Many Royal Mail customers have seen long delays in getting their letters and parcels delivered recently as the busy Christmas period coincided with posties striking in an ongoing dispute over pay and working conditions.
But if you weren't home or didn't manage to get to the door in time to collect a delivery, you may have to wait even longer to get hold of your parcel. Anyone who has been in this situation will be familiar with the 'Something For You' card that is put through their door, which carries a four-digit code, P739, in the top right-hand corner.
This code indicates a failed delivery, and if the parcel hasn't been left in your nominated safe place or with a neighbour then it will unfortunately be on its way back to your local Delivery Office. If this is the case, you will have to pick it up - but this won't be an option until the next day the office is open.
Alternatively, you may be able to arrange a redelivery either to your address, a neighbour, or your local Post Office. You can book a new delivery date that is more convenient for you at royalmail.com/redelivery using the details provided on your Something For You card.
If your parcel is delivered with Royal Mail Tracked 24 or 48, you can choose to deliver it to a neighbour, a safe place, a Post Office or Royal Mail Delivery Office. Items delivered through Special Delivery Guaranteed can be dropped off at Post Offices and Delivery Offices.
You can also avoid having to arrange a redelivery in the first place if you have realised you aren't going to be in when your parcel is on its way. Royal Mail said: "You can now change when and where your parcel is delivered after it has been sent.
"Being able to change delivery options means that you don’t have to worry if you are no longer going to be in. You will have peace of mind and control over when and where you receive your parcel." Delivery options can be changed through the Royal Mail's Track and Trace service.
Royal Mail customers were recently warned of a scam doing the rounds which aims to target customers who are expecting a delivery. Action Fraud, the UK's national reporting centre for cyber crime, issued an alert about fake emails purporting to be from Royal Mail, which claim that the recipient has missed a delivery and has a parcel waiting for them.
An example of the email says "your parcel is on hold" and asks for a fee to be paid. The website it links to is fake and seeks to swindle the recipient into handing over personal financial information, in a scam that has been reported to the police more than 400 times.
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