Purolator tracking status

Purolator “Attempted delivery - receiver unavailable”: what it means

The short answer

Take action

The driver recorded that nobody could take your parcel, so it usually goes to a pickup location for 5 business days. Purolator says it makes one attempt at homes, so look for the card at your door and watch tracking for the location.

When to act: If you were home, or no card or pickup location appears after 2 business days, file a complaint and we send it to Purolator.

Also shown as: “Unable to deliver - receiver unavailable” · “Delivery attempted - Business closed” · “Unable to deliver - receiver closed” · “Unable to deliver - receiver inaccessible” · “Unable to deliver - new delivery date required” · “Unable to deliver - street number not found” · “Delayed due to missed delivery” · “Address correction required” · “Address correction required - resolution in progress” · “Address correction required - incomplete / incorrect address provided” · “Address correction required - incorrect or missing unit number” · “Address correction required - no entry code”

What to do now

Check your door, mailbox and lobby for the delivery notice, which says where the parcel will be held. If Purolator texted you, the digital doorknocker works too.
Read the next lines of tracking. The pickup location usually appears there within a day.
Bring government-issued photo ID that matches the name and address on the parcel when you collect it.
Use the Purolator Your Way link if Purolator texted you: you can correct the address, set a buzzer code and delivery spot, or choose hold for pick-up.
If you were home, save door camera footage and a note of the time, plus a screenshot of the line.
Still not sorted? File your complaint here. We write it with you and send it to Purolator, so you do not have to chase it yourself.

Start my complaint

Missed delivery or a card left with another courier

What does “Attempted delivery - receiver unavailable” mean?

This line means the driver scanned a failed attempt at your address. Purolator says homes get one attempt: the driver leaves a delivery notice (a doorknocker card) and the parcel is held at a pickup location for 5 business days. Businesses get up to three attempts, then a 5 business day hold at the depot. Drivers may leave a parcel at the door if the spot looks safe, but not when the sender or the contents require a signature.

'Delayed due to missed delivery' looks similar and means the opposite. It is the one delay line Purolator defines: the driver could not make an attempt at all, because of an on-road emergency or not having time to finish the route. 'Address correction required' is a third case: Purolator treats the address as incorrect, incomplete or illegible, and the parcel waits until that is fixed, or goes back to the sender. Some people report an attempt line when they were home and with no card, often with a buzzer or locked building involved, and some report a second or third attempt at a home despite the one attempt rule.

Why does Purolator show it?

Nobody was home to sign, or the driver judged the door unsafe
The driver could not get in: a buzzer, locked lobby or gate
The business was closed at the time
The sender or the contents required a signature
A missing unit number or a street number the driver could not find
The driver ran out of time or had an on-road emergency ('Delayed due to missed delivery')

How long does it last?

In tracking histories people share, the parcel goes back to a sort facility or pickup location, and within a day tracking shows 'Shipment available for pickup' and 'Available for pickup for 5 business days from arrival date at the counter'. A second delivery is not automatic for homes, and Purolator's terms add a redelivery charge when the failed attempt was not its fault. After 'Delayed due to missed delivery', the parcel should go out again. After 'Address correction required', parcels can sit for days, and some go back to the sender.

Other Purolator statuses

Delayed in transit due to disruptionKeep an eye on it
Delayed in transit due to rail delayKeep an eye on it
Delayed in transit due to missed connectionKeep an eye on it
Weather delay - service will resume weather permittingKeep an eye on it
Mechanical delayKeep an eye on it
Tracking not updatingKeep an eye on it
Shipper created a labelKeep an eye on it
Delivered but not receivedTake action
Shipment available for pickupTake action
Item being returned to sender, determined as undeliverableTake action

All Purolator statuses →

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

If you bought online from a business, the seller chose Purolator and is its customer, so a late, lost or missing order is in most cases for the seller to put right, with a replacement or a refund. Purolator's terms also say that only the party obliged to pay it for the shipment can file a claim, which for an online order is normally the seller.

If you sent the parcel yourself, your contract is with Purolator, under its Terms and Conditions of Service. Its liability is limited to C$2.00 per pound (C$4.41 per kg) of the shipment's weight unless you declared a higher value and paid the surcharge, up to C$5,000 for a courier shipment. A guaranteed service that arrives late may earn the payer a refund or credit of half the service rate. Standard Ground has no guarantee. No refund applies when the delay comes from events beyond Purolator's control, such as weather or mechanical delays, or when Purolator has suspended the guarantee.

Questions about “Attempted delivery - receiver unavailable”

What does 'Attempted delivery - receiver unavailable' mean on Purolator?

The driver scanned a failed attempt because nobody could take the parcel. A notice should be left, and the parcel goes to a pickup location for 5 business days. Tracking usually shows the location within a day.

How many times does Purolator try to deliver?

Purolator says one attempt for homes, then a 5 business day hold at a pickup location. Businesses get up to three attempts, then a 5 business day hold at the depot. Some shared histories show more than one attempt at a home, so do not count on another.

Why did Purolator say attempted delivery when I was home?

Purolator does not publish how drivers record this. People report no knock, no buzzer and no card, and its terms say a notice will be left. Save camera footage and the line. If you were home, file a complaint here and we send it to Purolator.

What does 'Delayed due to missed delivery' mean?

Purolator says its driver could not make an attempt, for example after an on-road emergency such as an illness or accident, or from not having time to finish all deliveries. You did not miss anything, and the parcel should go out again.

What does 'Address correction required' mean on Purolator?

Purolator treats the address as incorrect, incomplete or illegible, and the parcel waits. If Purolator texted you, you can use Request Address Change in Purolator Your Way before delivery, unless the sender blocks it. Check the unit number and postal code first. In shared histories an unresolved address can send the parcel back.

Based on

Purolator: FAQs for shipping and delivery (delivery attempts, doorknocker card, leaving parcels at the door)
Purolator: FAQs for receiving shipments (tracking updates, missed delivery line, 5 business day hold, ID, proof of delivery)
Purolator Terms and Conditions of Service
Purolator: FAQ on Purolator Your Way (text message link, address change, hold for pick-up, delivery spots)
RedFlagDeals forum, Purolator Shipping Support Thread, page 24 (shared tracking history: full history from attempt to pickup, street number not found)
RedFlagDeals forum, Purolator Shipping Support Thread, page 15 (shared tracking history: Attempted delivery - receiver unavailable)
RedFlagDeals forum, Purolator Shipping Support Thread, page 5 (shared tracking history: Unable to deliver - receiver closed)
RedFlagDeals forum, Purolator Shipping Support Thread, page 12 (shared tracking history: Delivery attempted - Business closed, no entry code)
RedFlagDeals forum, Purolator Shipping Support Thread, page 23 (shared tracking history: Address correction required)
Reddit r/purolator (shared tracking history): Unable to deliver - receiver unavailable, then available for pickup
Reddit r/purolator (shared tracking history): Unable to deliver - receiver inaccessible
Reddit r/purolator (shared tracking history): Unable to deliver - new delivery date required
Reddit r/purolator (shared tracking history): screenshot, Address correction required - resolution in progress, and incorrect or missing unit number
Reddit r/purolator (shared tracking history): three attempts claimed at a home, then a return
Reddit r/purolator (shared tracking history): Address correction required looping for weeks
Amendment #1 to the Purolator Terms and Conditions of Service (guarantee refunds, undeliverable shipments, events beyond its control, who may claim)
Purolator: Terms and Conditions of Service page (current terms and amendments in force)