Regulated by Trading Standards

How to complain to DPD

The most useful thing to know about a lost or damaged parcel is that, in most cases, your claim is not against the courier at all. If a retailer arranged the delivery, the goods stay at the retailer’s risk until they are physically in your hands, so the retailer owes you the refund or replacement and it is the retailer’s job to chase the courier.

The rights that apply when you complain to DPD

DPD is a UK parcel courier, so the rules below are the ones that decide your complaint. Each is named, because a letter that cites the specific rule is handled by a different team to one that does not.

Goods remain at the seller’s risk until they come into your physical possession. A parcel lost, stolen or damaged in transit is the retailer’s problem, not yours, even if the courier says it was delivered. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 29
A parcel left in a place you did not nominate, or handed to a neighbour you did not authorise, has not been delivered to you for these purposes. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 29
Goods must be delivered within 30 days unless you agreed otherwise. If delivery by a particular date was essential and you said so, you can treat the contract as at an end and demand a refund. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 28
Where you booked and paid the courier yourself, the courier owes you a service carried out with reasonable care and skill, and its liability caps only bite so far as they are fair. Consumer Rights Act 2015, sections 49 and 62
A photograph of a doorstep is evidence the courier put a parcel somewhere. It is not proof it reached you, and it does not discharge the retailer’s obligation. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 29

DPD complaints line: 0121 275 0500 — put the complaint in writing as well. A phone call leaves no record you can rely on later.

The deadlines that decide your claim

30 days — the default delivery limit

Unless you agreed a longer period, non-delivery within 30 days is a breach you can act on straight away.

120 days — the chargeback window

If the retailer will not refund, a chargeback for goods not received is normally available within 120 days of the transaction or of the expected delivery date.

6 years — the claim limit

Six years in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, five in Scotland, to bring a claim for breach of contract.

What to put in the letter to DPD

Complaints teams work from a script. The detail below is what moves a case off that script and onto the desk of someone who can authorise a remedy.

Address the letter to the retailer first, not the courier, unless you booked the courier yourself. Say explicitly that section 29 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 keeps the goods at the seller’s risk until delivery into your possession.
The order number, the tracking number and the courier’s delivery evidence, including any photograph, and why it does not show delivery to you.
Whether you nominated a safe place or authorised a neighbour. If you did not, say so plainly.
What you want: a replacement or a full refund within 14 days, and a statement that you will pursue chargeback and a county court claim otherwise.

If DPD says no, or says nothing

Escalate to chargeback, section 75 or the small claims court.

When you can go: There is no ombudsman for this sector, so once the company has given you its final answer the next step is your card provider or the county court.

How long you have: Chargeback is normally 120 days from the transaction or from when you expected delivery. A court claim is six years from the breach in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, five in Scotland.

What it costs: Chargeback and section 75 are free. A money claim under £300 costs £35 to issue online, rising with the value of the claim.

Whether it binds DPD: A county court judgment is binding and enforceable. A chargeback can be reversed by the merchant, a section 75 claim can be taken to the Financial Ombudsman if the card issuer refuses it.

Worth knowing before you start

Parcel couriers other than Royal Mail and Parcelforce are not covered by an ombudsman scheme, and where the retailer arranged the delivery you have no contract with the courier at all. That is not a weakness in your position. It means you should be claiming from the retailer, which does have a contract with you and does have a statutory obligation to you.

Common questions

The courier says it was delivered but I never got it. Who do I claim from?

The retailer, in almost every case. Section 29 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 says the goods remain at the trader’s risk until they come into the physical possession of you or someone you identified to take delivery. A parcel left in a porch, put over a fence, or given to a neighbour you did not nominate has not come into your possession. Write to the retailer, not the courier, quote section 29 and ask for a replacement or a refund. Chasing the courier is the retailer’s job.

The retailer says I have to open a claim with the courier first. Is that right?

No. If the retailer arranged the delivery, your contract is with the retailer and the courier’s claims process is between the retailer and its supplier. You can decline politely, restate section 29, and give a 14-day deadline for the refund. If the retailer still refuses, raise a chargeback with your card provider or a section 75 claim if you paid over £100 by credit card.

What if I booked and paid the courier myself?

Then you do have a contract with the courier, and the service must be carried out with reasonable care and skill under section 49 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015. Couriers cap their liability, often at a low figure unless you bought extra cover, and those caps are generally enforceable if they were brought to your attention. Check what cover was included in the price you paid, claim to that level, and challenge the cap under section 62 only if the term was hidden or plainly unreasonable.

My parcel arrived damaged. Does that change anything?

No. Damage in transit is the same risk question as loss. The goods were not of satisfactory quality when they came into your possession, so the retailer owes you a repair, replacement or refund. Photograph the packaging as well as the item, because the state of the outer packaging is what usually decides whether the courier or the packing was at fault, and that argument is the retailer’s to have, not yours.

Where this comes from

Every rule on this page is drawn from primary legislation, a regulator, or an approved dispute resolution scheme. Check them yourself.

Paybacker is not a law firm and this is not legal advice. It is a summary of the published rules that apply to a parcel courier, so that you can put your own case properly. For a dispute of real value, or anything turning on facts unique to you, speak to a solicitor or Citizens Advice.

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