DX tracking status

DX “Your tracking details have not been recognised”: what it means

The short answer

Keep an eye on it

DX's tracker cannot match the number or postcode you entered. Often that is a typing error, or DX has not received the item yet. DX gives no details of an item without a valid number, so check it against the seller's message first.

When to act: If the number still does not work 2 working days after the seller says it was sent, file a complaint and we send it to the seller.

Also shown as: “DX is unable to find the consignment relating to the details provided” · “My DX tracking / consignment / reference number is not valid” · “Tracking number not valid”

What to do now

Copy the number straight from the seller's message, the text from DX or the calling card, without spaces.
Check its length: 8 digits for DX's freight service, 9 to 13 for DX Express.
Enter the postcode of the address the item was first due to go to, not your billing address.
Try again the next day if the seller has only just sent it.
Keep the seller's dispatch message and a screenshot of the failed search for your complaint.
Still not sorted? File your complaint here. We write it with you and send it to the seller, so you do not have to chase it yourself.

Start my complaint

What does “Your tracking details have not been recognised” mean?

DX's Track page uses this line when a number is not working. It takes a tracking number, calling card number, consignment number or customer reference, and for some services it also asks for a postcode, so a wrong number may first just bring that prompt. With a made-up number and a postcode we got a page saying DX is unable to find the consignment, because the number or postcode is incorrect or the delivery was made more than 30 days ago.

The postcode is that of the address the item was first due to go to, even if you later moved the delivery. The length is a useful check: DX uses 8 digits on its freight service and 9 to 13 digits on DX Express. DX says that if you have no number at all, it probably has no item for you yet, and that it will not give out any information without one, to protect the items in its care.

Why does DX show it?

A typing error, or a number copied with spaces
A reference from the seller that DX does not hold
The wrong postcode, such as your billing address, or the new address after a redirected delivery
The seller has created the number but has not handed the item to DX
The delivery was made more than 30 days ago

How long does it last?

Once DX has received and scanned the item, the number should start working.

Other DX statuses

Not arrived or delayedKeep an eye on it
Tracking not updatingKeep an eye on it
Scanned at the depotKeep an eye on it
Out for deliveryNormal
Sorry we missed youTake action
Delivered but not receivedTake action

All DX statuses →

Who is responsible for a late or missing parcel from DX?

If you bought it online from a business, the seller picked DX and it usually stays responsible until you have the item. Section 29 of the Consumer Rights Act leaves the risk with the seller until the goods reach you or a person you named to take them, unless you booked the courier yourself and the seller did not offer it as an option.

If you sent it yourself on a DX account, your contract is with DX under its conditions of carriage. They cap DX's liability at the limit per package in your service agreement, and DX does not pay the first £25 of any claim.

Questions about “Your tracking details have not been recognised”

Where do I find my DX tracking number?

DX says the sender may have asked it to text you the number. After a missed delivery, the calling card has a tracking or consignment number. Also look in your order confirmation and dispatch email.

What does a DX tracking number look like?

8 digits on DX's freight service, which carries parcels, pallets and oversized goods. DX Express, for mail and smaller parcels, uses 9 to 13 digits.

Why will DX not tell me anything without a tracking number?

DX says it needs the number before it gives any information, to protect the items in its care. With no number at all, it says it probably has no item for you yet.

I am waiting for a passport from DX and have no number. What now?

DX names passports among the items it delivers. Look through the messages from the organisation sending it, because the sender decides whether you get a text with the number. Without a number, DX will not give details of the item.

Can I track DX with just my postcode?

No. The postcode only goes with a number, on services that ask for it. DX's tracker needs a tracking number, calling card number, consignment number or customer reference first.

Based on

DX: My DX tracking / consignment / reference number is not valid, what do I do?
DX: What should I do if I don't have a DX tracking number?
DX: Where do I find my DX tracking number?
DX: Contact us (tracking number lengths per service)
DX: Track my item
DX: Why is my postcode not being accepted by the tracking service?
DX: tracker (no charge at the point of delivery, postcode prompt, error message)
legislation.gov.uk: Consumer Rights Act, section 29 (goods stay at the seller's risk until delivered)
DX: Express Conditions of Carriage, the version on its current terms page