Hi, i've been having a headache of a problem waiting for a parcel which somehow has disappeared into the system.
I was meant to be getting a parcel which was posted late on thursday 12th july , it has a tracking number and since thursday the tracking has been saying it is being progressed through their network for delivery.
I've since ordered from the same vendor on Monday the 16th July and received my item this morning (19th July) with the status changing twice which tells me there's a problem with my first illusive parcel
I've just finally got through to Royal Mail and they're telling me that i have to wait 15 days and then the sender has to make a claim against Royal Mail and then the sender has to hopefully reimburse me.
Do you know where this is said on the Royal Mail website so i can email this to the vendor and do you know how long this would take?
What if the vendor refuses, what are my rights with them?
The 15 day figure has been quoted to me before and I'm sure it was confirmed on their website/leaflets. It may even be 15 working days so that's 3 weeks.
Yes I have had parcels go missing and you can not start the claim until 15 working days have passed. It is the sender who has to make the claim not the receiver. It is not up to the Post Office to refund the reciever that is the senders responcibility. Your rights with the seller are the same as if the parcel was sent any other way and not recieved he has to refund you or replace the item but the post office have nothing to do with that part they are only the carriers.
On both occasions the parcels did arrive just within the 15 days- one was something sent to me, the other was something I'd sent someone. I've no idea why things should be sitting on a shelf somewhere for so long
cathfromsaron , you seem to make a point of posting incorrect information !
The sender and the sender ONLY can make a claim ! The sender needs to get a claim form from the post office and fill it in. Yes, the lost mail dept is in Belfast but they will not communicate with anyone but the sender and only then not until a fully completed claim form has been sent. No point at all in the reciever trying to contact the lost mail centre , they won't even speak to them.
The fact that the tracking on the missing parcel is still saying "progressing through network for delivery" would seem to indicate a problem with the address on the package - the address is either void or invisible . (it sometimes happens that the address falls out of place behind the address window and can not be seen at all .) In this case the item will be returned to sender- directly if the return address is visible on the outside of the package . If there is no visible return address then the package will have to go to the returned letter branch in Belfast to be officially opened to see if there is a return address on the inside . Hopefully the package should now be on its way back to the sender so you shouldn't have any problems with the vendor but this will take longer if it's gone via Belfast . If the package is lost then it is normally the sender (as the postage payer) who makes the claim .
The sender, who will also get the same tracking message that you get when they track the item , will realise that you have not recieved your parcel .
The parcel can be reported missing at 15 days and then the vendor can refund you but only after the PO refund the vendor. This can take a further 28 days. I work for an online retailer.
By the way the 'Missing Mail' centre in Belfast does not get involved unless there is no return address on the parcel so it can not be 'returned to sender'
If that is the case then Belfast will open it and try to find where it has come from so that it can be returned . Most missing mail never gets to the Belfast centre it gets returned to the sender once it can't be delivered.