So, you place an order with us and then wait excitedly for the parcel to arrive… but it doesn’t!
So what do you do?
Here our are tips for resolving any ‘missing items’ concerns:
1. Check the dispatch/waiting time
Depending on what you order, various products have different ‘lead times’ between ordering and dispatch. These are noted either on the products themselves or on the “Shipping & Waiting Times” page. Double check both the listings for the items you ordered and the waiting times page, to see if this accounts for the delay. Sometimes it’s a custom order item with a several week queue.
So you check the waiting time and are pretty sure your parcel should have arrived by now.
2. Check for a ‘sorry we missed you’ card
If the parcel has been dispatched, there is a chance that the Royal Mail or courier tried to deliver it and couldn’t get an answer at the door. In these cases, they should leave a “Sorry we missed you” card with details of how to claim the parcel.
No card? Next step…
3. Contact us!
If you’re sure you should have had your parcel and you are pretty sure that delivery was not attempted, get in touch! Our contact details are on our website and on our FetLife profile. If we still have the parcel for some reason (perhaps because we’re running over our custom waiting time) then we’ll let you know that it’s still in the queue to be made. We do endeavour to get in touch with all customers regarding significant delays to their orders, so if we’re overrunning the custom waiting time, chances are we’ve already spoken to you. We do occasionally find that our e-mails get routed through to ‘junk’ folders by the e-mail sorting cyber-monkeys, so if you’ve not heard from us and your order is delayed, make sure our sales@impact-toys address is set to ‘safe’ or added to your contact lists.
What happens if we’ve sent the parcel and it’s not arrived? We’ll check the parcel code to see if the Royal Mail or courier have an update on the parcel location, and advise accordingly. Sometimes parcels do get lost in the system, in which case we’ll discuss with you how to proceed. Please note that the time frame in which the Royal Mail and various couriers require to determine that a parcel is lost is often a few weeks, so there is a chance the parcel is delayed rather than lost. We’ll talk you through everything when you let us know your parcel hasn’t arrived.
If you follow these steps, we should be able to resolve any missing parcels problems and if appropriate, we will open a case with the postage company and re-send or refund your order.
Troubleshooting:
- Help, I can’t get in contact with you!
We have several e-mail addresses, two phone numbers, several social network profiles and of course, our FetLife profile. We respond to all mails, texts and other communications that we receive. Sometimes your e-mail ends up in our spam filter, so it’s best to send it from a private e-mail account rather than a company/work one, as ‘commercial’ seeming e-mails are more likely to be filtered. It can take 24-48 hours for us to respond, depending on our workload and what we’re up to. We don’t always respond at the weekend either – sometimes we like time off too! But usually we’ll respond the same day. If you have not had a response within a few days, try again on a different platform.
- Help, I can’t find your contact details!
Check our FetLife profile and our website. Our main e-mail address is sales@impact-toys.com
- I need my parcel urgently/for a specific date/faster than expected.
If you know when you’ll need the item for before you order, please let us know so we can advise you on any anticipated delays. If you realise after you ordered that you need the parcel earlier then expected, get in touch and we’ll see what we can do.
- I heard from a friend that they never got their order…
Sadly, this happens sometimes. People perhaps feel nervous about making a fuss so they don’t contact us, but they might tell their friends that the toys never arrived. Sometimes there are misunderstandings about the waiting times – we’ve had people ask about ‘missing parcels’ for custom work that was only ordered a few days earlier, or who have expected Amazon-style next-day delivery (yes, we have had someone place an order at 8pm and then ask they they didn’t receive it the next day!). Misunderstandings happen, but we can only rectify the situation if we know about it.
Thinking of placing an order but put off by what someone has said? Ask around! Check out the reviews page on our FetLife profile. Ask us how we handle different order problems. Let your friend know that they can contact us to find a solution to their missing parcel (or damaged parcel, or whatever the problem may be)
- I want to make sure my order is sent out with tracking and insurance
No problem! For Impact-Toys, we offer two postage rates for UK customers. Our free postage is ‘signed for’ and insured up to £50. We also offer a tracked service that insures up to £500 of goods for just £4.50. For international customers our postage rates start at £9.50 and we ask that non-UK customers get in touch before ordering, to avoid disappointment regarding postage and shipping expectations. We regularly send parcels to the USA, Australia, mainland Europe and beyond. Check out our “Shipping & Waiting Times” pages on our website for more information.
Sadly, if you have already placed your order and we have dispatched it, we can’t change the service or add extra insurance.
- We get a parcel returned due to non-delivery
If we get a parcel returned to us, usually due to a failed delivery attempt and then it not being claimed by the recipient, we will immediately get in touch with you to let you know your order is safe and to discuss how you wish to proceed. This has happened a few times, and we’ve been unable to get hold of the recipient. If you do change your contact details, especially your address, please let us know! If we can’t contact you, we can’t help you get your parcel.