If it’s viable and the driver agrees, always check your parcels before signing for them. If you can, that also means checking the contents, but as we all know there are times when that’s just not an option. Should that cheap parcel delivery you’ve been anxiously waiting for arrive damaged there’s a number of steps you should take in order to ensure that a claim can be properly filed and you’re not left out of pocket. If your parcel is visibly damaged you can still sign for it, just make sure you mark that it was damaged at the same time. If there is no check box to tick then simply write ‘damaged’ beneath your signature to let the company know that there was an issue with the package.
Always keep the original packaging in the case of damaged outer wrapping, and photograph the outside and the inside when you open it. If you’re lucky the inside will have been properly packaged and your item will be fine. If it’s not your day and the contents have been broken, make sure you photograph the item in situ inside the box before you remove it, photograph it at every stage of opening and unwrapping to clearly document the state and manner of packaging at every step. You’ll need all the evidence you can provide for the claim, without it you won’t be able to prove it was something that happened in transit with the parcel company.
The worst case scenario is when you sign for a perfectly good looking parcel and open it to discover the inside packaging was insufficient and your item is broken. In cases such as these you’ll need to talk to the sender, the amount of internal packaging is solely down to their discretion and responsibility. Most cheap parcel deliveries won’t cover breakages due to inadequate internal packaging, check their terms and conditions for liability guidelines just in case, but it’s likely they’ll just tell you to talk to the seller and wash their hands of the problem. Photographing the evidence and keeping the original packaging, both internal and external, will help you make a claim in this instance but it will have to be done through official routes at the seller’s end rather than through the parcel company.
If you need to make a claim against either the parcel company or the seller, it’s important that you don’t delay filling and sending in your claim form. Photographs, if not able to be sent at the same time as the form, should be forwarded on within seven days at the latest to ensure your claim isn’t dismissed. Claim forms will need to be submitted within a specific time frame, information on that and the forms themselves should be available on the company website.