I have prepared a first draft letter of claim and would appreciate any input: LETTER OF CLAIM On 22/11/21 I used your delivery service to send parcel reference XXXXXXXXX The parcel is marked as “delivered” on your tracking system, however the courier failed to knock at the door and left the parcel on the doorstep, resulting in it being stolen. I have a denial of receipt form signed by the recipient which backs this up. This form, along with other information about the parcel can be found under incident reference XXXXXXX which was initially logged with your support staff (before they directed me to another company almost a month later). The incident has also been reported to XXXXX Police under crime reference XXXXXXXX Your own terms and conditions state: "Safe Place” means a location which is not an exposed doorstep or otherwise in public view. Since your courier is in breach of these conditions, I will be reclaiming the value of £325 from yourselves under the Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act: Value of item (refunded to buyer): £350 Less Packlink compensation awarded: £25* Total claim: £325 *Please note that although I received £25 from Packlink, this was transferred to me without my permission and I made it clear I would NOT accept anything less than the full value of the parcel. If I am not reimbursed in full within 14 days of this letter, I will be bringing a claim against you in the county court Yours faithfully,

Thank you, I will spend more time reading the stories on here to put together the letter of action. I did respond to Packlink saying I dispute the outcome due to breach of service, and if I didn't get the full amount back I would be setting letter of action to Hermes. I'll prepare the letter whilst I wait for a response from them. No there is no crime number, though I could still ask him I suppose.

Hi, I am wondering if I should write a Letter of Action to Hermes regarding a stolen parcel? Below is a timeline of events: 20/11/21 – I sold a collectible item on eBay for £350 21/11/21 – The buyer pays 22/11/21 - I buy postage through Packlink and post via an Inpost locker. Regrettably, I did not purchase additional insurance. 25/11/21 – The buyer contacts me to ask for more tracking information as the tracking on eBay states the parcel has been delivered, but his partner had been home all day and no courier called. I track the parcel on the Hermes website, it states it has been delivered and there is an accompanying map with a pin at his address, along with photograph showing the parcel on his doorstep. I show this to the buyer, who insists there was no parcel on the step and that this has happened more than once recently with Hermes. He asks me to refund him and claim the money back from Hermes. I admit I was slightly suspicious at this point, so I told him to open a case with eBay as I wanted their guidance. 26/11/21 – The buyer opens an “item not received” case with eBay. I update the case with tracking information and details of what has happened. 28/11/21 – I raise an incident on the Hermes website. 29/11/21 – I receive an email from Hermes Support asking me to complete a Loss Claim Form, and for the buyer to complete a Denial Of Receipt form. 2/12/21 – The eBay case is automatically closed in my favour. However, the buyer immediately appeals and the decision is reversed. A full refund is given and deducted from my own funds. Hermes Support email me acknowledging the completed claim form and state that it will be assessed within 28 working days. 13/12/21 – I chase Hermes for an update. No response. 29/12/21 – Hermes Support email me saying the proof of value I sent does not display the customers name and address. I email them back with one that does. 30/12/21 – Hermes Support email me apologising for the problem with my delivery and tell me I should speak directly to the client. I reply, stating I AM the client, and summarise the details of the initial claim. I receive a further reply telling me to pursue the matter with Inpost as they are regarded as the carrier. I questioned why they had opened a claim, sent me forms etc only to pass the buck almost a month later, but was met with a generic response. I then sent a detailed email to Inpost Customer Care, along with the supporting documents I’d sent to Hermes. 31/12/21 – Inpost Customer Care reply to my email and tell me it is in fact Packlink I need to raise a claim through. 1/1/22 – Claim opened with Packlink. They email me an Affidavit to complete. I complete the form and send it back along with all supporting evidence previously sent to Hermes (and Inpost!). 2/12/22 – A Packlink representative emails me to request the Affidavit again as I have not provided a handwritten signature. I reply, informing them that the signature was indeed handwritten. 12/1/22 – Packlink email me to say their investigation is complete and has been passed to the Claims department for the final evaluation. 19/1/22 – Packlink email me to confirm my compensation claim for loss has been accepted, and the amount of £25 plus the cost of postage will be refunded to my bank account. I realise that I am in a bad position here, having not taken out extra insurance. However, Hermes own terms and conditions define a Safe Place as "a location which is not an exposed doorstep or otherwise in public view". Surely the courier is in breach of these terms by leaving a parcel unattended on a doorstep? I have read through a few of these threads but can't find a similar situation where a parcel was stolen from outside a property. Any advice would be gratefully received.