Lost & Damaged Goods, Claims Info & Procedures

Claims Information

You will be able to submit a compensation claim if the contents of your parcel have been damaged in transit, as long as you follow our claims procedure and fulfil our claims criteria as outlined below. When you submit a claim ParcelHero^® will pursue this claim with the delivery courier on your behalf.

ParcelHero's claims procedures have been created to give us the best possible chance to successfully obtain compensation for you.

Claims Criteria

Every carrier has specific criteria and terms. Our claims criteria is legally binding and must be complied with in order for ParcelHero^® to process a claim:

• Your goods must be packaged in accordance with ParcelHero's Packaging Criteria.
• All claims must be made in writing, and submitted by email or post, within 14 days of the delivery date.
• You must include photographic evidence of the damage caused, to both the packaging and goods inside, with your completed claim document. After reviewing your photographic evidence, we may need to arrange a damage inspection.
• The damaged goods must not be moved from the delivery address or removed from their packaging. You must always leave the damaged goods in their original packaging ready for the carrier to collect and conduct their damage inspection. If you transport the goods to any other location, unpack the contents or remove any part of the packaging, it may invalidate your claim as it becomes difficult for us to prove to the delivery courier that the damage occurred before the delivery was made.

Our Claim Liability for Damaged Goods

If you have purchased parcel protection for your shipment, you will be entitled to claim up to the full value of the cover you requested. However you will still have to provide evidence that the repair or replacement cost of the goods is as per the value of the cover you purchased. If you have not purchased parcel protection, you will be refunded in accordance with our Limits of Liability. This normally entitles you to £50 compensation per shipment.

Parcel Protection Conditions & Exceptions

You will be able to claim for the full parcel protection value of your parcel as long as you have complied with our claims criteria outlined above. You will not be able to claim up to the full parcel protection value if:

1. If the replacement cost of your goods is lower than the value of parcel protection you took out.
2. If the goods are repairable, and the repair cost is less than the replacement cost claimed.

Reasons a Damage Claim Can be Rejected

The primary cause of damage is insufficient packaging. You must always consider your parcel's pending journey when you prepare your shipment for transportation. All parcels, especially international parcels, are handled, loaded and offloaded several times during transit, including off vans, flights, conveyor belts, x-ray machines and customs inspection tables. In addition, your parcel will be stacked onto other parcels, and it will also have other parcels stacked on top of it. This is why it's important that you package your goods in accordance with our Packaging Criteria.
Your claim is likely to be rejected if:

• There is no external damage to the packaging, but the contents inside are damaged. This points to the fact that the goods were not sufficiently protected inside the box.
• The goods inside were not sufficiently cushioned and suspended inside the box to prevent movement and protect against external impact during transit.
• If the weight of your contents were too heavy for the size of the box, or the type of box used.
• The joins and openings of the parcel were not sufficiently secured for transit by suitable amounts of packaging tape, and as a result the walls of the box have collapsed, or the parcel has burst open during transit.
• You do not submit your claim request within 14 calendar days of receiving the damaged items.
• You fail to sign for your parcel as received 'damaged' upon delivery or as 'unchecked'.
• Your goods are on our Compensation Exclusion list. ParcelHero^® makes every effort to advise our customers of items that are excluded from compensation prior to them booking and also prompts all customers upon checkout to confirm they have read and agree to these terms of exclusion as per the following screenshot:

Claims for Damaged Goods – Timeline and Summary

Notify us of your damage claimDeadline – 14 calendar days	You must notify us of any damage, and submit images and supporting documentation within 14 days of delivery.
Review of your damage claim evidenceLead time – 7 calendar days	We will review your evidence within 7 days.
Arranging & conducting a damage inspectionLead time – 14 calendar days	After reviewing your images, we may need to arrange a physical damage inspection. It will take no more than 14 days to arrange the collection, inspect the damage and return your goods.
Return the completed claim form Deadline – 7 calendar days	Once we issue the claim form, you must return it to us within 5 days.
Processing your claim form and issuing paymentLead time – 14 calendar days	Once we have completed the damage inspection and approved your claim, we will issue you a claim form. Once you return this form to us, we will process your claim and issue payment within 14 days.

Claims Procedures for Damaged Goods

In order for us to process your claim, we first need to assess the level of damage to the goods and confirm the items were packaged sufficiently well for transportation via courier. To do this we require images of the damaged goods and the packaging. In some cases, our carrier may also need to do a physical damage inspection. The following section gives an overview of the whole process.

How to Make a Damage Claim

Submit images and supporting documentation within 14 calendar days of delivery as follows:

Provide clear images of:

• External packaging. Be sure to including images that show any damage to the external packaging, such as dents or tears.
• Internal packaging (showing how each item was packaged) including images that show any damage to the internal packaging, such as dents or punctures.
• Any damage to the item/s.

Submit supporting documentation to confirm the repair or replacement value of the damaged item(s), e.g. a purchase receipt. You should also submit any extra information that may be used to support your claim.

We will review all the evidence provided and respond within 7 working days and confirm whether a physical damage inspection will be required.

1. If a damage inspection is required:

   We'll arrange for the courier who delivered your shipment to collect the goods within 5 working days and conduct a damage inspection. The courier will hold your goods for no longer than 5 working days, before returning them to you.

   The goods should not be moved from the delivery address or disturbed. They should always be left in their original packaging ready for the carrier to collect. If the goods are moved from their delivery location, or you discard any part of the packaging, then your claim will be void.

2. If we reject your claim:

   We will always provide a full explanation.

   You always have the right to appeal. Please note, in order to appeal you need to provide additional evidence that has not already been provided, to support your appeal.

3. If we accept your claim:

   We will send you a claim form which you must return to us within 14 calendar days. When completing the claim form please ensure you include:

   • If your goods are repairable: A quote or invoice for the repair costs.
   • If your goods are not repairable: Proof of replacement value such as an invoice or purchase receipt.

     We will then process your claim within 14 calendar days.

Claims Information

At ParcelHero^® we take missing parcels very seriously and we understand it can be an extremely distressing time when goods are lost in transit.

Our commitment to secure delivery begins with prevention, to ensure we can minimize any issue with delivery, we only use the worlds' leading, most professional carriers with the most reliable delivery networks. Our highly trained customer service staff proactively work with our partner carriers to help locate every missing shipment as quickly as possible.

One of the most common reasons for goods getting lost is that the shipping label has become detached from the box during transit. To help us locate your goods as quickly as possible, you will need to provide us with a detailed description of the packaging and the goods inside, along with any serial numbers (in the case of electronic goods). The more information you can provide, the higher the chance we have of locating your goods and returning them to you.

It takes 14 days to complete a ParcelHero^® tracer investigation. If we are unable to locate your items, then we will declare the goods as lost and you will be able to submit a claim for the value of the lost items.

Claims Criteria

Claims must be made in writing within 30 calendar days of the collection date. You must provide an original purchase invoice, or if you're a business and claiming for products you sell, a cost of sale invoice will be required. Please note, a sales invoice will not be sufficient

Our Claim Liability for Lost Goods

If you have purchased parcel protection for your shipment, you will be entitled to claim up to the full value of the protection you requested (up to £1,000 for super Economy Services including EVRi / up to £20,000 for all other services). However, you will have to provide proof of value of the good (original purchase receipt, repair receipt or replacement receipt). If you have not purchased parcel protection, you will be refunded in accordance with our Limits of Liability below:

• Super economy services (including EVRi) – No liability
• All other services – £50 liability

Parcel Protection Conditions & Exceptions

You will not be able to claim up to the full parcel protection value in the following circumstances:

• If the replacement cost of your goods is lower than the value of parcel protection you purchased.
• If your lost item was part of a shipment containing multiple parcels. In this situation you will only be entitled to claim up to the total parcel protection value taken, divided by the number of parcels in the consignment. E.g. if you sent two parcels, and one was lost, if you purchased parcel protection for £1,000 for the full shipment, you will be entitled to claim up to £500.

Claims for Lost Goods – Timeline and Summary

Notify us of your claim for lost goodsDeadline – 30 calendar days	You must notify us of your claim for lost goods within 30 days of the collection date.
Our 'Tracer Investigation' to locate your shipmentLead time – 14 calendar days	We will conduct a 'Tracer investigation' to locate your shipment which can take up to 14 days.
Return the completed claim form Lead time – 14 calendar days	We will issue a claim form, which you need to complete and return to us within 14 days of issue
We will then process your claimLead time – 14 calendar days	We will then process your claim and issue payment within 14 days.

How to Make a Claim

1. Notify us of your lost goods within 30 calendar days of the collection date.
2. We will begin a 'Tracer investigation' to locate your goods straight away. This investigation will take up to 14 calendar days to complete as this is a detailed search of our suppliers' facilities.
3. If the tracer investigation is unsuccessful, we will notify you and issue you a claim form.
4. You must return the completed claim form to ParcelHero^® within 14 calendar days of issue, ensuring you include an original purchase invoice or if you're claiming for products you sell, a cost of sale invoice will be required, a sales invoice will not be sufficient.
5. Once your claim form is received, we will process your claim and send you a letter to confirm the outcome. If your claim is accepted, we will issue payment within 14 calendar days.

FAQs

If a package is damaged, why do I have to sign for the goods as damaged and what happens if I don't?
When a damage is reported we need to ascertain who damaged the goods. If the receiver does not sign for the package as damaged then the damage could have occurred after delivery. Our insurers look for proof that the damage occurred prior to delivery taking place and the best way to prove this is to make sure you inspect the goods prior to delivery and sign for them as damaged. If the receiver does not sign for the goods as damaged then it may invalidate your claim, however we consider all facts when assessing any case, so this is just one of multiple factors we assess when reviewing any claim.