Parcelforce tracking status

Parcelforce “Delivery Attempted”: what it means

The short answer

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A Parcelforce driver tried to deliver but could not leave your parcel, and it normally tries again the next working day. You get two attempts, then it waits at your depot for 18 days (21 for international and customs charge parcels).

When to act: If you were in when Parcelforce says it tried, or a redelivery you booked has not come 2 working days after the booked day, file a complaint and we send it to Parcelforce.

Also shown as: “Delivery Attempted - Address Inaccessible” · “Sorry, we tried to deliver your parcel on [date] but there didn't seem to be anyone in. To book a redelivery, please choose an option below.” · “We'll attempt to redeliver to you on the next working day (excludes Sundays)” · “Item Prepared for Redelivery” · “Your parcel from [sender] will be redelivered the next working day” · “Your parcel from [sender] could not be delivered today”

What to do now

Look for the Something for you card around your door. It says where the parcel is and gives your reference.
Wait for the automatic second attempt on the next working day. Sundays do not count.
To choose another day or place, use Change delivery options on the tracking page or in the Royal Mail app. You need 48 working hours' notice.
If you need it sooner, collect it from the depot named on the card or in the tracking. Take the card, or the text or email if you got one, and ID in the name on the parcel, such as a bank card, passport or driving licence.
If you were in, note the date and time shown, and save any doorbell footage for your complaint.
Still not sorted? File your complaint here. We write it with you and send it to Parcelforce, so you do not have to chase it yourself.

Start my complaint

Missed delivery or a card left with another courier

What does “Delivery Attempted” mean?

Parcelforce says this happens when nobody was there to sign or there was no suitable Safeplace or neighbour. The driver should leave a Something for you card. The top of the page may say there didn't seem to be anyone in. Delivery Attempted - Address Inaccessible means the driver could not get to your door or leave a card.

Parcelforce's rule is an automatic second attempt on the next working day, and the tracking adds that this excludes Sundays. If that fails, the parcel waits at your local depot for 18 days (21 days for international and customs charge parcels). People also share histories with more than two attempt lines, with attempts while they were at home, and with no card. Item Prepared for Redelivery means a new attempt is set up.

Why does Parcelforce show it?

Nobody was in to sign for it
No suitable Safeplace or neighbour
The parcel needs a signature or age check, so it cannot be left
The driver could not reach the door, as with a closed road or a locked block of flats
A closed business, or an address that only accepts deliveries at certain times

How long does it last?

The next attempt is usually the next working day. A redelivery you book needs 48 working hours' notice and can go to your home, another address in your postcode area, a Post Office branch or a Parcel Locker, at no charge. A Post Office keeps it for 10 days. A Parcel Locker keeps it for 3 days, then it returns to the depot for a further 18 days. Age-checked parcels can only go back to the original address, and signature parcels cannot go to a locker. In accounts people share, the app can refuse another booking after a booked redelivery or a second attempt, which leaves collection from the depot.

Other Parcelforce statuses

Held as Customs fee to payTake action
Item ReceivedNormal
Due to be delivered todayNormal
Available for Redelivery or CollectionTake action
Item RetentionKeep an eye on it
Tracking not updating or parcel lateKeep an eye on it
Returned to senderTake action
We're expecting itKeep an eye on it
Delivered but not receivedTake action

All Parcelforce statuses →

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

Buy online from a business and the seller usually has to sort it out until the parcel reaches you. Under UK consumer law (the Consumer Rights Act, section 29) the goods stay at the seller's risk until they are in your hands, or with someone you named to take them, unless you booked the courier yourself and the seller did not offer it as an option. Parcelforce's own help also says the retailer has a legal responsibility to make sure you get what you paid for.

If you sent the parcel yourself, your contract is under the joint Royal Mail and Parcelforce Worldwide terms for the service you bought. UK express services include cover of up to £150 per item for loss or damage, and you can add more, up to £2,500 per item. A refund for late delivery depends on the service: 100% of the delivery cost for express10 and expressAM, 50% for express24 and nothing for express48 or express48large.

Questions about “Delivery Attempted”

How many times will Parcelforce try to deliver?

Two, by its own rule. The second attempt is automatic on the next working day, and after that the parcel waits at your local depot. People also share histories with more attempt lines than that.

Parcelforce says it tried to deliver but I was in. Why?

First check the address on your order. People also share cases where tracking showed an attempt with nobody at the door and no card. An attempt scan matters, because Parcelforce's speed guarantee does not apply once delivery was attempted in service times. Note the date and time, and file a complaint on Complain.biz so we can send it to Parcelforce.

Can I get a Parcelforce redelivery without the card?

Sometimes. Booking starts from your reference number, but people without a card report being asked about it and getting stuck, and one report says a short reference number was refused. The tracking says a text or email can stand in for the card if you collect instead.

How long does a Parcelforce redelivery take?

Allow 48 working hours' notice. A confirmation people share says it generally tries around the time on the card, and that this is not a guarantee. In accounts people share, booked days have been missed in both directions, with a parcel coming a day early or a day or more late.

How long does Parcelforce keep a parcel after a missed delivery?

18 days at the depot for UK services and 21 days for international and customs charge parcels, then it goes back to the sender. A Post Office keeps it for 10 days.

Based on

Parcelforce: Redelivery (attempts, holding periods, ID)
Parcelforce: Missed an attempted delivery?
Parcelforce: Track your parcel (single network with Royal Mail, tracking numbers)
Parcelforce: Return to sender (18 and 21 day holds)
Royal Mail: What does my tracking message mean? (glossary for the tracker Parcelforce parcels now use)
Parcelforce Worldwide: UK parcel services user guide (journey, notifications, Safeplace, photo on delivery)
Parcelforce: Delivery options and speed exceptions
Reddit r/royalmail (shared tracking history): Delivery Attempted - Address Inaccessible, then Available for Redelivery or Collection (screenshot)
Reddit r/royalmail (shared tracking history): Sorry, we tried to deliver your parcel, with collection and ID text (screenshot)
Reddit r/royalmail (shared tracking history): We'll attempt to redeliver, excludes Sundays (screenshot)
Reddit r/royalmail (shared tracking history): Item Prepared for Redelivery at a PFW depot (screenshot)
Reddit r/royalmail (shared tracking history): redelivery confirmation email; attempt came a day before the booked day (screenshot)
Reddit r/royalmail (shared tracking history): repeated Address Inaccessible lines over nine days (screenshot)
Reddit r/royalmail (shared tracking history): no additional delivery options after a booked redelivery (screenshots)
Reddit r/royalmail (shared account): repeated attempt lines, no card, depot asked for proof of address
Reddit r/royalmail (shared account): short reference number refused for redelivery
legislation.gov.uk: Consumer Rights Act, section 29 (goods stay at the seller's risk until they reach you)
Parcelforce: Buying items online, who you should contact
Parcelforce: Enhanced and inclusive compensation
Parcelforce: Refunds for late delivery
Royal Mail: Terms and conditions (Royal Mail and Parcelforce Worldwide)