Delays cannot be generalised, as the subjective experience varies.  

Shipment delays necessarily mean missed or stolen parcels too. 

Imagine this scenario.  

You have carefully curated the best gift for a beloved friend living in the United States. It’s been four days since you dropped the shipment. You are awaiting the delivery message.  

Suddenly, the mobile flashes out the message, ‘In-transit-delayed’.  

From the moment you received the message, you couldn’t help yourself from panic mode with your thoughts pondering over multiple questions beginning with but not limited to, ‘Why is my parcel not moving?’, and ‘Will it be arriving on time?’. 

Worry not. Parcel delays are common, yet it is also equally frustrating. Let us understand the reasons behind the delivery delays and how to handle them. 

Reasons for parcel delays 

Before throwing yourself into the parade of assumptions, let’s pick up on the real reasons for the parcel delays which are mostly temporary and permanent. 

1. Severe weather conditions 

Extreme weather conditions coupled with natural calamities like rain, flood, snowstorms, and heat waves can result in consequences like blocked roads ultimately resulting in delivery delays. 

2.   Customs delivery delays 

While making a cross-border delivery, customs inspection can take a while longer than the standard expected days. It mainly happens due to incorrect documentation, held for restricted or prohibited items and undeclared value of goods.  

3.   Incomplete address 

A small error can cost you more than you think.  

From a small typo to a missing street name, incorrect addresses can lead to parcels being rerouted and rendered towards failed delivery attempts. To avoid such mishaps, it becomes extremely important to take notice of the postal codes and include the right contact information.  

4.     Festive seasons -higher volume of shipments 

Although sales seasons, holidays and festivals are fructifying times for delivery providers, it is also the time when maximum chaos happens. As the shipping volumes are very high during these times, the occurrence of shipment delays is also very common. 

5.     Technical glitches 

In addition, parcels also get misrouted when any errors occur during the sorting processes at the warehousing stage. Such system glitches also fuel up the shipment delays.  

6.     Recipient ‘s unavailability  

Many times, the parcel fails to get reached when multiple attempts fail at the last minute due to the recipient being unavailable at the time of delivery. The items will be returned to the sorting facility and stored there for a few weeks to see if they can reach back to the recipient again.  

Steps to take if shipment gets delayed 

1.     Track like a pro 

Level up your tracking game by taking prompt updates from the online tracking application. Starting from the expected delivery date, and status updates during the transit in terms of location and its next movement, it’s important to keep an eagle’s eye over the entire tracking process.  

2.     Cross-check for documentation 

If you ever get notified about parcels being held up at customs, always go back to figure out if the proper documentation has been done.  

• Check for the completion status of the documents 
• Make sure the declared value of the items matches the invoice. 
• Take a look to see if the documents meet all the local regulatory requirements. 

3.     Take a call to customer support 

 Do you think the shipment status you see on the portal hasn’t changed for more than 3 to 4 days? It’s high time for you to check with the delivery service partner by calling customer support directly or dropping him a visit if possible.  

Ask them up for, 

• Reasons for delay. 
• Expected date and time of delivery. 
• Alternate ways if it’s a time-sensitive shipment. 

4.     Request for priority-based delivery 

If it is permissible, you can always opt-in for priority handling of the packages and check if they can be rerouted to a more accessible location.  

It is specifically applied to, 

• Sending time-sensitive parcels. 
• The delivery address is not available temporarily. 

5.     File a formal complaint 

When all the above steps fail you in moving forward, the last way is to file a formal complaint with the courier service provider. Further, if your package is insured, you can also choose to get compensation for the loss or damage. To speed up the claim process, ensure to give all the supporting documents like proof of value, invoice and tracking details.  

How to prevent further delays in the future? 

An important takeaway from the delivery delay is that you don’t want this to happen again. You never wanted to go through a similar experience. Here’s how you can avoid such circumstances in the future, 

1.     Choose a reliable service provider 

It all begins with one right step in the right direction. 

By choosing a reliable delivery provider, you can take advantage of the benefits like different courier services, followed by tracking and customer support. This is a proactive approach to prevent your package from encountering the consequences of any given unforeseen incidents. 

Pro-Tip: By identifying a reliable and affordable courier partner like Brown Post, you are more relieved than ever before as your packages are taken care of from booking till delivery.  

2.     Verify your documentation 

Always re-evaluate all the documents submitted while making cross-border shipments.  Look out for the significant documentation steps are,  

• Ensure that the details are filled out correctly. 
• Item values are declared accurately. 
• Any additional permits or certificates. 

3.     Planned schedules during seasonal demands 

If you are about to send packages during festivals like Diwali, always plan so that your shipments are not caught up in the delay due to high-volume demands during that season. 

Wrap Up

In the world looking for instantaneous solutions, the room for accepting delays and postponement is getting slimmer.  

Accordingly, parcel delays put off the entire experience of the shipment for a customer which in turn affects the credibility of the delivery partner.  

However, identifying the reasons for the delay in the first place is enough to bring your parcel back on track.  

Further, by taking active measures like tracking, contacting customer support, checking listing documentation, and filing an official complaint, it gets easy to counteract such circumstances.