Online alcohol delivery services are ignoring rules and serving customers who are already drunk, a new survey has found.
A survey carried out by VicHealth found 71 per cent of weekly users received their orders when they were already drunk, while a third of people were delivered alcohol without any ID check, making it possible for underage drinkers to order online.
About 40 per cent of people said they would have stopped drinking if online alcohol delivery wasn't available.
"Alcohol delivery services are allowed to operate like cowboys in Victoria - it's causing harm and it's time to rein them in," VicHealth chief executive Sandro Demaio said.
The survey found some customers were being served without having their IDs checked. Source: AAP
"Something is really wrong when a business is allowed to sell someone a bottle of hard alcohol when they're already drunk and deliver it to their door in 15 minutes."
VicHealth has urged for a reform of the Liquor Act to regulate alcohol online delivery that would include two-hour delays after purchases, a curfew ban after 10pm and the prohibition to market it via email, text, or in-app promotions, among other measures.
However, a major alcohol industry lobby group has criticised the survey, saying it "unfairly demonised responsible online alcohol delivery companies".
Retail Drinks Australia, which represents liquor stores and online delivery services across Australia, said the survey was littered with false claims.
"For instance, the study accuses reputable companies of leaving alcohol unattended for express deliveries which their apps do not even allow," Retail Drinks Australia chief executive Julie Ryan said.
"A cursory review of any of these retailers’ websites will tell you that, which means that there was no diligence done on the veracity of these survey results."
Endeavour Drinks - which owns the BWS, Dan Murphy's and Jimmy Brings brands - said drivers were trained to refuse delivery if customers appeared drunk.
"As a part of our commitment to the responsible service of alcohol, the checking of proof of age identification - both in our retail stores and for home deliveries - is required if you look under 25," a spokeswoman said.
"These processes are regularly checked through mystery shopping exercises."
