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What do I do if my parcel is lost or damaged?

 

Unfortunately, things do sometimes go wrong and parcels occasionally get lost or damaged in transit. We're pleased to report that  the success rate for parcel delivery via the courier companies we work with is nearer the 100% mark than anything else. For the small percentage of deliveries that aren't delivered successfully, our exceptional customer service team comes in to their own and P4D takes on queries and claims on your behalf, as well as tracking and tracing. This is the benefit of using a service like ours, since it's not only about delivering low prices, but fantastic customer support as well.

Delayed parcels

If you've booked a timed delivery, say for arrival by 10.00am and your parcel didn't get there by 10.00am then this will initially be treated as a delayed parcel. If you've used a more standard service, like Next Day or economy (2-3 days), then you should allow the courier up until the end of the day on the date that your parcel is due to arrive. Be aware that some courier companies can deliver up until 9.00pm at night in residential areas and before this time, your parcel will not be considered delayed.

For most courier services we offer, you can use the order number provided with your order confirmation to track your parcels on our home page. If you're using a service that doesn't recognise the tracking service or you're experiencing some difficulty, email customers@P4D.co.uk with your order number and we'll do it for you.

In the event that your parcel isn't delivered, email your order number to customers@P4D.co.uk for the fastest response, or phone   to let us know. However, email contact means we can sometimes get a response out of hours, and also ensures you have a record of your enquiry. Our customer service advisers will then contact the courier company to find out where your parcel is and let you know as quickly as they can. We are incredibly responsive to emails, so please don't try to phone as well, this simply prevents our team from using their time most effectively to investigate the problem.

Lost parcels

Any unsuccessful delivery will first be treated as a delayed parcel (see above) and tracked by our customer service team. If your parcel cannot be tracked, our customers service support will then launch an official trace on your parcel with the courier company and keep you routinely informed of their findings. If the courier company cannot find your parcel and confirm it as lost, our customer services team will then pass your details on to our claims advisor who will contact you about putting in a claim.  

Until your parcel has been confirmed lost by our customer service team, any contact regarding a claim will simply be passed back to them for investigation as a delayed parcel. Please always email customers@P4D.co.uk first.

Part loss

On the odd occasion, parcels arrive at their destination with something missing. However, where this is sometimes related to damage, most often it is because two parcels have been strapped together and sent as one parcel delivery.

If you cannot put all of your goods in one parcel, do not attach them together and send them as though they were one – always send two parcels. This will make sure that both parts of your delivery are labelled and are trackable. It also means that both your items are fully covered in the event of a loss. Most couriers will refuse to take two items strapped together, but in the event that they do, you will not be able to submit a claim for loss if one part is delivered and the other is not – if you class the items as one parcel, then a delivery means it has arrived.

If some of your parcel is missing due to parcel damage, please read the information on damaged parcels below.

Damaged parcels

To prevent damage, your item should be adequately protected by the packaging you use and we cannot recommend that you send fragile items like glass via a courier service.  

If your parcel has been damaged by the courier company, you must let us know within 7 days of the parcel being delivered. A claim must be submitted with 30 days of collection, but the sooner we start the process, the better it will be. Email claims@P4D.co.uk with your order number(s), which can be found on your order confirmation email. If you sent more than one parcel with your order, please also provide your tracking number, which can also be found on your confirmation email.

At this stage, we do not accept photographs or additional information. The claims process for every courier firm we work with is different and you will be asked to provide different information depending on who you used. We will reply to your email as quickly as we can and let you know what happens next. Providing we get the necessary information we will then log a claim with the courier company and if we have good evidence to support the claim, we'll do our best to get your claim settled very quickly.

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