How to provide instructions for parcel at National Return Centre

[mikebrady]

Hi,

I sent a parcel with 24-hour signed for delivery. The parcel did not arrive and a month later the tracking information said it had not been retrieved from the Post Office and has been sent to the National Returns Centre. I found after sending the parcel that post sent to that address was automatically forwarded to a PO Box number, but the recipient called every few days to see if the parcel arrived and at no time was it provided to him.

So, now it is in the National Return Centre. I sent an email via the Royal Mail contact page, giving the tracking number, explaining what has happened and asked for the parcel to be sent again (perhaps direct to the PO Box number - the forwarding order should be accessible, I'd have thought) or returned to the address I gave (which I neglected to put on the outside of the parcel, expecting a 24-hour tracked service to give no problems).

The reply I have received recommends I open a claim for loss of the item. I do not want to compensation for the item and it is not lost. It is in the National Returns Centre and should presumably be easy to locate and identify from the tracking number.

I've replied to the message asking for my original request to re-deliver the parcel or return it to me at the address I provided to be acted upon. Is there any reason why this is impossible and the Royal Mail will have to destroy the parcel and pay me compensation instead? If I make a claim, will this prompt the destruction of the item? I'd rather have the item back than £50 compensation.

It would be useful if the tracking page included information on what could be done to retrieve a package sent to the National Return Centre and I've suggested this in response to the request for feedback from the chatbot.

It is frustrating that the parcel is identifiable and we know where it is, but it seems the system can only take action if it is deemed lost.

At the very least, I'd hope the Post Office could confirm the redirection order and ensure that parcel follows that route on a second attempt. Any insight on how to achieve that or why it is impossible?

[SpacePhoenix]

For signed for, once it's been scanned at the Post Office, the next scan will always be when delivery is attempted

[yellowbelly]

I've heard that the NRC receives over 50,000 undeliverable items per day, so despite your item having a tracking
number, it's not as easy as you think it is to identify a single item.

Also RM won't return the item to (your) return address you've provided over social media as how do they know you are the
actual sender? From your post it sounds like you didn't put a return address on the outside of the package unfortunately.

I've also heard that sometimes the staff there might open undeliverable letters/parcels/packets
to attempt to identify the intended recipient or sender from evidence inside the item. I don't know if this is true
and if it is whether they open every item or select certain items.

The way the NRC works is a bit of a mystery to most regular posties, sorry if this doesn't sound helpful.

[Snaggletooth]

They aren’t going to destroy the parcel unless

1. The contents contravene the Dangerous Goods Act, e.g. you sent a mobile phone with it’s battery.
2. You fail to send in the lost parcel form.

Except for redirections, the parcel can only be delivered to the address on the front or returned to the sender. As you didn’t provide a return address on the parcel, they now need a claim to be made in writing and to a sufficient level of detail or they are breaking the law returning it to you.

For PO Boxes, it is up to the recipient to collect mail from there. You should be able to see from the tracking how long it was sat there: did the addressee really not visit to collect their mail in all that time?

[Yrhengastan1962]

I'm in a very similar position, it can't be beyond the wit of man to connect senders with their parcels and there must be a simple way of identifying senders correctly, the simplest being possession of the proof of posting and details of what the parcel contains. After all, until it's delivered is it not still the property of the sender who should be given reasonable opportunity to get their property back. I spoke with the helpline, gave all my details and addresses, dates, tracking etc yet was told it was going to Belfast and once there I could submit a request for an NRC search. Surely, tracking details provide that information and could easily be used to locate the item. So now I'm waiting to hear my property has arrived at NRC - simply in n writing those last few words it beggars belief why my interest can't be flagged when it's scanned or recorded in whatever way as being at NRC. Wait and see now.

[P13]

The answer is to always put a return address on the back of the item .

[TrueBlueTerrier]

Surely, tracking details provide that information and could easily be used to locate the item.

sadly no. the tracking system only identifies where it was last scanned it does not give any information down to a geographical level, or indeed where in the particular unit it is.

NRC Belfast is HUGE. It can have up to 20 million items in storage at any one time.

This is a picture from a Daily Mirror article



As to alerting staff that an item has a customer query on it, you'd have to ask Royal Mail themselves and their IT department why this isn't possible. It's not something that is inbuilt into the system currently so it's not something that can be used to locate your item.

[SpacePhoenix]

As to alerting staff that an item has a customer query on it, you'd have to ask Royal Mail themselves and their IT department why this isn't possible. It's not something that is inbuilt into the system currently so it's not something that can be used to locate your item.

TBT, it might be partly why RM are trying to get barcodes on everything. If RM do end up with barcodes on everything then as items get booked in at NRC they could have any with customer quieries get flagged up