Stolen parcel: who is responsible?
Since the beginning of the pandemic, delivery methods have had to be readjusted in order to respect the barrier gestures and avoid the propagation of the virus. Therefore, from now on, it is possible to deliver a package and declare it "delivered", and this, without signature, in order to take no risk for both the deliverer and the recipient.
It is possible that once a package has been shipped, you have consulted the tracking system and that it has been declared as "delivered to the mailbox". However, after checking, your package is not there.
How can you determine if a package was stolen and not lost?
Even though shipping companies are very reliable, sometimes this situation happens, it is extremely rare and difficult to prove. To determine if a package was lost and not stolen is rather simple. A delay in delivery, even a significant one, does not mean that a theft has occurred. In this case, you will have to rely rather on the delivery status, if on your package tracking your package is declared as being delivered to the delivery address provided, and there is no trace of your package, it may have been stolen. In the case where your package has not been reported as delivered, but has a significant delay in delivery, it may simply be lost. In the case of a loss, the carrier is responsible for opening an investigation to determine if your package has been lost, to initiate the appropriate steps.
Who can steal a package?
Knowing who is responsible for the theft is not always easy to determine. Again, this is an extremely rare situation, however, if it was indeed stolen it may be the following cases:
- A neighbor: if the package was left in front of your house in your absence with your consent, it is possible that it was stolen by one of your neighbors, or if your package was given to the wrong person.
- Warehouse theft: in some very rare cases, parcel storage warehouses can be broken into, or in another equally rare case, the parcel can be opened on the sorting line
- Truck theft: This is just as exceptional as the previous one, but it happens in rare cases that delivery trucks are robbed, and thus all the goods stolen.
- A delivery person: some delivery people may steal the packages they are supposed to deliver themselves, however, they are supposed to provide proof of delivery in case of problems so they are exposed to problems if they want to steal the contents of a package.
- An employee of the agency where your package is in transit
- An employee of the relay point
- An unknown during delivery: if the delivery truck is left open when the driver gives the package to a recipient.
- etc.
A package can be stolen by many actors and in many ways, which is also why it is sometimes difficult to determine.
How do I get my money back if my package was stolen?
Depending on the means you have used, the person responsible for your package will not be the same and therefore the terms of refund will be different.
- You placed your order on an e-commerce site: if you are in this situation, the best thing to do is to contact the platform where you placed your order, which will directly take care of the procedures with the carrier and reimburse you for your package.
- You have ordered a shipment on our platform: in this case, our support will take care of all the necessary steps with the carrier. You will have to fill in a request form and explain your situation so that our team can take care of it.
- You have made a shipment directly with the carrier: for this case, you must directly contact the support service of your carrier and they will open an investigation.
Our advice:
When you order a shipment, we advise you to take out insurance, because, in case of loss or theft, you can be compensated for the shipping costs, but also for the value of the goods (depending on the transport service you have used).
In order to facilitate your request for reimbursement, we advise you to first, filing a complaint (against X) as well as to provide a delivery dispute.
How best to avoid package theft?
Thefts of packages can sometimes be avoided, to do this, we advise you not to use packaging with a brand name on it for example: Apple. This can alert a potential thief to the nature of the container of your shipment. Whether you are a private individual or a professional, use a neutral packaging without any distinctive sign, even parcels from private individuals to private individuals can be stolen, like your Vinted parcels for example (if you reuse the original packaging). If you are a professional and you still want to personalize your packaging for your customers, you can simply personalize the inside of your package.
Have a good shipment!
