Nearly 4 weeks sitting in UK customs?!

[Sherry]

Thanks Grateful.
I appreciate you clarifying your posts.
We've had some posters brushing away our concerns with 'be glad it's only a missing parcel with what's going on'. And it's that attitude I find disconcerting; firstly as we don't know what people may be going through (beyond the missing package) and more importantly, it's not for anyone to trivialise the disappointments of others - mainly because we never see the whole picture.
Yes, I do hope my package still turns up - even if it's not worth much anymore.
And wishing you all the best too.

[karlmarx]

This looks like a nightmare.

My mail was sent by end of June to Switzerland. The last tracking update from July 5th:

Departed. Your item departed a transfer airport in HEATHROW, LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM on July 5, 2020 at 7:55 am. The item is currently in transit to the destination.

I am wondering if there is any way how to get in touch with that stuff who is sorting that parcels. Any ideas?

Cheers

[Snaggletooth]

It looks like it is stuck in Swiss customs. Most customs services do not take calls from customers - they are a law enforcement agencies - but you could try searching for that on the internet.

[karlmarx]

I have checked the tracking number on the Swiss Post website - it last info says:

Saturday, 27 June 2020
20:47
Arrival at the processing/collection point
AMC San Francisco Ca

Their customer service told me the parcel did not reach their network yet so they can not help. :-(

[Snaggletooth]

It can’t possibly have arrived in the US a week before it left the UK: are you sure you are using the correct tracking number?

[cuinhelljaymz]

Hi everyone I had an order shipped from the US to the UK on the 21st of April but since the 30th the last update I got from USPS was;

'Your item departed a transfer airport in HEATHROW, LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM on April 30, 2020 at 9:59 am. The item is currently in transit to the destination'

I've had other parcels delivered from the US which were order after this....?

Do you think it's lost or just sat in a backlog cage somewhere in Langley? I've asked the seller to try and get an update from USPS but nothing as of yet.

I can't ring UK customs I know and also royal are just saying it hasn't been cleared in customs yet.

Thanks

I am in the same situation, only not quite as long. My item left the USA via USPS and the last tracking message I got was

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

So if it has left, then it's landed and is stuck in customs for the last 8 days. I have had three parcels sent since from the USA and all of them arrived and this one is stuck
I understand that it is scanned onto the plane and then not scanned again until after customs clearance and it is in the possession of Royal Mail at Langley Heathrow.

The question is how long can it sit in customs and why. Considering I've had parcels sent with the same service after this one that have all arrived.

[karlmarx]

It can’t possibly have arrived in the US a week before it left the UK: are you sure you are using the correct tracking number?

Here is the complete tracking info from USPS since it arrived at SAN FRANCISCO CA INTERNATIONAL DISTRIBUTION CENTER where it was supposed to go to Switzerland from:


July 5, 2020, 7:55 am
Departed
LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM
Your item departed a transfer airport in HEATHROW, LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM on July 5, 2020 at 7:55 am. The item is currently in transit to the destination.
June 29, 2020, 7:28 pm
Departed
SAN FRANCISCO, UNITED STATES
June 28, 2020, 2:20 pm
Arrived
SAN FRANCISCO, UNITED STATES
June 27, 2020, 8:47 pm
Processed Through Regional Facility
SAN FRANCISCO CA INTERNATIONAL DISTRIBUTION CENTER
June 27, 2020, 8:47 pm
Arrived at Regional Facility
SAN FRANCISCO CA INTERNATIONAL DISTRIBUTION CENTER
June 27, 2020, 4:38 pm

[Snaggletooth]

Here is the complete tracking info from USPS since it arrived at SAN FRANCISCO CA INTERNATIONAL DISTRIBUTION CENTER where it was supposed to go to Switzerland from...

The key piece of information was missing from your first two posts: it is going from the USA to Switzerland.

Normally, this should never have entered the UK. Probably somebody at USPS put it on the wrong plane, Royal Mail realised the mistake and passed it on. The problem we have seen time and again on this site is that, when a package is accidentally routed via a third country, the tracking often fails on the second leg.

Also, there is no guarantee that it will arrive via the normal carrier at the Swiss end. In many European countries, RM send their registered mail via GLS instead of the national postal carrier, so it might be worth checking if it is with a local GLS subsidiary.

To return to my original point, there is a good chance that it is held up in customs, but it is hard to tell because there is a strong doubt as to whether the tracking is still working and what the carrier is for the final stage.

[Snaggletooth]

The question is how long can it sit in customs and why. Considering I've had parcels sent with the same service after this one that have all arrived.

Customs don't release mail in the same order they receive it, because as far as we know batches are selected at random for extra checks. Several weeks in customs is fairly normal at the moment: see multiple other threads on this site.

[karlmarx]

„The key piece of information was missing from your first two posts: it is going from the USA to Switzerland.“

- Actually I mentioned in my first post that my mail on the way from the US to Switzerland.

„Normally, this should never have entered the UK.“

I have another parcel on the exact same route:

July 23, 2020, 9:56 am
Departed
LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM
Your item departed a transfer airport in HEATHROW, LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM on July 23, 2020 at 9:56 am. The item is currently in transit to the destination.

And, also another example (USA via London to Switzerland) where the parcel has been delivered within normal delivery time: HJ287252442US (chceck it on the USPS website if you want)



-

[cuinhelljaymz]

The question is how long can it sit in customs and why. Considering I've had parcels sent with the same service after this one that have all arrived.

Customs don't release mail in the same order they receive it, because as far as we know batches are selected at random for extra checks. Several weeks in customs is fairly normal at the moment: see multiple other threads on this site.

Thank you for the reply.

[Snaggletooth]

And, also another example (USA via London to Switzerland) where the parcel has been delivered within normal delivery time: HJ287252442US (chceck it on the USPS website if you want

It took 2 weeks, which isn't bad considering the circumstances, but it isn't quick. And it spent 4 days in Swiss customs. None of this changes my initial answer that your more recent item is probably in Swiss customs, because the time spent there is variable due to random checks.

The key piece of information was missing from your first two posts: it is going from the USA to Switzerland.

- Actually I mentioned in my first post that my mail on the way from the US to Switzerland.

Below is your original post in full. No mention of the US. I do check these things before I post, you know.

This looks like a nightmare.

My mail was sent by end of June to Switzerland. The last tracking update from July 5th:

Departed. Your item departed a transfer airport in HEATHROW, LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM on July 5, 2020 at 7:55 am. The item is currently in transit to the destination.

I am wondering if there is any way how to get in touch with that stuff who is sorting that parcels. Any ideas?

Cheers

[karlmarx]

It took 2 weeks, which isn't bad considering the circumstances, but it isn't quick. And it spent 4 days in Swiss customs. None of this changes my initial answer that your more recent item is probably in Swiss customs, because the time spent there is variable due to random checks.

I do not think so. Would be the case, the tracking would show something like:

Your item departed a transfer airport in METROPOLITAN AREA, ZURICH, SWITZERLAND on ...

For how long can be an item stuck at Heathrow airport? I mean my parcel was there since 20 days and the tracking still does not change.

[Snaggletooth]

I do not think so. Would be the case, the tracking would show something like:

Your item departed a transfer airport in METROPOLITAN AREA, ZURICH, SWITZERLAND on ...

Why are you expecting this tracking point? Earlier, you posted an example of another item (HJ287252442US), that item did not have that tracking point as far as I can see. Here is the tracking from departing London onwards from USPS.com:

July 20, 2020, 2:49 pm
Delivered
SWITZERLAND
Your item was delivered in SWITZERLAND at 2:49 pm on July 20, 2020.

July 20, 2020, 10:24 am
Collect for Pick Up
SWITZERLAND

July 16, 2020, 10:39 am
Processed through Facility
ZURICH-URDORF, SWITZERLAND

July 16, 2020, 10:34 am
Customs Clearance Processing Complete
SWITZERLAND

July 15, 2020, 10:50 am
Customs Clearance
SWITZERLAND

July 15, 2020, 10:49 am
Processed Through Facility
SWITZERLAND

July 11, 2020, 11:00 am
Departed
LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM

I checked the same item on Swiss Post tracking, I can't see the tracking point you refer to on there either.

For how long can be an item stuck at Heathrow airport? I mean my parcel was there since 20 days and the tracking still does not change.

It isn' stuck in Heathrow, they put it on the plane at 07:55 on 05 July - see your earlier post.

July 5, 2020, 7:55 am
Departed
LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM

[bmlodge]

Well I'm starting to get worried again. I ordered something from Canada. Left Canada 2nd of July and hasn't updated since. The worrying thing is I know people who put orders in at the same time as me which departed Canada on the 3rd and they received their items weeks ago, around July 9th. So why do my packages always take so long. The last one from the USA took over a month and it looks like the same is happening to this one. I seem to have the sh****est luck. They must see my packages and send them straight to customs where it sits there for weeks.