A courier claim pack is the evidence a carrier requires to pay out on a lost or damaged parcel: proof of posting, proof of value, proof of damage, and the customer's account. Most rejected claims are rejected because something was collected too late or never collected, not because the claim was unfounded.
When to use it
Start it the moment a parcel is reported damaged or goes past the point where it should have arrived. Waiting until you have decided whether to claim is how the evidence window closes.
Check the carrier's deadline before anything else. They vary and they are short, and a claim submitted a day late is refused regardless of merit.
The template
Gather these, then submit. The order is roughly how quickly each becomes unavailable.
COURIER CLAIM PACK Order: [number] Tracking: [ ] Carrier: [ ] Reported: [date] Claim deadline: [date] Owner: [name] 1. TIME-SENSITIVE (get these first) [ ] Photos from the customer: item, packaging, outer box, label [ ] Ask the customer to keep the packaging until told otherwise [ ] Screenshot the tracking page, with its current status and dates [ ] Customer's written account of what arrived and when 2. FROM YOUR RECORDS [ ] Proof of posting or collection manifest [ ] Order value and what the item cost you, not the retail price [ ] Packing photo or packing standard, if you have one [ ] Weight and dimensions as declared 3. THE CLAIM [ ] Carrier's claim form completed [ ] Everything above attached [ ] Submitted before the deadline [ ] Reference recorded: [ ] 4. THE CUSTOMER, SEPARATELY [ ] Resolved with them now, not when the claim settles [ ] Replacement sent or refund issued [ ] Told what happens next, if anything Outcome: [ ] Settled: [date]
How to adapt it
- Keep section four separate and do it immediately. The customer's outcome must not wait on the carrier. Claims take weeks and the customer did not choose the carrier, you did.
- Ask for photos in the first message, not the second. A customer who has already thrown away the packaging cannot produce it, and most people bin it within a day.
- Record cost, not retail value. Carriers settle on your cost, and claiming retail slows the claim down while they ask for proof.
- Note the deadline at the top. It is the only item on the list that makes everything else worthless if missed.
Why it is this short
The pack is short because the slow version does not get assembled. A claim with four of the six items, submitted on time, beats a complete one submitted after the window.
It is also ordered by decay rather than by importance. Proof of posting is still available next week; a photo of packaging the customer has already recycled is not.
Common questions
What evidence does a courier claim need?
Usually proof of posting, proof of value at cost, photographs of the damage and packaging, the tracking record, and the customer's account of what arrived. Requirements vary by carrier, so check theirs before assembling.
How quickly should photos be requested?
In the first message to the customer. Packaging gets thrown away within a day or two, and a claim without it is much weaker or simply refused.
Should the customer wait for the claim to settle?
No. Resolve with them immediately and pursue the carrier separately. Claims take weeks, and the customer did not choose the carrier.
What value should be claimed?
What the item cost you rather than its retail price. Carriers settle on cost, and claiming retail usually just adds a round of questions.