Recorded delivery not arrived -being processed in system

magic57

Hi
Can anyone advise please.

I sent two parcels last Saturday 1st class recorded delivery. One of the buyers contacted me today and said she had not received her parcel yet. I checked the tracking number and it says it is being processed through the system for delivery.
I decided to check the other parcel and it says the same thing. That buyer hasn't contacted me yet.

I'm cross because I made a special journey to the post office on a saturday to make sure my buyers got their parcels quickly.

What can have happened? Any ideas please? It is now over a week since they were posted.
Thanks.

hermum

Maybe they're at the delivery office waiting to be collected, or for a redelivery to be arranged.

soolin

magic57 wrote: »

Hi
Can anyone advise please.

I sent two parcels last Saturday 1st class recorded delivery. One of the buyers contacted me today and said she had not received her parcel yet. I checked the tracking number and it says it is being processed through the system for delivery.
I decided to check the other parcel and it says the same thing. That buyer hasn't contacted me yet.

I'm cross because I made a special journey to the post office on a saturday to make sure my buyers got their parcels quickly.

What can have happened? Any ideas please? It is now over a week since they were posted.
Thanks.

A week for standard mail is not that unusual. However recorded in some areas never gets past that message so it might be that the buyer who hasn't contacted you has received her parcel and is happy.

All you cna do for the first buyer is re assure her it is in the system and ask her to wait a few more days. Suggest she gives it until say this Wednesday and then contact you again if it doesn't arrive and you'll sort out a refund. That gives you time to get the money back into your paypal account and if you acknowledge the refund on Thursday you could possibly dealy actually processig it until Friday (be careful not to push the buyer too much) as that makes it 10 working days since posting.

As for the second item, I owuld do nothing at all unless buyer contacts you, andmeanwhile just assume it has arrived but has not updated online.

magic57

Thank you both for helping me and soolin I don't know how we would manage without your help!

May I ask one more question please. my buyer seems fine about it and I've asked her to check the sorting office and keep in touch. If it doesn't turn up very soon of course I will refund her.
I know I do a refund through Paypal but what do I do about the lost item? I think the royal mail do not consider it lost for 15 days but I will refund before that. What it it turns up after I refund.
I've never had a lost item before so this is all new.

I put a return address on the packet so I suppose it might come back to me.

Thank you :A

magic57

hermum wrote: »

Maybe they're at the delivery office waiting to be collected, or for a redelivery to be arranged.

Thanks I've asked her to check.

soolin

magic57 wrote: »

Thank you both for helping me and soolin I don't know how we would manage without your help!

May I ask one more question please. my buyer seems fine about it and I've asked her to check the sorting office and keep in touch. If it doesn't turn up very soon of course I will refund her.
I know I do a refund through Paypal but what do I do about the lost item? I think the royal mail do not consider it lost for 15 days but I will refund before that. What it it turns up after I refund.
I've never had a lost item before so this is all new.

I put a return address on the packet so I suppose it might come back to me.

Thank you :A

If buyer is happy to wait then extend the time a little before you refund, you need to judge how long a buyer will wait as you don't want them opening a case against you.

When a reasonable time has passed (and 10 working days is reasonable I think, but others might disagree) refund in full via paypal. When you refund be very positive, mention it being late rather than lost and suggest buyer contacts you if it does arrive so you can request payment again nd stop any RM claim.

Then after 15 working days start your claim with RM. Anecdotally RM can be a bit more difficult when refunding for a recorded item as they know the online status is often wrong, but persevere and you should be fine if your item was allowable.

If item does arrive and tracks then send buyer a payment request - again this is slightly more difficult with recorded items as of course if it is caught up somewhere and does update online RM will refuse your claim and you are stuck as there is very little mechanism to demand payment again from buyer unless you go to law.

I lose very little, maybe 3 or 4 items in a bad year and I've only had two items ever get returned to me, both as 'uncalled for' and then several months after the date i posted them. In the past 6 months though I have had 2 buyers send me payment when late goods have turned up- which shows people are basically honest as i don't use tracking and so would never have known their goods arrived if they hadn't told me.

magic57

Thank you. :A