Your parcel is delayed — what to do
No tracking update for days? Check this before you worry.
Follow the steps in order — most “delays” end at step 1 or 2.
Why it works this way
- Most delays are just gaps between scans, not lost parcels.
- The booking office is the one office that can actually raise an enquiry.
- The receipt is your proof — without it, even a genuine enquiry slows down.
Common mistakes
- Panicking after one day without an update.
- Trusting a random tracking website with your article number.
- Throwing away the booking receipt before the parcel arrives.
The status says delivered but I have nothing. What now? Check with family or neighbours first, then the post office with your ID and article number — sometimes a parcel is marked delivered slightly before it reaches you, and sometimes it waits at the post office.
Keep these three things safe
The booking receipt, a photo of the article number, and the sender's details. With those three, any post office can help you; without the receipt, even a genuine enquiry becomes slow. Keep them until the parcel is in your hands, not just until it is dispatched.
If the parcel never arrives
Start with the booking-office enquiry, using your receipt and article number. If that brings nothing, make a written complaint to the post office, enclosing a copy of the receipt, and keep a copy of the complaint itself with its date. Written complaints with dates are followed up; verbal complaints at the counter are easily forgotten.
The sender can also act from their side, so tell the sender what you have done and ask them to enquire too. For registered or insured articles there is a claim process — ask the booking office about it for your article type, and note that timelines and outcomes vary, so follow up with the enquiry number rather than assuming the case is closed.
Speed Post vs Registered: which enquiry moves faster
Speed Post articles are tracked at more points and enquired about faster, because the service promises speed and the system is built around it. Registered Post is cheaper, but its tracking updates are fewer and enquiries take longer. Parcels, by either service, take the longest of all — they move in bulk and are scanned less often.
Whichever service you used, keep the weight receipt as well as the booking receipt for a parcel: if a weight or postage dispute arises, that slip is the only proof of what was actually booked.
A note on COD and valuable parcels
For a cash-on-delivery parcel, keep the payment receipt with the booking receipt — the two together prove both the booking and the payment. For a valuable parcel, check that the declared value is written on the booking receipt; if it is missing, the booking office should correct it before the parcel leaves, not after it goes missing.