International Parcel from USA stuck at Heathrow for over a month with Royal Mail!!!???

[Nelson1972]

Hi, please help tracking number WU058987171GB. Stuck with Royal Mail no movement since 25th October. It came fully tracked across the USA with USPS Asendia all fine, it cleared UK customs on 25th of October when it was given to Royal mail....! And since then no movement and tracking just says "dispatched to royal mail". It seems to be in some black hole stuck at Royal Mail Heathrow. Anyone else having trouble with very late International Items???

[Snaggletooth]

That tracking number ends GB, meaning that it relates to an item posted in the UK. The tracking shows a UK internal only service. The only tracking entry is “sender despatching item”, which in this context means that the sender have told Royal Mail that they will be sending it, but there is no evidence that they have sent it.

You need to check with this company when they will be putting it into the mail system.

[Nelson1972]

Thank you, for your help, I have contacted Asendia again to ask if it has been sent to Royal Mail. Last time they told me that Royal Mail collect it and scan it as soon as the plane lands at Heathrow and that Sender Preparing item and Dispatched to Royal Mail is actually the exact time the Royal Mail postman scans the parcels and the system allocates the rm number as Asendia UK have no involvement.

Any way thanks again ive followed it up with Asendia US again and await their response.

I should add the original tracking number was ESUS112801954 its a service whereby the item is handed over to rm at heathrow when it lands in the uk and rm give it the GB tracking number after it clears customs.

[SpacePhoenix]

Sounds like it arrives in the UK as part of a bulk posting and goes to a warehouse, where they split the bulk posting into the individual postings, each of which gets a RM tracking number and enters RM's network

[Nelson1972]

Yes thats exactly the system ive gathered from speaking to rm and usps, rm have it and its probably at a big warehouse with 1000's of others. Having been receipted onto their rm tracked 48 system.

[Snaggletooth]

I should add the original tracking number was ESUS112801954 its a service whereby the item is handed over to rm at heathrow when it lands in the uk and rm give it the GB tracking number after it clears customs.

Is this a quote from the sender? I don’t think this is correct. The tracking number is often assigned before the item is handed over.

[TrueBlueTerrier]

This site indeed has the new tracking number https://parcelsapp.com/en/tracking/ESUS112801954

However, there are no RM tracking statuses except for the one mentioned above. I personally don't think it has been passed on to Royal Mail yet.

[Nelson1972]

Hi thanks for the reply, its what ive been told by the us carrier asendia, as soon as the plane lands at heathrow, their contracted 'last mile partner' collects the items straight off the plane. Asendia USA dispatch to royal mail at this point and asendia uk have no involvement (in this case rm are the contracted last mile partner). And the status 'item dispatched to royal mail' is the exact time rm scan the parcels when the come off the plane and go to the rm warehouse. This explanation is supported by the fact, that other people are reporting that they have handed parcels over to rm and they are still showing 'sender preparing item'. Im confident rm have it.

[SpacePhoenix]

Hi thanks for the reply, its what ive been told by the us carrier asendia, as soon as the plane lands at heathrow, their contracted 'last mile partner' collects the items straight off the plane. Asendia USA dispatch to royal mail at this point and asendia uk have no involvement (in this case rm are the contracted last mile partner). And the status 'item dispatched to royal mail' is the exact time rm scan the parcels when the come off the plane and go to the rm warehouse. This explanation is supported by the fact, that other people are reporting that they have handed parcels over to rm and they are still showing 'sender preparing item'. Im confident rm have it.

RM don't scan any items when they come off the plane. The items go straight to customs, until an item is released by customs it's not in RM's network. Customs chose random batches of mail for extra checks, if your item is in one of them batches then it'll take longer to clear customs

[Nelson1972]

Thanks, yes it has cleared customs on the 25th October, after which it received the royal mail tracking number. So on that basis having cleared customs in the uk a month or more ago and having been given a royal mail tracking number, its with royal mail.

[Nelson1972]

Surely with the tracking showing the parcel has 'cleared customs' and with the asendia tracking showing the parcel has been dispatched to royal mail, and with royal mail having given it a gb tracking number logic would say its with royal mail. Why would Asendia keep it at that stage or indeed get it back after customs clearance. Theyve done their job and its over to rm. Surely Asendia wouldnt intervene again in order to deliver to royal mail would they? They are telling me that royal mail get the item once it clears customs. So is that it? Is it delayed because royal mail havent moved it on from customs because of delays????

Basically how does the system work after an item clears customs in the uk and royal Mail are the contracted delivery service at that point?

Do rm physically collect the item from customs? I cant imagine Asendia or whoever else have to take it to rm, because theyve fulfilled their job and instructed royal mail.

So what happens to a parcel after it has cleared customs and been given an rm tracking number?

[Nelson1972]

Just had an update from Asendia on this following my email to them, and they are now saying that the item is being held in customs as of 25th october (despite tracking saying customs cleared 25th october). Its a vintage digital watch in box dont know whether that would cause customs to hold it, or why the tracking says customs cleared if it hasnt or indeed what customs cleared means? I assumed it meant it had got through ok.

Any way thanks everyone for your help, please feel free to add any more comments, or ideas. But it does seem its held in customs. So hopefully it will be released ive had no notification of fees to pay as buyer.