Two parcels sent from same US location, one delivered one still stuck at Langley?

[Hifly]

Hello,

I hope someone will be able to shed some light on this, as I now am getting quite worried.

Two parcels were sent out from the same location at the same time from the US, and they shared the same journey until they got to the UK. Now, one parcel has already been delivered, LM332689338US, while the second one, LM332689117US is still in customs limbo I presume.

Would both parcels not have travelled within the same cargo box and been handed to customs in the same ‘lot’? And hence would they not both parcels be processed by customs fairly close in time one to the other? Or not? That’s why I’m fearing something might have gone wrong?

I mean, I don’t know what actually happens at Langley? Are customs more machines that deal with the parcels or physical workers? Would my second box have fallen out of a conveyor belt and gone lost to justify why it still hasn’t been taken on yet to continue its UK part of the journey?

Thank you for your help!

[TrueBlueTerrier]

1. Would both parcels not have travelled within the same cargo box and been handed to customs in the same ‘lot’? And hence would they not both parcels be processed by customs fairly close in time one to the other? Or not? That’s why I’m fearing something might have gone wrong?

2. I mean, I don’t know what actually happens at Langley? Are customs more machines that deal with the parcels or physical workers? Would my second box have fallen out of a conveyor belt and gone lost to justify why it still hasn’t been taken on yet to continue its UK part of the journey?

Thank you for your help!

1. Ideally yes they would travel together, but when the USPS and Royal Mail both deal with millions of items each day it's next to impossible for them to stay in the same vehicle never mind the same container.

2. It's a mixture of both, they are automated procedures, manual procedures, canine even, and then mixed automated and manual. machines can pick out suspect parcels which are passed to an HMRC worker for inspection, there are machines where operators view the items on a screen and identify parcels that need checking. Sniffer Dogs are also used, and then it can be as simple as an HMRC rep pointing at a bag, container or aircraft and deciding everything in it will go through extra checks.

3. Falling off a conveyor belt is a possibility, but HMRC and Royal Mail will have specific processes in place where at a minimum this is checked for, at least once per shift.

[Hifly]

Thank you @truebluebarrier, so I suppose I’ll just have to wait and hope for the best? I’m just very surprised that one parcel went through really quickly and right over Christmas, while the other one is way behind. I’m almost thinking that parcel number 1 just got very lucky in the process and jumped a few hoops?

What would you consider an acceptable waiting time before actually getting in touch with RM customer service?

If my parcel has been/is being subject to extra HMRC checks, how much delay would this normally add? Would there be a way to know and find out from HMRC if the parcel is delayed because of this? I get it, this is not an HMRC forum so I appreciate you might not know, but as my understanding is that custom checks happen at Langley too is worth giving a shot :)

Thank you again ever so much

[TrueBlueTerrier]

In the UK I think it's classed as lost after 15 days.

I notice that both arrived in Customs on Boxing day so although it's disappointing there are not in the same batch of mail, I don't think it's indicative of a problem. Hopefully, it will only be a few days behind the other one.

Keep an eye on tracking on this site https://parcelsapp.com/en- as it can be more accurate and give more information than the Royal Mail one.

[Hifly]

Thank you again @truebluebarrier, I hadn’t noticed that the two parcels went into different batches, somehow I thought from the tracking that they were and that they had arrived together. My brain is clearly imagining things then!

I will keep an eye out and see what happens in the next couple of weeks. I will keep you updated.

In the meantime thank you again for the massive support and have a happy new year!

[Vikiki]

I've had a delivery stuck at Langley since 27th November. I've contacted the seller who has asked me to be patient, which I'm trying to be but it contains supplies that I have aggrieved customers waiting for. Not sure how much longer I can wait for it before it shows signs of movement.
LV682225463US

I have already received another shipment from the same supplier made after this one with no issues, and nobody can seem to help me. Very stressed!