DHL Parcel mislabeled during customs clearance and sent to the wrong address

[NPLondon]

I would like some advice as to the liability of DHL Parcel UK. A parcel was sent to me from Germany via Deutsche Post and this was mislabeled during customs clearance and instead of coming to my address in London was sent to Whitley Bay in Tyne and Wear. The person in the DHL Parcel UK call centre admitted that this does happen 'from time to time'. 

 

This was a personal parcel packed by them of just under 9kg sent for my birthday . The sender also put a copy of my address inside the parcel so the person receiving this parcel would not be able to say they couldn't locate my address.  I eventually found out the street address and the surname of the person where it has been delivered and then found them on LinkedIn - however after sending a message they blocked me from their profile. 

 

The sender in Germany filed a report about the parcel more than once but after a few days simply gets a reply from DHL Parcel/UK Mail saying 'sorry, please ask the sender to contact us'. 

 

After 10 days of going in circles, I emailed the CEO of DHL Parcel UK who responded in 5 mins on a Sunday to say ' sorry, I can see what has happened' and I'll look into it...

 

I also started a case with Resolver before finding this site as I wasn't getting anywhere with DHL/UK Mail. They let me know yesterday  20/01/20 via Resolver that they finally put a card through the door of the incorrect recipient asking them to contact DHL Parcel/UK Mail BUT they said ' I can't guarantee that we can retrieve the parcel from the wrong address should the addressee fail to contact us'.

 

My question:

 

- where do I stand with the person that is refusing to return this parcel given that it was obviously a mistake and not destined for them?

- what can I do about the parcel company's negligence in this case? 

- Does the sender have to raise the complaint and can they  go through the small claims procedure with a german address?

 

Thanks for any help

 

 

[NPLondon]

The recipient is an individual in Whitley Bay, Tyne and Wear, I am in London. 

 

When sending a parcel from Germany using Deutsche Post you have pre-printed labels with a bar code and tracking number and you then fill out the recipient's address by hand. A receipt with the tracking number is then handed over when the parcel is sent. I don't know what sort of other label is attached in the UK or why they even do this but it seems it does happen. 

 

I only ever called DHL once, you can't get anywhere with the call centre, especially in this case where there was a mismatch of postcode. 

 

*** whilst writing this I've been sent an image of the parcel in the UK sorting facility by the operations manager. They have said the barcode was damaged and the postcode transposed during manual input. I'm still not sure how SE5 became NE25 and then a totally different street name. They are going to the address to try and retrieve the parcel and I've told them the contents (a set of cutlery, birthday card and various german chocolates etc). 

 

The next part is what if the recipient refuses to admit they received it?

 

 

Edited January 21, 2020 by NPLondon

[NPLondon]

 

Value around €200

Edited January 21, 2020 by NPLondon
misread thread

[NPLondon]

sorry I wasn't trying to obfuscate this process and I'm very appreciative of your reply. I only just received the list of contents but had to ask her again what she thought the value might be. 

 

I should get an answer today or tomorrow from the operations manager at DHL parcel about the status, they said they are sending the branch manager to the address to attempt to retrieve it (The person I tracked down who signed for the parcel ironically works in IT for some NHS anti-fraud department).

 

I've taken this as high as possible and the CEO is cc'd into the emails I'm receiving. 

 

Do you think they can wriggle out of a claim citing human error? This was their excuse:

I am afraid that it was human error that caused the mislabel , as you can see from the image the barcode was of poor quality and therefore the scanning equipment on our sorter was not able to read the item so it was rejected. The process is that items that are rejected are then hand input by an operator to allow a new label to be printed and in this case it looks like the operator has wrongly transposed the hand written label postcode incorrectly.

 

I'll post any feedback here and make a decision on the next steps. 

[NPLondon]

5 hours ago, BankFodder said:

You should start threatening them immediately. I would send them a note that they only have seven days to recover your items or else you will be sending them a letter of claim

 

Should I send this to the Resolver case I have open (actually the person I am dealing with is a bit useless) or to the operations manager who sent me the email? This also has the CEO copied in. 

 

Should I also outline the request for compensation in addition to the replacement cost of the goods in this initial email?  I never heard anything back from them today and this has been going on for 13 days.

 

The cutlery she sent me was WMF silver plate (that she inherited from her step-mother recently and didn't need)  so this can't be replaced as the design is no longer manufactured (sorry I'm only just getting the full story as this was meant to be for my birthday..). 

 

 

 

[NPLondon]

Thanks for the ebay tip. Initial email sent asking for the return of the parcel in 7 days before a  letter of claim and then proceedings. 

[NPLondon]

Quote

 

Further to your recent email, this is a formal notice that you have seven days to recover my parcel  with the full contents, intact and in good condition. This parcel was sent to me as a gift and contained items of sentimental value that cannot be easily replaced.  Therefore it is important that this is returned to me with the minimum of delay. 

 

If you are unable to return the parcel I will have no option but to issue a letter of claim and then within 14 days begin county court proceedings. 

 

 

[NPLondon]

In the thread of the email they already say how sorry they are for the whole incident but I understand that I could have reiterated it.

 

After counting everything up the value is a bit more. A new WMF plated 30 set of cutlery is €299 and the other gift items come to approx €70. So €369 = £315 

 

The max value allowed with Deutsche Post is €200 - unless you pay and additional €50 to increase the value. The shipping cost was €22.99

 

I'll post here as soon as I get any response. 

[NPLondon]

51 minutes ago, BankFodder said:

if you wanted to, you could sue the actual recipient in Conversion

 

I'm not sure what  'in conversion' is? I would like to go after the recipient, I don't why you would keep a parcel that was obviously put together a as birthday gift with a personal message. Perhaps they are extreme Brexiteers and were appalled at the 'windfall' of German delicacies. 

 

This was the contents:

- copy of my address printed and placed INSIDE the parcel

- 1 handwritten birthday card

- 30 piece WMF silverplate cutlery

- 2 packets bath salts

- 1 packet of dog treats

- 13 packets (approx) of German chocolates / biscuits

- 1 jar of truffle honey

- 1 packet of Knödel (German dumplings, dry mix)

 

Btw I have checked the reverse of the Deutsche Post label and the minimum insurance for parcels, including those sent to the UK is  €500 (I was misinformed). There is no declaration of value required when sending intra-EU

[NPLondon]

I couldn't find out which house number, I only have the street address. Any idea about how to locate this?

 

I did consider sending an email to the HR dept of his workplace but realise that I have to tread carefully. The main office is in London but the IT is in Newcastle. 

[NPLondon]

ok I have the work address in Newcastle, let me know what I should and shouldn't say...

[NPLondon]

Btw for the SAR does it make sense to send it to the data protection officer (there is an email listed) or post to the data controller which only has an address? I know it says the latter but just checking if I can speed things up

[NPLondon]

1 minute ago, BankFodder said:

By the way, do you realise that you can put in an eBay search and localise it within X miles of a certain postcode

 

yes I did that, not much auction only stuff but I will check from time to time

[NPLondon]

Ok I've got the title from the land registry with the correct name and the address I identified.

 

The person who signed for the parcel is resident at that address

 

Btw it's only £3

Edited January 22, 2020 by NPLondon

[NPLondon]

Email from DHL operations:

 

 

Quote

 

Thankyou for your email this morning and I am sorry I didn’t come back to you last night , investigations were on going yesterday late into the night and therefore I didn’t have time to update you. Both the driver and our location manager have been trying extremely hard to retrieve your item from the address that it was delivered but they have not been able to do so. The householder is denying having had any such item delivered and knows nothing about the delivery therefore we are sorry to inform you that your item has gone missing.

 

We appreciate that we would be unable to replace the sentimental value to this gift that was send to you as this is impossible for us to do but could I please ask if you can put a value to the items that were contained in the parcel to allow us to suggest how we can compensate you for these.

 

As I informed you in my previous email it was human error that caused the mislabel and the operator who did this is being dealt with through our internal disciplinary process and retraining . 

 

I know how upsetting this news will be to you but we would like to resolve this as quickly as possible for you. We are all extremely sorry for what has happened , these incidents are extremely rare and we always use them to help us get better at what we do. 

 

Look forward to hearing from you            

             

 

Richard Wenham

Head of Operational Support  

DHL Parcel UK Ltd
Express House 
Hillman Way

Ryton-on-Dunsmore

Coventry

CV8 3ED

 

 

[NPLondon]

I've known this person for 35 years and they sent this cutlery that they inherited from their late step-mother as a reminder of when I lived in Germany. For the same reason she sends me marzipan and other products from time to time. 

 

I can't believe these people signed for the parcel in their own name and then pointedly denied ever having received it - despite the satellite photo of the delivery with a pin dropped directly above their house and the land registry title for the address matching their surname.

[NPLondon]

Ok sent with a few minor adjustments

[NPLondon]

Latest reply from DHL

 

Quote

 

We are doing everything we can to try and resolve this for you , our head of security is now taking a look at what options we have with the address that the item was shipped to. Can you please give us a little time to try and get the result we all would like to see.

 

Thankyou for your understanding    

 

Richard Wenham

Head of Operational Support  

 

 

[NPLondon]

18 minutes ago, BankFodder said:

This may be too aggressive for your taste

 

I added the address and a few minor tweaks but otherwise sent as is, Dankeschön

[NPLondon]

No response from DHL after the reply that security is taking a look at this.

 

The letter has gone 1st class signed for. 

 

I haven't filed a police report, I need to do it with Northumbrian police - will this help matters?

[NPLondon]

The latest from DHL Parcel:

 

Quote

 

Over the last 24 hours we have been able to make some progress on locating your item. For reasons that we are not able to understand at this point your shipment has had a duplicate shipment number with the shipment that was going to the address in Newcastle . We have video evidence of the item that was delivered to Newcastle (a jiffy bag) and video evidence of your item in our Dartford location. The yellow box with white fragile tape on it can clearly be seen on the conveyor system in the Dartford location.

 

Because of the duplication in tracking numbers the details you have seen on the web is the shipping details for the Newcastle shipment and not your delivery, the duplication of these numbers on the system would also not allow our Dartford location to deliver your item to you.

 

We have now determined that your item is currently in the process of being returned to the sender in Germany and from the tracking we can see it is currently in cologne awaiting to be processed. One of my colleagues in the international team is currently in contact with the returns team in cologne to try and locate the item so we can get it delivered to yourself.  

 

As soon as I get some positive information of when we can get it to you i will be back in contact

 

As I have previously stated we are very sorry about this , we are trying to do all we can to rectify this situation 

 

 

[NPLondon]

I don’t know what to think about this. The chances that a pre-printed label issued in Germany exactly match a tracking number issued in the UK are remote. And even if this was an issue  and their systems suffered a meltdown and couldn't deliver it then why has the package been sitting in Dartford since the 8th January  despite having my address fully visible?

 

I will update here if there is any movement on the package - or if it makes an appearance. 

Edited January 23, 2020 by NPLondon

[NPLondon]

Chasing email above sent to DHL to find out where the parcel is:

 

Quote

 

It beggars belief that an outfit like DHL operate a system where it is possible to have two identical tracking numbers. I find myself very sceptical.

However, you say that you have found the parcel – and I hope it is in good condition – and I understand that you are arranging for it to be delivered to me. You are now aware of the value that I set by it.

 

In view of the fact that it now appears that the consignment may finally be on its way to me, I will suspend issuing my letter of action which is prepared and I was due to send to you  – but make no mistake, I'm fully prepared to commence action if my property is not returned to me.

I require you keep me fully up to date as to the movements of my belongings, that you provide me with a tracking number and also you arrange delivery by a responsible person into my hands – and by appointment so there is no further error. 

As you can imagine I take a very grave view of what has happened. It has caused me a great deal of distress and also it has been unnecessarily time-consuming in my busy schedule. Furthermore, I had started to correspond with the person who you effectively identified as the recipient in the genuine belief that he had acted dishonestly – a conclusion which was entirely reasonable based on the information provided by DHL. Furthermore, a police report has been filed and they are investigating the allegations. I'm sure that you can understand why this is a matter that I'm taking extremely seriously and the very complicated situation you have caused through your negligent handling of this parcel.

You can be certain that I shall be raising the subject of compensation with you once the parcel is safely in my hands. Please do not approach me with a gesture of goodwill. The compensation that I will require will have to be discussed and agreed before I accept it and you can consider the matter closed.

 

 

[NPLondon]

No news from dhl after the email sent Friday morning. It’s getting on for nearly 3 weeks now since it was ‘delivered‘. If they know it’s in Cologne (as of Thursday 23 Jan) then why are there no updates... 

[NPLondon]

Here's a revised letter of claim to see if we can get some results:

 

Quote

 

Dear Richard

 

Further to my email of Friday 24th Jan 2020 I'm very sorry that you haven't responded with an update.   You stated on the 23rd January that you probably know the whereabouts of the parcel which was originally due to be delivered to me on the 8th January. However, since then you have failed to propose any solution or have been unable to confirm if you have actually located my belongings.

 

You have now said that the parcel might be in Cologne but I have heard nothing further. The sender of the parcel has also not received a revised tracking number or other any other updates whatsoever despite raising the issue more than once via your online reporting tool. 

 

As you know, DHL by their negligence created a situation whereby a parcel addressed to me was unable to be delivered due to an alleged issue with the tracking number that was duplicated with another delivery. This is resulted in all of us incorrectly assuming that the parcel had been delivered to an address in Whitley Bay, Tyne & Wear when in fact it had probably sat in your warehouse in Dartford for two weeks.

 

In your correspondence to me you have already admitted what has happened and that for whatever reason, DHL was responsible.

 

You are fully aware that the contents of the parcel include a set of silver-plated cutlery which has a special sentimental value to me, in addition to other items which the sender spent a great deal of time and effort selecting and which were sent to me by way of birthday gifts. Because the cutlery set was given to me specifically as a birthday gift and was inherited from her late step-mother, I have already explained to you that apart from the fact that I'm not aware that these items are available any more, they are irreplaceable to me.

 

You can imagine the distress I feel having to place a value on them but for the purposes of court procedure, I am identifying a figure of £2500 has a sum which might in some measure go towards compensating me for this loss.

 

Accordingly, I require that you send me a cheque for the above sum within 14 days and failing which I shall begin an action in the County Court in respect of your next and handling of my property and without any further notice.

 

I hope you can appreciate what a complicated situation you have created by your negligent handling of this matter and then your lack of cooperation in providing me with the information I need.

 

Please point out to your legal department that I am not prepared to receive any communications from you on a without prejudice basis. Everything is at large will be disclosed to the court if necessary.