Missing parcels

[DottySpoons]

For years we've never had a problem with Royal Mail. We've lived at the same address for over 25 years, had the same excellent postman for at least 10 years, and not had any problems receiving deliveries from online - until now.

A couple of months ago an item from the US never turned up, though two others from the same company dispatched around the same time turned up fine, so I put it down to a one-off and the seller sent a replacement. All good.

At the end of last month I bought an item from Spain, from someone who's sent me things before, and they've usually arrived within a week, maybe 10 days. This time, it's getting on for three weeks and no sign of it. Okay, frustrating, but maybe it's randomly stuck in customs. Unfortunately the seller has no reference number for it and the contents are not quite replaceable - I could get similar items elsewhere, but these were an unusual type of this item.

Now the really weird one. Ordered an item from Wales a few weeks ago, dispatched 2nd class, hadn't turned up so a week later I asked the seller for the reference number - not updating, no delivery attempt, so seller resent the item first class. A week after that, the replacement hadn't arrived, so I contacted the seller. They double-checked my address, it's exactly right, so they sent a second replacement. I'm half expecting it not to turn up, to be honest.

In the time the items from Wales haven't arrived, I received a package from the US about a week after it was posted, and we've been receiving ordinary post as well as Hermes deliveries and a parcel for my brother. I just do not understand what could have gone wrong with the items from Wales - the recent flooding would not have affected the first two sent out, even if it affects the latest one. It's also making me wary of ordering anything else online right now, especially items that are unique because compensation is all well and good but is a waste of everyone's time to be honest. I'd rather not go through the rigmarole only to be back to my original position of not having the item(s).

I also have another package on its way from the US - again, not replaceable - for which I'm checking the tracking every day. I'm hoping the fact it's left USPS but RM don't yet have it just means it's in customs, and not slipped through the net somewhere!

Anyway, I guess I just wanted to vent slightly and to ask if anyone had any ideas what may possibly be happening. I asked RM on Twitter about the first missing item from Wales and they told me there was absolutely nothing on internal tracking at all (it was a standard 2nd class parcel as far as I'm aware, possibly through a business account) except to say there was no record of delivery.