Refused delivery
Tracking statuses may fluster any shipper, especially the ones who don’t use courier services on a regular basis. There are just so many different statuses that the tracking system can display.
In this article, we explain what does the status “receiver refused the delivery” or “refused by the receiver” mean and what to do if you are not sure why this happened.
What does it mean?
It simply means that the consignee refused to receive the shipment. If the receiver was not informed about the delivery and he did not expect any deliveries, he/she is not the person who was supposed to receive it. If you ship any items to another person, make sure you inform the receiver beforehand.
“Receiver refused the delivery” could also mean that the receiver refused the parcel due to the possible damages it could have suffered during the transit. For those retailers who ship goods to customers, this is a fairly common situation.
What does the courier do with the parcel if the recipient refused delivery?
In most of the cases, parcels refused by the consignee will be returned to the sender. Nevertheless, this varies from one company to another.
Some courier firms might contact the sender and keep the parcel stored in their depot until the situation is clarified.
Be aware that generally, it is the responsibility of the sender to check the updates in the tracking system, as long as the tracking tools are available. The courier company might as well just process the order for a return, without contacting the sender beforehand.
Once the parcel is processed for return, there is little you can do to change its route and it will most probably imply additional costs. Therefore, it is a golden rule is to always check follow the transit of your parcel.
The parcel is mistakenly flagged as "refused by receiver"
Given the number of different reasons that could lead to an unsuccessful delivery, mistakes can easily occur. An incorrect insertion of the transit status leads to an erroneous information.
Maybe the courier simply didn’t find you at home when trying to deliver the parcel. Get in touch with the courier company and sort things out. In such a case, the courier will most probably try a new delivery.
If you are the receiver of the parcel and the courier had not even turned up, it could simply mean that he knocked at the wrong door. Instead of reaching your address, he might have as well ended up with your neighbours and they obviously refused the delivery.
No matter what the reason was, make sure that as soon as the tracking shows “receiver refused the delivery”, you will get in touch with the courier company. This will avoid any unwanted returns and additional costs.
Can you refuse a parcel delivered to you?
Yes. You can refuse a parcel which was not addressed to you but it ended up at your location.
You can also refuse the shipment that you were expecting if it didn’t arrive in a good condition and has clear signs of damages. Alternatively you can accept the package and sign for the shipment as "damaged" at the time of delivery.
You don’t have to accept the delivery or any package that you either did not request it or you don’t want it. You can refuse the delivery in person when the courier arrives at your address or have someone else do it on your behalf.
If you were not at home when the courier had arrived and your parcel was left at your door, call the courier company and inform them that you refuse the package. Don’t open it because, for some courier companies, this might indicate the acceptance. Just schedule a time for pick-up with the courier company.