Home owner advice to prevent missing parcels

Home owner advice to prevent missing parcels

Dear Resident

What to do if you are missing a doorstep parcel delivery .

You should complain to the retailer, not the courier, about a missing delivery.

Your contract is with the retailer, and the Consumer Rights Act makes the retailer responsible for the good condition and safe delivery of your order.

Here are six must-know consumer rights if your delivery hasn’t gone to plan:

If your order is late, missing or has turned up damaged, you'll want to complain to the retailer - even if you think it’s down to a poor service from the courier.

If you paid extra for special delivery and your order arrived later than agreed, you can claim back the extra delivery cost as the service wasn’t delivered.

Be aware if you give permission for your delivery to be left in a specified safe place or received by a nominated neighbour and something goes wrong, you will still be considered to have received the delivery. Think very carefully about those options when you’re making a purchase.

If your order arrives damaged or faulty, you have the right to refuse it and get a refund, repair or replacement.

Your delivery must be made without undue delay and within 30 days from the point of purchase, unless you and the retailer agree otherwise, this is stipulated by the Consumer Rights Act.

You can also cancel an order for most items ‘bought at a distance’ - for example, online, over the phone or a mail order catalogue.

My delivery isn’t where I was told it had been left

If your parcel was left with a neighbour who denies having it, or it has vanished from your doorstep or safe place, your rights will depend on whether you gave permission for your order to be left there.

Check your account details. Does your account specify delivery instructions like a safe place or a dedicated neighbour where your order can be left if you’re not in? Your next steps will depend on it.

If you didn’t provide delivery instructions, the retailer has failed to fulfil its contract with you and is legally bound to refund or replace your order.

If you left specific delivery instructions for your parcel to be left with a nominated neighbour or a specified safe place and the parcel is delivered, the retailer is not responsible if something then goes wrong (eg it's missing when you go to collect it).

Even if you agree more generally that your parcel can be left with a neighbour or safe place without specifying in detail, then in practice, you’ve said you are happy for anyone or anywhere in close proximity to your home to accept delivery on your behalf.

Did you give the courier instructions later on? If the courier contacted you separately to ask if your parcel could be left in a safe place or with a neighbour, and you gave them specific instructions, this would mean you are agreeing for your order to be delivered there.

We urge caution when agreeing to a safe place or neighbour on your online account or through communication with the courier, as this will water down your consumer rights.

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Message Sent By
Darren Bainton
(Humberside Police, PCSO, Mid Holderness)