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LATE DELIVERY: Compensation can depend on how you sent your parcel and when you sent it (Photo by Digital Vision/Getty Images)
It can sometimes be tricky to know what your rights are when your parcel is lost, delayed or damaged in transit from Royal Mail.
It’s a complex issue and what you’re entitled to can depend on how your item was dispatched and what the overall issue actually is. However, you may be able to make a claim for compensation, ask for a refund, request your item to be redelivered or even just lodge a complaint.
So, if your parcel has been missing in action, it’s not up to scratch or you had to wait a while for that present that was meant to be sent to you in time for Christmas, from complaints to compensation, we’ve taken a look at what your rights are and what action you can take.
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If you purchased an item online
If you bought something online, over the phone or even in a shop, then Citizens Advice says that you should try to contact the seller before you ask Royal Mail for compensation, as you’ll usually get a more satisfactory resolution. However, you can ask for a refund or redelivery if the item didn’t arrive.
If you don’t want to go down the compensation route then you can make a complaint to Royal Mail directly. You can check how to make a complaint to Royal Mail on their website.
If Royal Mail has lost your important document
If the postage service has lost something significant such as a passport or driving license then you should make contact with the organisation that issued the document as soon as possible. For example, if Royal Mail lost your passport you should contact the issuer and ask them to cancel the document, which should put a stop to any form of identity fraud.
How you can claim compensation
It’s important to know that you can only get compensation from Royal Mail if the item was posted in the UK and sent using a Royal Mail service. However, you can’t get any compensation if your post is delayed and it was either posted to somewhere outside the UK, it was posted by special delivery and it had to be redirected or it was posted using the Tracked 24 or Tracked 48 service.
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Who can make the claim?
Both the person who sent the item and the person receiving the parcel can make the claim for compensation, but if the item was sent using the Tracked 24 or Tracked 48 service then that means only the sender can claim compensation. It’s usually more convenient for the sender to claim because they’re more likely to have the evidence that’s required to make the claim.
If you want to claim as the receiver, contact the sender to get the evidence you need.
Make sure you’ve got the evidence
To qualify for compensation, you’ll need your proof of posting. This could be in the form of a receipt or certificate of posting – if you posted an item at the Post Office. If you received the item, you can use the packaging with the postmark on.
If the item was sent by post box and lost in the post, you won’t usually have proof of posting and this means you can’t get compensation. Other evidence you will need is:
- the name and address of the sender and receiver
- the amount paid for postage
- the type of postage used
- where and when the item was sent
- the reference number or barcode number – you can find this on the certificate of posting or on a label on the package
- the contents of the post
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If you’re claiming for damage or loss you’ll also need to give a description of the packaging and condition of the item so you should take photos if you can. You may also bag some extra compensation if your item was valuable, but once again you’ll need original proof of how much it was worth, which can be a receipt, bank statement, repair quotations or a paypal record.
Check how much time you’ve got to make a claim
There are different rules depending on if the item was damaged, delayed or lost in the post.
If it’s damaged and was posted by post box or sent at a Post Office after the last delivery of the day then it only counts as posted on the next working day. If your item was sent to somewhere within the UK then you must make the claim within 80 days from the date it was posted. If there’s extra insurance for the item you must claim within 14 days from when it was posted.
If it’s delayed then how long you need to wait before you claim depends on how the item was sent. If it was sent through first class post, you can claim four working days after the item was posted or seven days if it had to be redirected.
If it was by second class post, you can claim six working days after the item was posted – or nine days if it had to be redirected. Sent by special delivery means you can claim nine working days after the item was due to arrive.
If the item was lost then you must claim within 80 days from the date the item was posted. How long you need to wait the depends on how the parcel was posted. If it was posted by first class post then you can claim 11 working days after it was posted.
Second class post means you can claim 14 working days after it was sent, if it was by special delivery, you can claim five working days after it was due to arrive.
You can find out more from Citizens Advice should you need to make a bid for compensation. You can make your claim on the Royal Mail website.
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