Courier Lost Your Parcel? Here's What To Do

Almost 15 million people experience a parcel delivery problem every month in the UK. If your parcel has gone missing, here's exactly what to do to get compensation.

checklist First Steps When a Parcel Goes Missing

1. Check tracking information - Verify the latest status. Sometimes "delivered" means left with a neighbour or in a safe place.
2. Look for delivery photos - Many couriers now take photos. Check your email or the tracking app.
3. Ask neighbours - The parcel might have been left next door.
4. Check safe places - Bins, sheds, porches, behind plant pots.
5. Wait 24 hours - Sometimes tracking updates are delayed. Give it a day before raising a formal complaint.

contact_support Who to Contact

If You're the Buyer:

Contact the seller first, not the courier. Here's why:

• Your contract is with the seller, not the delivery company
• The seller is responsible for getting the item to you
• The seller chose the courier and has the account relationship
• Under UK law, courier delays are the seller's problem, not yours

The seller should then deal with the courier and either resend the item or provide a refund.

If You're the Sender:

Contact the courier directly. You'll need:

• Tracking number
• Proof of posting (receipt)
• Description of contents
• Proof of value (receipt, listing, invoice)

payments How Much Compensation Can You Get?

Standard compensation limits vary by courier:

assignment How to Make a Claim

1. Gather evidence
   • Proof of posting/booking confirmation
   • Tracking information
   • Photos of packaging (if damage claim)
   • Proof of item value (receipt, listing, bank statement)
2. Contact the courier
   • Use their official complaints process (usually online)
   • Keep records of all communication
   • Get a case/reference number
3. Follow up
   • Most couriers should respond within 5-10 working days
   • Chase if you don't hear back
   • Keep escalating if needed

What if They Say It Was Delivered?

If tracking shows "delivered" but you didn't receive it:

• Request specific delivery proof (GPS, signature, photo)
• The burden of proof is on the courier
• GPS location alone isn't conclusive proof
• If left in an unauthorised location, they're liable

trending_up Escalating Your Complaint

If the courier isn't resolving your issue:

1. Escalate Internally

Ask for your complaint to be escalated to a manager or the complaints department. Reference your case number and timeline.

2. Social Media

Companies often respond faster to public complaints on Twitter/X. Be factual and include your tracking number (but not personal details).

3. Citizens Advice

Get free advice on your rights and next steps at citizensadvice.org.uk

4. Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR)

Some couriers are members of ADR schemes. If not, you can use:

• Postal Redress Service (POSTRS) - For postal services
• Small Claims Court - For claims up to £10,000

5. Chargeback (Credit/Debit Card)

If you paid by card and the seller won't help, you may be able to do a chargeback through your bank. Credit cards offer Section 75 protection for purchases £100-£30,000.

shield Preventing Future Issues

search The first 48 hours: what to do before claiming

Most parcels marked as lost are not lost — they are mis-scanned, sitting at a depot, or delivered to a neighbour by a driver who did not leave a card. So the first step is not a claim; it is evidence gathering. Check the tracking history in detail rather than the headline status, because the last successful scan location tells you which depot to ask about, and that is the single most useful fact you can have.

Then check physically. Neighbours on both sides, behind bins and gates, and any reception or concierge for the building. If the tracking says delivered and it was not, request the proof of delivery — the GPS point and the signature or photograph. A photo of somebody else's front door is exactly the evidence that turns a disputed delivery into a resolved one.

• check_circle Read the full tracking history — The last successful scan tells you where it actually is, which the status word does not.
• check_circle Ask for proof of delivery — GPS coordinates plus the photo or signature. Carriers hold this and will supply it on request.
• check_circle Check with neighbours and reception — Still the single most common resolution.
• check_circle Write everything down — Dates, times, reference numbers and who you spoke to. Claims turn on this record.
• check_circle Do not wait too long — Carriers apply time limits to claims, and they are shorter than most people assume.

balance Who is responsible, and who you claim from

This is where most people go wrong. If you bought goods from a UK retailer, your contract is with that retailer, not with the courier. Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 the goods remain the seller's responsibility until they are delivered into your physical possession, so a retailer telling you to take it up with the courier is describing their own supplier problem, not your obligation. Go back to the seller and ask them to resolve it.

It is different if you booked the courier yourself. Then the contract is yours, and you claim against the carrier under their terms — which will have a compensation limit, often a modest default unless you declared a higher value and paid for it. It is also worth knowing that many carriers exclude whole categories from cover, which is why an expensive or unusual item is often the wrong thing to put through a network at all.

• check_circle Bought from a retailer — Claim from the retailer. Under the Consumer Rights Act the goods are theirs until you receive them.
• check_circle Booked the courier yourself — Claim from the carrier, under their terms and their compensation limit.
• check_circle Check the declared value — Standard cover is usually a low default. Higher value normally requires declaring it and paying more.
• check_circle Check the exclusions — Many carriers exclude jewellery, electronics, glass and antiques from cover entirely.
• check_circle Keep the packaging if it is damage — Damage claims are frequently refused where the packaging has been thrown away.

shield How to make it much less likely next time

Loss and damage cluster around handovers. Every depot a parcel passes through is a place it can be mis-sorted, dropped or held, so the single most effective thing you can do with a valuable or fragile item is reduce the number of times it changes hands. That is the honest argument for a dedicated courier over a network: one vehicle, one driver, no sorting hub.

For anything that does go through a network, the practical protections are dull but effective. Photograph the item and the packed parcel before it goes, keep the receipt and the tracking number somewhere you can find them, declare the real value if the option exists, and use a delivery address where someone will actually be present. Most claims fail on evidence rather than on principle.

• check_circle Photograph before sending — The item, then the packed parcel, then the label. Two minutes that wins arguments.
• check_circle Use a dedicated courier for high value — Fewer handovers is fewer opportunities for it to go wrong.
• check_circle Declare the real value — Under-declaring to save a few pounds voids the cover you were relying on.
• check_circle Send to somewhere staffed — A workplace or a collection point beats an empty house.
• check_circle Keep the paperwork — Receipt, tracking number, and the photographs. Claims are decided on evidence.