where is international mail after it lands in UK and before Langley?

Jenoffee · Post by **Jenoffee** » 30 Jan 2019, 16:23

I have had a small parcel sent with full tracking from Netherlands over a week ago and the Royal Mail tracking has one update:

In Transit: Tracking no. RN482346109NL

This item is now leaving the originating country. More information will be available when it arrives in the UK.

Updated on: Wednesday 23 January 02:12am -
Item Leaving overseas (Netherlands)

I know all the mail goes through Langley at Heathrow and Royal Mail can update their tracking scans. However what happens to the mail when it gets off the plane and before it reaches Langley? I am guessing my parcel is stuck in this in-between stage because the tracking info will state the fact it is in Langley and obviously it isnt yet.

It has now been 8 days and usually my mail from NL only takes 2-4 days at the most so something must be wrong.

The parcel has no money value but it has huge sentimental value and I doubt I can make a claim on this. It is almost like a family heirloom but is not worth much in anyone elses hands hence why it is of great importance to me that I can locate this.

Can anyone give me any insight and should I be worrying or do you think this is a standard normal delay?

Thanks

Post by **Snaggletooth** » 30 Jan 2019, 20:21

It is in customs.

Jenoffee · Post by **Jenoffee** » 31 Jan 2019, 03:42

Snaggletooth wrote:It is in customs.

Do you mean the customs as in at Langley? there isnt anything that says it has actually landed in UK though and with all my other older packages from EU it is always scanned to say it has arrived at Langley.

Post by **Snaggletooth** » 31 Jan 2019, 07:53

Customs is at Langley.

Most postal services don't scan items into the UK, with some honourable exceptions. So after the item is marked as leaving the sending country, it is not scanned again until customs hand it over to Royal Mail, which happens at Langley.

Jenoffee · Post by **Jenoffee** » 31 Jan 2019, 20:52

That does makes sense.

I understand customs can take a long time like a long piece of string, but have you any idea or estimates of the statistics how many parcels go missing and are not delivered, not returned back to sender nor not withheld by customs?

From the day my parcel was sent I had a gut feeling it would never arrive and so far Im right.

Jenoffee · Post by **Jenoffee** » 03 Feb 2019, 23:07

Tracking no. RN482346109NL

still no updates coming upto 2 weeks. Should I be concerned?

PrittiPinkPanda · Post by **PrittiPinkPanda** » 05 Feb 2019, 15:40

I have a very similar problem. My parcel was sent from Holland to UK several weeks ago and I also have not heard anything back from the Royal Mail tracking page after it left Holland. Here is a copy of my tracking as it stands today:

Track and Trace - Track your Item

In Transit
Tracking no. xxxxxxxNL

This item is now leaving the originating country. More information will be available when it arrives in the UK.
From:
Netherlands

Updated on: Thursday 10 January
05:31am
Item Leaving overseas
Netherlands

This is the one and only update and I also expected it to say it has arrived at the customs but it has not.
My parcel is 2 items of clothing that my friend posted for me. Is there an issue with the mail coming from Holland and not landing in UK?

Here is a copy of my PostNL tracking page:

Tracking events

Date Time Location Status

Thu Jan 10 2019 05:30 NL delivery delayed
Thu Jan 10 2019 03:17 NL Sent to the country of destination
Wed Jan 09 2019 15:56 NL Shipment is at PostNL
Wed Jan 09 2019 15:12 Shipment is expected, but not yet in sorting process

It is very difficult to understand exactly where my parcel is, is it in UK customs, or is it still at Holland airport?
My friend used the most expensive and fastest tracking service and it should have only taken 3 working days with 4 at the most.
How can I gain any more help on this matter?

Thank you for any help!

Post by **Snaggletooth** » 07 Feb 2019, 06:55

PrittiPinkPanda wrote:This is the one and only update and I also expected it to say it has arrived at the customs but it has not.

Nothing is ever tracked into customs. Most postal services don't track items when they come off the plane in the destination country. So the next expected tracking point is when UK customs hand it over to Royal Mail.

PrittiPinkPanda wrote:My friend used the most expensive and fastest tracking service and it should have only taken 3 working days with 4 at the most.

If it is coming by Royal Mail then there is no maximum time on the delivery: RM do not deal with guaranteed mail. If your friend did pay for a 4 day guaranteed service with another operator then they should claim the money back using that services' guarantee.

If you walk into a UK Post Office and ask for the fastest and most expensive service to the Netherlands they will sell you a Parcelforce service which is guaranteed to arrive next working day or your money back. This costs around 45 £. I would expect that Post NL offer something similar in the opposite direction.

Hiveoccupier · Post by **Hiveoccupier** » 09 Feb 2019, 14:27

Why would customs be involved in a parcel from an EU country ?

The item has been scanned for despatch from the Netherlands, and could therefore be anywhere from the despatch area in the The PostNL export depot onwards in the system.

Post by **Snaggletooth** » 09 Feb 2019, 17:20

All countries have a list of items that are banned from entering the country in the mail. For instance, Germany bans lithium batteries, so if you attempt to send a mobile phone to Germany then German customs will confiscate and destroy it.

The UK are hot on confiscating tobacco, wherever it comes from. For parcels coming in from the Netherlands, they will be looking for the sort of things which are legal over there but not over here...

Jenoffee · Post by **Jenoffee** » 18 Feb 2019, 01:48

Tracking no. RN482346109NL

My one and only update is 23rd Jan as explained at the top of this page.

I am getting a bit sick of ticking off store fronts, buses, bridges and traffic lights everytime I load up the RM tracking page just to be told that it still hasnt moved yet!

So how long needs to pass before my parcel is officially deemed as lost?

I have also several times contacted RM help via Twitter who seem to respond very quickly everytime (always within 2 hours). However I am positive that they copy and paste their answers as each time has been signed by a different RM customer services staff member with the same preceding message of this:

Royal Mail Customer Help Desk @Twitter wrote: "I am sorry you are experiencing a delay. The tracking will be updated as soon as we receive it. Please check the tracking page in the next few days. signed <name>"

Its a shame because the very quick response times were looking very hopeful and it looked like RM finally had a legit manned customer services department be it via social media.... unfortunately the generic replies are getting very predictable and tiresome.

Post by **SpacePhoenix** » 18 Feb 2019, 03:27

What's the actual contents of it?

Post by **Snaggletooth** » 18 Feb 2019, 07:00

Jenoffee wrote:So how long needs to pass before my parcel is officially deemed as lost?

For most countries and services, 5 weeks after sending, but you should check that with your local postal service. For your item, 5 weeks is up on the 28th February.

As Spacephoenix said, what are you sending?

Jenoffee · Post by **Jenoffee** » 18 Feb 2019, 20:27

SpacePhoenix and Snaggletooth wrote:What's the actual contents of it?

Its a small ornate handmade box made out of wood with a few metal parts to it. Its only 6 inches length. I cant see this being an issue at customs, do you?

Post by **Snaggletooth** » 19 Feb 2019, 06:32

Jenoffee wrote:Its a small ornate handmade box made out of wood with a few metal parts to it. Its only 6 inches length. I cant see this being an issue at customs, do you?

Yes, actually. It is the sort of thing they might be checking for CITES violations. But it is more likely delayed because it has been randomly selected for extra checks.

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