If something you ordered hasn’t arrived
This page is for consumers under the law of England and Wales only. Rules can differ in Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Suspicious texts or emails about a parcel
Messages that demand an extra payment, threaten to return a parcel or invite you to “reschedule” through a link are very often phishing or fraud. Legitimate carriers rarely ask for card details or bank transfers through unsolicited links. Do not tap links or call numbers from the message; open the retailer’s or carrier’s website yourself or use an official app.
Forward suspicious texts to 7726 and report phishing via GOV.UK: report suspicious emails, websites and phone calls. If you have lost money or given banking details, report to Action Fraud and contact your bank immediately using the number on your card.
Who is responsible when you buy from a trader
In a sale of goods to a consumer, delivery to you is the seller’s obligation, even if they appoint a courier. If the parcel is late, lost in the network or shown as delivered to the wrong place, you normally complain to the seller first; it is for them to investigate with their carrier, not for you to absorb their logistics failure.
Check the address you supplied, any safe‑place or neighbour instructions you agreed to, and your spam folder for dispatch emails. Then contact the seller in writing with your order number and ask for a tracking update or redelivery. Keep screenshots of tracking pages that contradict what you were told.
Customs, VAT and import charges
Goods from abroad may be held until duty, VAT or brokerage fees are paid. That is different from a scam text: the carrier will usually send paperwork or a secure payment route tied to a real tracking number. If you refuse to pay lawful charges, the parcel may be returned and your contract position can become disputed; read the seller’s terms on international delivery before you buy.
Shown as delivered but you do not have it
If the courier says the item was left in a porch, with a neighbour or in a locker but you have no receipt or PIN, treat it as non‑delivery to you and ask the seller to prove delivery to the contract address in line with the Consumer Rights Act 2015. Persisting disputes may need a formal letter and, if necessary, a chargeback or court claim; see card, PayPal and chargeback.
If you still want the goods
Under the CRA 2015, goods must be delivered as agreed. Where no date was fixed, they must be delivered within 30 days of the contract unless a different period was expressly agreed and is fair. If delivery is late beyond an agreed date, or beyond that default window, you can require the seller to deliver without undue delay and may, in serious cases, treat time as essential so that further delay is a breach you can respond to with a refund request—wording depends on what you said when ordering.
Example wording you might adapt (not legal advice): “Delivery has not occurred by [agreed date / within 30 days]. This is a breach of the Consumer Rights Act 2015. Time is of the essence. Please confirm dispatch or replacement delivery within [reasonable days].”
If you want to cancel and get a refund
You may be entitled to treat the contract as ended and ask for your money back if goods never arrive:
- within the 30‑day statutory delivery window (where that applies) without a valid later agreement;
- by a date you made essential at the time of order—for example where you stated you needed an outfit or cake for a specific event and the seller accepted that deadline;
- after a second delivery date you agreed following the first failure, if that second date is missed.
Set out the facts, quote the Act if appropriate, and state clearly that you require a full refund within a short, reasonable period. If you paid by card or PayPal, parallel dispute routes may exist; see our page on payment schemes.
If the seller will not help
Escalate in writing, use alternative dispute resolution if the trader belongs to a scheme, and consider insolvency checks if the business has vanished. You can report systematic non‑delivery or misleading conduct to Trading Standards via GOV.UK: report a business behaving unfairly—enforcement does not replace your civil refund claim.
Private sellers and marketplaces
Buying from an individual outside a business context gives you fewer statutory protections. Your remedies depend on the contract, the marketplace’s rules and whether the seller misdescribed the item. The steps above are aimed at trader sales.
We help you identify the correct defendant, draft chronologies and letters, and choose between refund routes. We are not a law firm; for court claims we signpost regulated solicitors.