How to get your money back if your parcel goes missing

If you’re missing a parcel and don’t know what to do next, then you’ve come to the right place. 

Whether it’s a personal parcel you’re sending or receiving, or you’ve bought something online that’s gone astray, this guide has you covered. 

Missing parcels are an annoyingly common problem, but there is still often confusion among companies – and customers – when it comes to what your consumer rights are. So here, I’ll spell out what you should do in different scenarios. 

You’ve ordered something online and it hasn’t arrived

If your parcel hasn’t arrived, you should first check the delivery address you gave the seller to make sure it’s correct. 

Then, you should contact the seller and ask where your order is. If the seller claims it’s been delivered, or doesn’t know its whereabouts, then you can ask for a redelivery. Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 you can ask for a redelivery if the item wasn’t delivered either by the agreed date or within a reasonable time (this is usually 30 days). 

If the retailer you ordered the item from asks you to contact the courier you should refuse, because this isn’t right. As a customer, your contract is with the seller. The courier is contracted by the seller to deliver the goods to you, so you should not be dealing directly with it in the event of a complaint. 

Instead, it is the seller’s responsibility to make sure the item is delivered to you. It is up to the seller or retailer to chase the courier to find out what happened to your order if there’s a problem.

In certain circumstances you may be able to get a refund for items not delivered – for example, if you had paid extra for next day delivery because the delivery date was essential, and the item didn’t arrive on time. 

Your parcel was left somewhere and you can’t find it 

Sometimes parcels get left in different places if you’re not home, such as on your porch or with a neighbour, and it’s not always easy to find them. 

If the item was delivered by a courier then you should check the terms and conditions. If you agreed to items being left outside your home then unfortunately it’s not the seller or courier’s responsibility if your item goes missing. However, if you did not tick this box then the liability remains with the seller. 

If your parcel was sent via Royal Mail then your rights are slightly different. If an item goes missing after being left with a neighbour or in a certain place on your instruction then it’s not the seller or Royal Mail’s responsibility.

But if Royal Mail left something with a neighbour, or in a place you didn’t request, then it’s the seller’s responsibility if it gets lost, so contact them for a refund or redelivery. You can opt out of having future deliveries left with a neighbour by completing a form on the Royal Mail website or via the app.

You posted a personal parcel and it’s gone missing 

If you personally posted a parcel and it’s gone missing then you’ll need to refer back to the courier’s terms and conditions.

Each company has slightly different policies on how long parcels have to be delayed for before being considered “missing”, and it also depends on which of their various services you chose to send your parcel with.