There's nothing worse than when a parcel you've been waiting for goes missing, especially if it's a gift your sending in time for Christmas. The festivities are just days away and pressure is mounting on courier services to get those all important-packages delivered on time.
The likes of Evri, Yodel and DPD have been under extreme demand following the Royal Mail strikes and many retailers are warning to expect delays during the Christmas period. Royal Mail are due to strike again on Friday, December 23 and Saturday, December 24, 2022.
The last, recommended posting date for all services to UK addresses is Thursday, December 22, according to the Royal Mail, and that's for Parcelforce Worldwide express24, and express AM services. You can see all of their last posting dates on their website here.
Read More: Yodel delivery delays to postcodes in Newcastle and around North East
Compensation can be claimed if a parcel is damaged, lost or even delayed in some circumstances. The retailer has full responsibility for the condition of products until they are received by the customer, as stated in the Consumer Rights Act 2015.
In all cases, compensation can be claimed for the cost of the delivery charge as he courier will be in breach of the 'reasonable care and skill' clause as part of the act. However, depending on what is sent and the inconvenience it has caused, consumers may want to make bigger compensation claims.
During times when tracking for your parcel is not available or when you simply don't know what has happened to your parcel, the retailer has a legal obligation to chase the courier to investigate. So the first thing to do if you think your parcel has been delayed, got lost or arrives damaged, is to contact the retailer where it was sent from.
When parcels go missing the retailer is legally obliged to either rearrange the delivery or give customers a full refund. If the retailer fails to take action, you can raise a case with the Retail Ombudsman and they’ll get in touch on your behalf.
If you're still waiting for parcels to arrive or are worried it's been delayed, or turned up damaged then this handy guide below lists the compensation policies at several delivery services, including Yodel, Amazon, Royal Mail and more.
Yodel and Collect+
On their website, Yodel and Collect+ are informing customers that their staff are currently delivering a higher than normal number of parcels across the country, and are currently experiencing delays in a number of areas.
Their website states: "As we head into the busy Christmas period, it may take us a couple of extra days to get your parcels to you in a few areas across the country. You can track your parcel's journey on the Yodel Parcel Tracker app or track your parcel's journey here."
They have a list of postcodes which are currently experiencing delays here.
Yodel says if a parcel is lost then the best thing consumers can do is to to contact them via the 'live chat' button on their website and one of the customer service team will get in touch. Consumers must describe both the packaging and size of the parcel as well as the contents. The courier states that they are unable to support a search for a parcel if it has not been tracked for more than 28 days.
If a parcel has been damaged Yodel customers must complete the contact form here as soon as possible and take clear photographs of the damage, check the contents are not on Yodel's prohibited and restricted items list, provide a detailed description of the item and provide the item's value and receipt.
How to complain:
If a parcel is missing or damaged, Yodel suggests contacting it via its web chat service, and checking with the sender.
Royal Mail
Royal Mail has various compensation policies that cover certain orders. Their Retail Compensation Policy for Loss overs the following products:
- 1st class stamped, metered and VAT exempt account mail, including items sent using online postage;
- 2nd class stamped, metered and VAT exempt account mail, including items sent using online postage;
- 1st and 2nd class Royal Mail Signed for® mail when used in conjunction with stamped, metered and VAT exempt account products above;
- Articles for the Blind, and
- Royal Mail Special Delivery Guaranteed by 1pm (not posted on account).
This policy applies only to items posted with and delivered by Royal Mail. Compensation for loss will not be considered for an item Royal Mail has not delivered or attempted to deliver until after:
- 10 working days for items other than Royal Mail Special Delivery Guaranteed by 1pm (not posted on account), or
- 5 working days for Royal Mail Special Delivery Guaranteed by 1pm (not posted on account) have elapsed from the due date of delivery, unless there is evidence to the contrary to demonstrate that the item has not been lost.
- Where an item is safely delivered after the 10 working days or 5 working days in the case of Royal Mail Special Delivery Guaranteed) the customer will be entitled to claim compensation for delay but not for loss.
The amount of compensation you can be offered will depend on the service you used above. Royal Mail has a separate compensation policy for parcels that have been delayed which can be found here.
How to complain
If you want to complain about a Royal Mail service then you can contact Royal Mail customer services here. If you are not satisfied with their response you can escalate the complaint further to Royal Mail's Postal Review Panel via email postalreview@royalmail.com or by writing to FREEPOST, Postal Review Panel.
If you fund your complaint cannot be resolved then you can get in touch with the independent postal redress scheme here to investigate your case.
DHL
DHL Express state on their website that they want to ensure customers have the best possible shipping experience with them, even if unfortunate scenarios happen. They say: "While we do our best to ensure your shipments are delivered safely, we acknowledge that there are unlikely circumstances where your shipments might get damaged or even lost. DHL Express focuses on service excellence and strives to provide a satisfactory resolution in such situations.
"We assume the responsibility of your shipment the moment it is handed over to our courier or lodged into any of our retail points. When you submit a claim, it has to be within 30 days from the date that DHL accepted the shipment to be considered as a valid claim."
DHL have a list of instructions if a parcel is damaged here but say they have different policies for when a shipment goes missing. They say the process in claiming against a parcel that has gone missing may take slightly longer than damaged shipments because their operations team will have to conduct physical checks.
With DHL there are two types of cases for lost shipments. First is a complete loss where DHL are unable to locate your shipment and the second is when the consignee receives the shipment but some pieces or the contents are missing. See full details here.
How to complain:
If a parcel is missing or damaged, contact DHL Express here, and you can fill out a claim form here.
Evri
Evri, formerly Hermes, say they are 100% dedicated to ensuring every parcel arrives safely but admit on their website that a small number can become damaged or lost within their network.
The courier says that when these situations occur they will pay consumers up to the level of cover selected for the items. There are a number of items that Evri don't cover though for compensation, and these include fragile, personal and irreplaceable items which can contain items that have been badly packaged, ceramic, fossils, glass items, cameras lighting equipment and more.
You can see Evri's full list of prohibited or non-compensation items here.
How to complain
The quickest way for you to make a claim is to contact Evri's Customer Services Team who will carry out a thorough investigation. Your enquiry should be made by the person who sent the parcel to ensure Evri can deal with it as effectively as possible.
Amazon
Amazon has various policies for orders on their website. The first thing to do is to look at the 'your orders' section on your Amazon account and then press on 'track package'. Some parcels such as standard international deliveries aren't trackable, Amazon says.
Items sent by sellers from the Amazon Marketplace can also be tracked, but only if the seller has shared this information with Amazon and you have chosen a traceable delivery method. If your package shows as delivered, but you haven't received it, Amazon say customers should head to their Find a Missing Parcel That Shows As Delivered for more information.
Sometimes the delivery status is updated in advance and you may see your parcel marked as "delivered" even if you have not received it. Amazon says in these circumstances the parcel may not have been delivered yet, but it's heading to the address you've selected and it will be there soon, and recommend asking the relevant carrier if there is more information about the location of the parcel. Visit their page Carrier Contact Information for more on this.
Amazon state that customers should contact their immediately via their customer service team here if there are any discrepancies in tracking, or of any orders not received or lost. The retailer states they are only able to assist consumers within 30 days of their delivery date.
For guaranteed delivery orders Amazon says if a delivery attempt is not made by the guaranteed delivery date shown on the checkout page at the time of purchase and confirmed in your order confirmation e-mail, you would receive the following:
- An automatic delivery fee refund of any paid delivery costs to a gift card. This gift card will be credited to Your Account and can be used to make purchases from Amazon.co.uk. You can find more details on the use of gift cards here. Typically, you will receive this gift card within 3-5 business days of a missed guaranteed delivery date.
- For orders where delivery was provided at no extra cost, you can contact us for compensation by clicking "An Order I Placed." Select the relevant order and then in the "Tell us more about your issue" section, select "Where's my stuff? -> Shipment is late".
You are eligible to receive a delivery fee refund or compensation for a missed guaranteed delivery date if all of the following requirements are met:
- You ordered an item that is dispatched by Amazon, and you selected a delivery option for which we provided a guaranteed delivery date from the checkout page.
- Your selected payment method was successfully charged and there was no change to your selected payment method after the order was placed.
How to complain:
If a parcel is missing or damaged, contact Amazon's customer service team here.
DPD
DPD courier not only deliver parcels to doors but also have over 6,000 pick up shops around the UK. The courier will operating a normal service on December 23 but will be shipping deliveries only on Christmas Eve and will not be working on Christmas Day, Boxing Day or December 27. You can see their full Christmas schedule here.
DPD say consumers can only make a compensation claim in the event of the loss or damage of a parcel. They have a list of items, like Evri, that are not covered by compensation, which can be found here.
The courier also states on their website that they shall not be liable to customers under any circumstances for any loss or damage unless they notify them either via their website or by written notice to The Cube, Coe Street, Bolton BL3 6BU within:
- 14 days of delivery of the Consignment in the case of damage to all or part of a Consignment or loss of part of a Consignment;
- and in all other cases (including, but not limited to, loss of the whole of a Consignment) within 28 days from when the Consignment was collected or received by us.
How to complain
You can start an enquiry into your damaged or lost parcel with DPD on their website here.
FedEx
Those who chose to have their parcel sent or delivered with FedEx can file a compensation claim if it is either lost or damaged and meets the conditions as detailed in the FedEx UK Conditions of Carriage policy.
The courier says that claims for loss, non-delivery or mis-delivery must be received in writing within 28 days of collection or receipt of the shipment by the carrier. Claims for shipments which are noted as damaged on the proof of delivery should also be received in writing within 28 days after delivery or attempted delivery of the shipment.
If a parcel has been damaged and has not been noted on delivery then customers must notify FedEx UK customer service by 5pm the next working day and ensure a claim is received in writing within 28 days after delivery or attempted delivery.
How to complain:
If a parcel is missing or damaged, contact FedEx customer service here, you can also fill out a claim form here.
UPS
Customers who have used UPS for a parcel and are worried it is delayed or lost will need to sign into their UPS.com profile and provide UPS with the details and track the process to start the investigation.
All claims will require some form of supporting documentation to help UPS locate a missing parcel or provide an accurate resolution (e.g - an invoice to provide the value of the lost or damaged merchandise).
Those who are submitted a damage claim must retain the damaged item, packaging and all contents until the claim is resolved. Consumers will be required to submit all of the shipped materials if UPS elect to perform a parcel inspection to determine the cause of damage and verify proper packing materials were used.
There are certain items that are not covered by compensation for loss but not damage which can be found here.
How to complain:
If a parcel is missing or damaged, contact UPS here or via their live chat here.
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