Royal mail shows delivered but item is not delivered - Consumer rights?

[SophieRG]

Hello,

I had placed an order online from a small business. I was hoping to support them during pandemic and placed a massive order for christmas gifts from them. They dispatched the order and shared the tracking number.. After few days, the tracking number is showing as "delivered" on royal mail website but I can confirm that I have not received my item.

Can I still request seller to refund ? It seems item is lost or was delivered to someone else. I have no idea.

I raised it with seller and he responded that the royal mail is showing as delivered and the scan was on the gps coordinates. I am stuck between royal mail and seller. I havent received the item and it was a high value item. What are my rights as a consumer ?

 

[finleydesign]

Consumer always holds the rights, you haven't received the goods, it's not up to you to prove you haven't, and they can't prove you have, ideally if paid with credit card start a chargeback if they are not playing ball

 

[SophieRG]

I was silly enough to pay by debit card as I didnt have my credit card handy !!! Can I still do something to get the refund ?

 

[finleydesign]

I was silly enough to pay by debit card as I didnt have my credit card handy !!! Can I still do something to get the refund ?

Not sure it's under the same rules for debit card, but you can certainly try.

The difference here is it's nothing to do with royal mail or the seller as such to you, you haven't received it, end of. The issue is now something between the seller and royal mail

 

[SophieRG]

Thanks for your reply and help ! I guess I need to strongly push this with the seller as they are saying that royal mail says its delivered so I need to locate it in my building.

 

[finleydesign]

yeh to be honest it doesn't matter what royal mail or the seller says, just because it says delivered isn't a guarantee as you know

 

[Mr D]

Its sellers responsibility until you receive it.

You have not received it - you chase seller. Its up to them to prove its been delivered to you.
By the sound of it then it has been delivered. Where is the sellers problem, not yours.
Quite possible, though rare, for royal mail to deliver to the right number but wrong street.
Several times we have had packages delivered for a house with the number 1 ahead of us - so 122 rather than 22. We always take them round - not everyone will.

Ultimately its up to the seller to claim from royal mail. Your contract is with the seller, you deal with the seller and you get a refund from the seller or replacement items.

 

[Guy Incognito]

Try to help the business out (imagine if the roles were reversed and how you would feel!).

Royal Mail should be able to provide more information - such as who signed for it etc, assuming it required a signature which it should have done being high value.

It’s highly likely to be with a neighbour or something similar.

 

[SophieRG]

I can imagine!!

I have tried everything, spoke to all my neighbours... Unfortunately , the seller did not send it via signed for... so there is no signature...

I think with Christmas around the corner, more and more royal mail deliveries are going to get messed up...

I think there is no option but for seller to claim it back from royal mail and issue me a refund.

Thanks for all your guidance and help. Much appreciated.

 

[Mr D]

Try to help the business out (imagine if the roles were reversed and how you would feel!).

Royal Mail should be able to provide more information - such as who signed for it etc, assuming it required a signature which it should have done being high value.

It’s highly likely to be with a neighbour or something similar.

Covid.
They don't get customer signature.

 

[Mr D]

I can imagine!!

I have tried everything, spoke to all my neighbours... Unfortunately , the seller did not send it via signed for... so there is no signature...

I think with Christmas around the corner, more and more royal mail deliveries are going to get messed up...

I think there is no option but for seller to claim it back from royal mail and issue me a refund.

Thanks for all your guidance and help. Much appreciated.

Not quite.

You chase seller for a refund. You get the refund.

Nothing requires you to wait for the seller to get refunded first.

 

[paulears]

It happened to me the other way around. A signature was collected too - but when the buyer got the notice saying it had been delivered he contacted me to say he had not got it, and it was NOT his signature. I refunded him, as I did believe him. I took it up with Royal Mail and got nowhere. Complained again and then escalated it to an independent arbitrator. I got nowhere. The signature was the postman's. During covid they are charging for signatures that are pointless.

The independent investigation did however explain what happened. The post office typed in the wrong postcode. They delivered to that postcode and house number, which is what they have to do - NOT your written or printed details, but the one coded into there system. In my case this was a few miles away. So given to somebody random, and nothing I can do. This is royal mail's system. You cannot claim if they say it was delivered. My fault for not checking the receipt I was given.