Evri lifts the lid on how it tracks down missing or damaged parcels

December 2023: A special parcel detective at Evri, the UK’s largest dedicated parcel delivery company, has offered insider insight as we head into the festive period about the lengths employees go to, to reunite parcels which get lost in transit.  Evri successfully delivers more than 720 million parcels per year serving 12 million people across the country. Evri is expecting to deliver up to 3.5 million parcels per day during its busiest week. But sometimes parcels lose their label or become separated from their packaging.

 So, what happens in those circumstances?

Evri has a dedicated team of parcel detectives, their very own team of Poirots, who have shared just how a parcel could go missing.

David, one of Evri’s parcel detectives explains, “We’re often asked how a parcel can just vanish, especially when it has a tracking number, surely you can see exactly where it is? The answer is of course a parcel doesn’t just vanish into thin air.”

They went to explain, “There are a variety of reasons a parcel may go missing whilst on its way to a customer. The most common issue we face is a problem with the parcels label becoming damaged and unreadable or the label comes away from the packaging all together”.

 A parcel’s label is vital and is used at every point of its journey to track the parcel and route it forward to its destination. Without a readable label, or a label at all, this becomes a substantial challenge and can make it almost impossible to know the parcel’s destination.

So, what happens to these parcels?

Evri’s dedicated parcel detectives work hard to try and repatriate these parcels, using AI technology to log and categorise these parcels to try and reunite them with the customer. The team will often need to look inside the parcel to try and find additional information to identify a parcel’s destination and work closely with customer service teams based in depots to cross reference with customer queries. Where the team can determine a parcel’s origin and destination it will be repackaged and sent back on its way to be delivered. Often, with retail parcels whereby the end customer can’t be established the parcel will be sent back to the retailer. Other parcels that look to hold sentimental value are held securely for a number of months whilst additional attempts are made to reunite the parcels.

Another one of Evri’s parcel detectives shared some examples of the successes they have, “Last week we were able to reunite almost 40% of parcels that came into us. I take great pride in being able to get these parcels where they need to go as they mean so much to people, just the other day I was able to identify someone’s misplaced wedding dress and a gift intend for another bride on the morning of her wedding. Sometimes I feel like Sherlock homes piecing the clues together.”

 How else can a parcel be lost?

Some other reasons for a parcel going missing include parcels being poorly packaged and the items becoming dislodged from packaging or incorrectly addressed items. On rare occasions, there is of course human error.

Another one of Evri’s parcel detectives shared this, “We want to deliver every parcel successfully especially at Christmas time, but sometimes the way in which parcels are sent can make things difficult. I remember once someone sending a birthday cake in a bin bag.”

Evri wants customer using their service to send parcel to loved ones this festive period to be mindful of the packaging and contents guidelines they provide so that their parcels can arrive safely and on time. No Christmas cakes in bin bags please.

 What to do if your parcel is missing?

This depends on who is sending the parcel. If you’re waiting for a parcel from a retailer or someone else you’ve bought a parcel from, and the parcel has been with Evri for over 5 days then you should let them know, and they will contact Evri. Allowing the retailer or sender to deal with Evri direct is the quickest way for a customer to get a refund or replacement, should one be needed.

If you’ve sent a parcel and it hasn’t been delivered after 5 days customers can contact Evri direct via webchat or telephone. If the parcel can’t be located, customers will have the option to submit a claim, providing they have taken the relevant cover. Parcels can be covered for a small amount of 5p per £1 over the £20 free cover provided and Evri provides content guidelines on what items can be covered for loss or damage.