for example, for an event)
- on the date of the second chance delivery you agreed with the seller
For more information, read our guide to your rights if your deliveries get lost or damaged in the run up to Christmas.
With nine in 10 people purchasing Christmas gifts online, it's important that deliveries arrive as promised.
To help ensure you don't miss out, we've rounded-up the major retailers' last order dates for Christmas 2018.
Shopper Jessica Amiera wrote on Twitter: "Christmas day is ruined as the delivery drivers binned my parcel. Absolutely disgusting. A bin isn't a safe place."
Another wrote: "@hermesparcels waited in for a parcel delivery today between 8am and 1pm. No parcel by 1pm so checked parcel tracker and apparently missed delivery attempt?! This is complete rubbish as I have been in all day. Not even a failed delivery card."
Alex Neill, of Which?, said: "Problems with our deliveries really can be a nightmare before Christmas, causing added stress at a busy time of year.
"If you face a delivery issue, remember that you have rights and should contact the retailer as soon as possible to have your problem solved."
Here are your rights if your deliveries get lost or damaged in the run-up to Christmas.
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