If your post has been damaged, lost or delayed by Royal Mail

You might be able to claim compensation from the delivery company that sent your item - for example, Royal Mail, Evri or DPD. How much money you can get depends on how the item was sent and what the problem is.

You can also complain to the delivery company about their service at any time. You don’t have to make a complaint to be able to claim compensation.

If a document like a passport or driving licence was lost in the post

Contact the organisation that issued the document as soon as possible. For example, if your passport was lost in the post you should contact the Home Office on GOV.UK.

Ask the organisation to cancel the document. This stops anyone from using it to pretend to be you.

If you bought something online, over the phone or in a shop

You should try to contact the seller before you complain to the delivery company or ask them for compensation - you’ll usually get a better result. You can:

• ask for a refund or redelivery if the item didn’t arrive

• check your options for returning damaged or broken goods

If you want to claim compensation 

You might be able to claim compensation if you sent the item yourself or if you were expecting the item.

If Royal Mail sent your item, you can check our advice about claiming compensation from Royal Mail.

If a courier or delivery company sent your item, how you claim compensation might be different. For example, you might need to contact their customer services team or fill in a form. 

You should check the courier’s website to find out how to claim compensation.

If you want to make a complaint

You can complain if you sent the item yourself or if you were expecting the item.

If you make a complaint you will not automatically get compensation - you usually need to claim compensation separately.

If you want to complain about Royal Mail’s service, you can check how to make a complaint about Royal Mail on their website.

If you want to complain about a different courier or delivery company, you should check their website to find out how to make your complaint.

Every delivery company must make it clear how you can complain. If it isn’t clear, you can report the delivery company to our consumer service.

If you're not happy with the response to your complaint

You might want to escalate your complaint. 

If your post or parcel was stolen

You can claim compensation or make a complaint.

You can also report the theft to the police. They might not be able to get the parcel back for you, but it’s worth mentioning in a claim for compensation or in your complaint. You can report a theft on the UK police website.

To help avoid more thefts in future, you might want to get your parcels delivered to a collection point in a local shop or secure locker. 

If you need your parcels delivered directly to your home, you could think about getting a parcel safe, but these can be expensive.