ParcelClaim

How to complain to Royal Mail and seek a review

Official UK sources checked 3 October 2026 | ParcelClaim Research Team

Quick answer: Start with Royal Mail Customer Services on 03457 740 740 or its official support channels. The complaint process provides an Escalated Customer Resolution Team and Postal Review Panel. POSTRS is conditional on the service and complaint; it is not available for every Royal Mail parcel.
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ParcelClaim is independent and is not Royal Mail. You can use the official contact and claim routes directly for free.

Official Royal Mail complaint and contact options

Initial contact

Royal Mail’s support page lists the non-business parcel-enquiry number above and links its Contact Us form. OBA customers have a separate business line on that page.

Postal complaint

Ofcom’s current Royal Mail guidance publishes: Royal Mail Customer Service Centre, FREEPOST ROYAL MAIL CUSTOMER SERVICES. Keep your complaint reference when contacting Royal Mail again.

Step 1: make the initial complaint

Identify the actual postage product and whether it was bought using a business account. A service complaint might concern repeated delivery handling or an unhelpful response; a compensation claim concerns a specific loss, damage or delay under the product’s policy.

  • Explain what happened and whether you are the sender or recipient.
  • Give the item reference, delivery address, posting date and previous contacts.
  • Ask for the outstanding question to be answered and keep the complaint reference.

Step 2: follow up or request review

The published stages are Customer Services, then the Escalated Customer Resolution Team, then the Postal Review Panel for a final Royal Mail response. Follow the review instructions in your latest letter or email; the Panel’s own page explains its remit and how to refer an existing complaint.

For eligible disputes, Royal Mail’s process identifies POSTRS after deadlock, and also where it has not settled the complaint within 90 days or has not followed its procedure. Eligibility still depends on the service and scheme rules. Check the November 2025 eligible-products list: it includes non-account Tracked 24/48, but most business-account products fall outside the scheme. The Panel is an internal review stage; POSTRS is independent.

Complaint vs compensation claim

Do not treat the complaint stages as a compensation application. Royal Mail’s retail loss policy allows either sender or recipient to claim for covered items, but pays only one claim. If both apply, the sender’s claim takes priority unless the recipient has already been paid; the evidence requirements are the same.

That rule belongs to the specified retail loss policy, not every account, international, damage or delay product. Use the policy matching your service and check its notification and claim dates. A seller’s Royal Mail claim is also distinct from the remedy you seek for a retail purchase.

Information and evidence to prepare

  • Postage product, account/non-account status and proof of posting where available.
  • Item reference, addresses and relevant dates.
  • Complaint and claim references kept separately, plus each review response.
  • Value evidence and photographs for the applicable claim; check the service-specific evidence requirements.

Help with common Royal Mail parcel problems

For the underlying parcel issue, use the relevant guide. Keep the complaint focused on the service or decision you want reviewed.

Retailer arranged the delivery?

For a UK consumer purchase from a business where the seller arranged delivery, Citizens Advice guidance puts delivery responsibility with the seller. Asking the courier to investigate can help, but the seller is normally the party to pursue for the missing-order remedy.

If you independently appointed a carrier not offered by the seller, or the purchase was from a private seller, the position can differ. Identify the actual booking and purchase arrangements rather than treating every recipient as the courier’s contractual customer. For returns, check who supplied or paid for the return service.

Use retailer says contact the courier help or missing-order refund guidance for the purchase dispute. Our complaint directory lists retailer contacts.

Want Royal Mail to put the problem right?

Create a personalised complaint letter asking for the outcome that fits your case — such as an investigation, refund or compensation where appropriate.

Create My Complaint Letter — £2.99

Tailored to your case • You send it yourself. The draft does not submit an official claim, extend a deadline or establish entitlement to compensation. For a retailer-arranged order, select the buyer route and enter the actual seller; do not use the sender route just because you received a parcel.

For complaints about staff conduct or other service matters outside the form’s parcel issues, use the free official contacts above.

Official sources

Checked on 3 October 2026. The links support the published contacts, processes and qualifications above. Evidence preparation and follow-up suggestions are ParcelClaim practical guidance unless a formal stage is identified. Recheck the relevant service and booking terms before contacting the operator.

ParcelClaim is an independent self-help service, unaffiliated with Royal Mail. We do not contact the courier or send your complaint for you.