Festive season warning --- Avoid paying for surprise gift parcels from Woolworths.

My experience: A week ago, a man rang my doorbell at 20:50 at night, claiming that he had a plant from Woolworths for delivery to a person whom I'd never heard of. Three minutes later, he came back, rang the doorbell again, and said he had a delivery for me. When I looked out the window, I saw an unmarked delivery truck outside so indicated that I was not prepared to let him onto the premises, suggesting that the delivery be rescheduled. I never heard back from Woolworths, so assumed that I had been correct in suspecting foul play. But, even so, I for some reason decided to make the effort to try and follow up several days later. The person I spoke to at Woolworths said that, without a tracking number, nothing could be done. It was only by chance over the weekend that I discovered that someone in the UK had paid for a Woolworths gift parcel to be delivered to me. Armed with the tracking number, I tried to follow up again. But there was no record at Woolworths of any attempt to reschedule the delivery after my refusal to take delivery late at night from an unmarked delivery vehicle. A further promise from Chandre Hector in the Complaints Department to give me feedback on the non-delivery and to confirm a new delivery time didn't materialize. I phoned again, several times, leaving messages and asking for the promised feedback. After three attempts to reach Mr Hector, he finally got back to me claiming that the parcel was due for delivery later today and that I would receive feedback tomorrow on why Woolworths failed to do anything to ensure that the already paid for gift was not delivered. Needless to say, I'd be very surprised if either commitment is met. Importantly, the people who last week ordered a Woolworths gift for me have since informed me that they ordered several poinsettias from Woolworths last year for delivery as Christmas gifts to friends in South Africa, so were understandably perplexed that no-one acknowledged receipt of this gift. It would be interesting to know what happens to the money that trusting customers pay for Woolworths gifts that are never delivered.