Failed Deliveries SOP

Table of Contents

• 1. Purpose

• 2. Scope

• 3. Procedure

  • Step 1 - Track the parcel

  • A - Ram

  • B - Bash Delivery

1. Purpose

This SOP covers the process that needs to be followed for failed deliveries.

2. Scope

This SOP covers the process that needs to be followed for failed deliveries. This SOP does not apply to the following:

• Click and Collect orders

3. Procedure

Context -

A failed delivery occurs when a courier goes out for delivery with the intention of delivering a parcel to a customer, but the courier ends up being unsuccessful in their delivery attempt. All of our courier partners will make 3 delivery attempts before returning the parcel for a refund. The standard approach for failed deliveries is that the courier will reattempt the delivery on the following business day after a failed delivery attempt. If a courier has an issue with locating an address, they will try to clarify the delivery address with the customer before reattempting the delivery. 

Often, customers will interpret a failed delivery notification as “The courier made it to my delivery location, and I was not here”. While this is possibly the reason the delivery failed, here are some more reasons why the delivery may fail-

• The driver had difficulty locating the address

• The delivery address provided was incorrect

• The driver ran out of time and could not complete all of their deliveries

• The driver encountered an obstacle, preventing them from getting to the delivery location -

  • Road closures

  • Strikes

  • Natural disasters

  • Vehicle issues

Step 1 - Track the parcel

1.1) Conduct a search using the relevant order number on BashAdmin - Order Search.

1.2) Check the “Attempts” column under the Logistics tab. Here you will see how many times the parcel has gone out for delivery. We can check the parcel state column and expand it to see how many of those attempts have failed, or we can use the parcel number to track the parcel via the relevant courier tracking platform (Ram, Bash Delivery) to see how many failed delivery attempts have been made. Follow the relevant courier process below.

A - RAM

NB - If the reason for the failed delivery is due to an error in the delivery address provided by the customer, RAM will reach out to the customer for the correct address before reattempting delivery.

A1) If there has been 1 failed delivery attempt, advise the customer that the courier will reattempt delivery on the following business day (Mon-Fri).

A2) If there have been 2 failed delivery attempts, advise the customer that the courier will reattempt delivery on the following business day (Mon-Fri).

A3) If there have been 3 failed delivery attempts, advise the customer that their order will be returned to our DC and a refund will be issued once the return has been processed. 

B - Bash Delivery

NB - Bash Delivery should only attempt Saturday deliveries at residential addresses.

C1) If there has been 1 failed delivery attempt, advise the customer that the courier will reattempt delivery on the following day (Mon-Sat).

C2) If there have been 2 failed delivery attempts, advise the customer that the courier will reattempt delivery on the following day (Mon-Sat).

C3) If there have been 3 failed delivery attempts, Bash delivery will have the item returned to OTD for a refund via RAM couriers. We will lose sight of the tracking after the 3rd failed delivery attempt, up until the return is processed by OTD. If the customer needs an update on the status of the return, we will need to reach out to Bash Delivery for an update.

Note:

• This SOP is a living document and should be reviewed and updated regularly to ensure accuracy and relevance.

• All employees involved in the process should be familiar with and adhere to this SOP.