GuideHQ

What are my rights if a delivery is late or goes missing?

Why the retailer and not the courier is responsible, what 'left in a safe place' does to that, and the steps that get a refund rather than an investigation.

Difficulty
beginner
Time
30 min
Read
3 min

Short answer

Your contract is with the retailer, so the retailer is responsible until the goods are delivered to you — not the courier. Contact the retailer, not the delivery company. If no delivery time was agreed, the default is a reasonable time, and you can set a new final deadline and cancel for a refund if it is missed.

Retailers routinely tell customers to take it up with the courier. That is not how the contract works: you bought from the retailer, the retailer chose the courier, and the goods remain the retailer's responsibility until they reach you. The exception is where you specifically asked for a particular carrier the retailer did not offer.

Step by step

  1. Contact the retailer, not the courier.The courier has no contract with you. Directing you to them is a common deflection and you can decline it politely and firmly.
  2. Check what delivery date was promised.If a specific date was agreed, or you made clear the date was essential, missing it has stronger consequences. Otherwise the standard is a reasonable time.
  3. Set a new final deadline in writing.Where no date was agreed or the original has passed, specify a new deadline and state that you will treat the contract as cancelled and require a refund if it is missed.
  4. Check what the tracking actually says.'Delivered' with no signature, or 'left in a safe place' where you did not authorise one, is central to the argument. Screenshot it.
  5. Consider whether you gave a safe place instruction.If you told the retailer or courier to leave items somewhere, delivery to that place is generally treated as delivery to you. If you did not, an unauthorised safe place does not count.
  6. Ask neighbours and check for a card.Worth five minutes before escalating, and retailers will ask whether you did.
  7. Ask for redelivery or a refund, and say which.Be explicit. A vague report produces an investigation; a stated remedy produces a decision.
  8. Escalate with a formal complaint.Reference that under the Consumer Rights Act the goods remain at the trader's risk until they come into your physical possession.
  9. Use the card routes if refused.Chargeback for goods not received works well here, and Section 75 applies to qualifying credit card purchases.
  10. Complain about the courier separately if you wish.It will not get your money back, but persistent problems with a specific courier at your address are worth reporting so the pattern is on record.

Tips

  • The sentence to use is: 'the goods remained at your risk until they came into my physical possession, so I am asking you for a refund or redelivery'. It ends the courier conversation.
  • Screenshot the tracking page immediately. Tracking detail is sometimes removed or changes after a claim is raised.
  • Never accept 'the courier says it was delivered' as an answer where there is no signature and you gave no safe place instruction.

Common mistakes

  • Pursuing the courier — There is no contract between you and them, so they have no obligation to you and the retailer's obligation runs on while you try.
  • Accepting an investigation with no deadline — Investigations run for weeks while chargeback time limits pass. Set a deadline and state what happens when it passes.

If it doesn't work

Marked delivered but nothing arrived

Cause: Mis-delivery, theft after delivery, or a scanning error — Fix: Ask the retailer for proof of delivery including any signature or photograph, and put in a written refund request with a deadline.

Left in a bin you never nominated

Cause: A courier's own safe place decision — Fix: State that you gave no safe place instruction, so the goods were never delivered to you, and require a refund or replacement.

The retailer keeps referring you to the courier

Cause: A standard deflection — Fix: Send a formal complaint citing the trader's risk until physical possession, with a deadline, then use chargeback or Section 75.

Questions people ask

What if I told them to leave it with a neighbour?

Delivery in accordance with your instruction is generally treated as delivery to you. That is why nominating a safe place shifts the risk.

How late is too late?

Where no date was agreed, a reasonable time applies and what is reasonable depends on the goods. Setting a specific new deadline in writing removes the ambiguity.

Does this apply to items I sent back?

No — returns work differently, and proof of postage matters. Keep the receipt from the return, because the risk position is not the same.

Related guides