Special Delivery-Come back later?

[Wenahall]

Hi,

I ordered something online on Monday and they sent it at 5pm the following day special delivery. It still has not arrived yet and when I put the tracking number in the system it's telling me to come back later , this is the message that keeps coming up....
Please come back later
Special Delivery Guaranteed™ items are first tracked when they have reached our mail centre. This may be late in the evening on the day the item was sent. Information on your Special Delivery Guaranteed™ item is not yet available.

Can anyone explain why is this? Will it ever arrive?
Thanks

[IcanthelpthewayIam]

Hi,

I ordered something online on Monday and they sent it at 5pm the following day special delivery. It still has not arrived yet and when I put the tracking number in the system it's telling me to come back later , this is the message that keeps coming up....
Please come back later
Special Delivery Guaranteed™ items are first tracked when they have reached our mail centre. This may be late in the evening on the day the item was sent. Information on your Special Delivery Guaranteed™ item is not yet available.

Can anyone explain why is this? Will it ever arrive?
Thanks

that usually means that the item has not yet been dispatched to royal mail by the business, i would chase the sender up if i were you

[Wenahall]

So do you not think they have actually sent it then? They gave me a tracking number though I'm really confused I've never had this problem before

[IcanthelpthewayIam]

no as if the item was sent as special delivery there should be several scans

1 recieved into mail centre
2 dispatched out of mail centre
3+4 possibly another 2 mail centre scans if sent elsewhere in country
5 recieved in delivery office
6 out on delivery

given that none of these scans have taken place i would guess its not been sent, its not unheard of companies to just give you the reference number before its actually been sent and tell you it has, delayed by royal mail is a great excuse though seldom actually is...

[JoLane]

zx135, not quite true. I posted a letter at the post office desk on Monday of this week using Special Delivery and yet I am still also getting this message. The standard sized business letter ought to have been received by the recipient at 1pm the following day but the tracker says it has not. No third parties involved so this fault is definitely with the Royal Mail. Disappointed in RM.

[TrueBlueTerrier]

zx135, not quite true. I posted a letter at the post office desk on Monday of this week using Special Delivery and yet I am still also getting this message. The standard sized business letter ought to have been received by the recipient at 1pm the following day but the tracker says it has not. No third parties involved so this fault is definitely with the Royal Mail. Disappointed in RM.

No its true, zx135 is stating what SHOULD happen, not what DID happen.

Check with the Post Office you sent it with as its very very very very unlikely that a Special Delivery went through the whole of Royal Mails system without at least one scan to update its location.

My guess is that due to simple human error they have either misplaced it or sent it on without the correct sticker, in any case you are entitled to a refund even if the receiver has got it, because you did not receive the service you paid for.

PS Just a clarification the Post Office (Government owned) and Royal Mail (Privatised) are now 2 separate business so by definition the 3rd party is either RM or the PO.

[SpacePhoenix]

Try the tracking number at http://www.royalmail.com/trackdetails" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

What entries (if any) are there?

[IcanthelpthewayIam]

Also if posted in the post office after collection time on Monday it would not have been collected until Tuesday and would have been guaranteed for delivery on Wednesday not Tuesday by 1pm

[RussWWFC]

This message is frustrating me too

My item history.

Ordered on 19th from China
24th arrives in Sweden
4th August arrives in UK (Heathrow sorting centre)

7th, been the 'Come back later' message for 3 days now. The item was sent registered

Emailed Royal Mail, and they tell me I've gotta wait 15 working days from it landing in the UK until they will investigare