Special delivery parcel is at Heathrow some where, even though it wasn't going over sea.

Charliefire · Post by **Charliefire** » 01 Apr 2016, 13:27

Hi, I have a special delivery next day 'guaranteed' posted on the 29th that supposed to arrive 2 days ago, I have tracked it to Heathrow however it stops there. It hasn't been scanned at Heathrow yet. I have rung RM and they said it must have been put in the wrong bag and probably sat somewhere at Heathrow. They can't do anything about it until Heathrow scan it. I don't see how this can happen!! They can't even give me a date of when it might get scanned. Can anyone help me out with a rough estimated time if it will arrive at all?? The parcel tracking number is SE120337713GB.

Post by **TrueBlueTerrier** » 01 Apr 2016, 13:51

Charliefire wrote:Hi, I have a special delivery next day 'guaranteed' posted on the 29th that supposed to arrive 2 days ago, I have tracked it to Heathrow however it stops there. It hasn't been scanned at Heathrow yet. I have rung RM and they said it must have been put in the wrong bag and probably sat somewhere at Heathrow. They can't do anything about it until Heathrow scan it. I don't see how this can happen!! They can't even give me a date of when it might get scanned. Can anyone help me out with a rough estimated time if it will arrive at all?? The parcel tracking number is SE120337713GB.

They may suspect it contains a Prohibited or Restricted Item. If so they will be inspecting it and there is no way anyone on this site would be able to give an official estimate how long it takes, but in the past when Customers have posted similar problems its usually a few days at most.

Charliefire · Post by **Charliefire** » 01 Apr 2016, 14:39

Thank you true blue terrier for replying, if they suspect it was something wouldn't it of en scanned in at Heathrow? At the minute it is saying that it's on it's way there.

IcanthelpthewayIam · Post by **IcanthelpthewayIam** » 01 Apr 2016, 15:39

No there wouldn't be an intermediate scan just sent straight there, exactly what we're the contents and we can tell you if there is an issue

Charliefire · Post by **Charliefire** » 01 Apr 2016, 23:14

Thank you for taking the time to comment, It is a Fitbit surge fitness watch, nothing that is restricted. Wouldn't it be scanned at Heathrow though to show that it has reached there? It's just saying its on its way to Heathrow. Unless it means it has "gone missing" in transit

Post by **Snaggletooth** » 02 Apr 2016, 06:43

A bit of Internet research shows that a similar model of Fitbit uses a lithium polymer battery, so there are quite a few rules that apply under the Dangerous Goods Act:

The watch must be packed in a box (not just a Jiffy bag or poly envelope);

The package must bear your name and return address on the back;

The package must be sent via a Post Office counter (no dropping it in a post box).

If you haven't done all of the above, or if RM suspect that you haven't, then it will be stopped. In addition to the above, there are a whole load of rules on packing spare batteries etc but that gets really complicated...

Charliefire · Post by **Charliefire** » 02 Apr 2016, 07:44

Thank you snaggletooth for your input, and yes it is in a box and it was sent special delivery guaranteed so would of had the return address on.
The package left Greenford mail centre on the 29th and the tracking says it is STILL in transit to Heathrow... This is the part that I am not getting. Why hasn't the package been scanned since the 29th?

IcanthelpthewayIam · Post by **IcanthelpthewayIam** » 02 Apr 2016, 08:15

Just going by some of the wording in your posts, did you post the item or was it being sent to you?

Charliefire · Post by **Charliefire** » 02 Apr 2016, 09:47

Oh sorry for any confusion, the parcel was being sent to me and I have spoken to the person who sent it.

Post by **Snaggletooth** » 02 Apr 2016, 10:12

In answer to your first post, it is very easy for items to get put in the wrong bag, particularly if it's small. Or it might be that the parcel is supposed to go by air (if you live in Scotland or NI, for example). But TBT's explanation above is the most likely.

If this is an eBay sale, or other online/telephone purchase, it's time to start a claim. It's the seller's legal responsibility to get it to you in the time contracted, the delay is for the seller to resolve with their sub-contractor (RM), you don't need to get involved.

Charliefire · Post by **Charliefire** » 02 Apr 2016, 10:47

Thanks snaggletooth for explaining that and I do understand that it can be easy to put things in the wrong bag, but if it was going to Heathrow would it take this long to be scanned again? Or would you think that it probably has been stolen?

I am in contact with the seller, the reason I'm am looking to find it is because that's the item I wanted. Just very frustrated that it has probably been 'half inched'.

Post by **Snaggletooth** » 02 Apr 2016, 11:19

The proportion of Special Delivery items which fail to arrive on time is 0.7%. That covers lost, stolen, late and any other issue that you can think of. But less than half of the customers who turn up at a Post Office counter to post an item with a lithium battery understand the rules about that. The Post Office catches as many of these as they can but some people lie (we have had customers admit as much in this forum), some are posting for other people and get confused about what the item is. Of the items which get into the system when they shouldn't, Royal Mail will identify & destroy a high proportion. If we exclude items sent by larger companies who know what they are doing, I wouldn't be surprised if Royal Mail destroy 5% of all items containing lithium batteries posted by retail customers. It's a huge problem. So put that against somebody nicking your parcel, which was tracked so RM can see who had it last, and the tracking detail you supplied? It's really unlikely that it has been stolen, but it is quite likely that it will be officially destroyed.

Charliefire · Post by **Charliefire** » 02 Apr 2016, 11:54

Thanks again snaggletooth for taking the time to explain, I would be very surprised too if it had been stolen. If the item was destroyed wouldn't it say something on the tracking details? I can't understand how it hasn't been scanned at Heathrow either.
I have checked with the restricted items and the battery is not a restricted item if it's within the watch and a box.

IcanthelpthewayIam · Post by **IcanthelpthewayIam** » 02 Apr 2016, 12:25

If it was going to be destroyed there would be a subsequent line in tracking about it going to the nrc Belfast (national returns centre - they deal with it when it's getting destroyed)

it is not unheard of for sellers to give the wrong tracking number to people sometimes even deliberately, hence why I asked if you had sent it or was being posted to you

Post by **Snaggletooth** » 02 Apr 2016, 14:12

Charliefire wrote:Thanks again snaggletooth for taking the time to explain, I would be very surprised too if it had been stolen. If the item was destroyed wouldn't it say something on the tracking details? I can't understand how it hasn't been scanned at Heathrow either.
I have checked with the restricted items and the battery is not a restricted item if it's within the watch and a box.

Just to be clear, the sender would have committed a criminal offence if they sent this item without following the three steps I outlined in my earlier post. You cannot know for sure what the sender has done, and the tracking so far is entirely consistent with RM suspecting a breach of the Dangerous Goods act in this case. In previous examples we have seen on this site, it has taken days or weeks for the item to show up at the NRC, it is a slow process. Tracking only reflects things that have happened, not things that are expected to happen, and RM are likely to be coy about the whole process.

In addition to ZX135's post above, in the past some fraudsters have sent items they know to be broken in such a way that they know that the item will be destroyed. Lodging claims with eBay or whoever helps to ensure that such scams get closed down, if that is what is happening.

At the very least, the sender owes you a partial refund on the postage, so I would start on that claim.