Top consumer complaints in 2024 - Voxya Consumer Forum Online

Postal Complaints

Postal or courier service is considered to be one of the cheapest modes of communication. Postal services in India have rapidly grown over the last few decades. India is a country with the largest network of post offices with its number being more than 1.55 lacs as recorded in May 2008.

Well, India has many local and international courier companies providing postal service, but still, consumers file courier complaints at some point in time. Things can always go lousy such as late deliveries or items in the package get damaged, and the list can go on.

If you have encountered any such postal complaint with your courier company, you must have brought it to their notice, but many complaints against the courier company remain unresolved. According to stats in 2020, 1449 grievances are pending unresolved in the Indian Post Office and stats could be different for other courier companies.

There are more than 20 types of postal services with the most common being registered or speed post. Even though it is considered one of the safest means of communication, lapses have been seen over the past few years with various posts getting lost somewhere and not reaching its destination.

In this article, we have mentioned India's famous postal companies, and the types of courier complaints the customers face with them.

Famous Postal or Courier Companies in India

1. Indian Post Office: Indian Postal Service serves as a backbone to the society with a network of almost 1,56,600 post offices in India, with nearly 90% operational in the rural part while the rest 10% in the urban area. Since 1854 Indian post offices have served the country. In the 1850’s they used to deliver happiness to people in 10 paisa postcards and yellow envelopes, and still, they are delivering happiness to people all around the globe. Today, there is no such village or town in our country, which is not covered by the Indian Postal Office. Also, it is a public or government courier service, so the charges of sending a parcel across the globe would be comparatively cheaper when compared to the other private courier companies.

2. Ecom Express: Ecom Express private limited is one of the leading logistic providers. It has more than 36,000+ employees currently working with them and is all geared up to create more employment opportunities in the future. Now, Ecom Express covers more than 27,000 pin codes and is delivering the packages to more than 2650+ cities. Their prime motto is to deliver the parcels with the utmost speed, safety, and reliability nationwide to all industries. They provide various services like Express Services, Digital Services, and Fulfillment services but many times they get complaints for courier service.

3. Delhivery: Founded in the year 2011, and headquartered in Gurugram, Harayana, Delhivery Pvt Ltd is one of the most trusted and leading brands, when it comes to sending parcels around the globe. Delhivery has a nationwide network, covering almost every country, state, district, the town as well as villages. They cover 17,500+ pin codes and 2300+ cities only in India. Delhivery is one of the most reliable courier companies for shipments. Even during the pandemic situation of COVID-19, when people were afraid of stepping out of their home, Delhivery courier company kept on working, so that they could fulfill the needs of society. But like any other player they too receive many complaints against them.

4. FedEx: Formed in the year 1973, FedEx, or rather Federal Express, is an American multinational delivery service company. The company is known for its overnight shipping services, along with providing real-time updates of the location of the parcel to the clients. Though this has become a common feature in today’s era, this system of tracking the location of packages or tracking AWB numbers was introduced by the FedEx courier company. FedEx courier company provides shipment facilities all around the globe. Currently, FedEx has 16 clearance facilities in India but sometimes they are unable to locate the whereabouts of their shipment.

5. DTDC Courier: Desk to Desk Courier and Cargo or DTDC Express Limited or DTDC is the same. It is an Indian courier company and handles more than twelve million shipments every month. The headquarters of DTDC is in Bangalore (now known as Bengaluru), Karnataka, India. Currently, DTDC has its presence in more than 500 district headquarters through its globally expanded network, covering more than 10,500 franchises and providing the customers with comprehensive and reliable services to 10,500 plus pin codes. DTDC serves in more than 240 international locations, including Canada, USA, UK, Hong Kong, and China. However, customers have filed complaints for missing parcels and no compensation for lost packages.

Types of Postal Complaints or Courier Complaints

With a commendable market share in courier, express and parcel market valuation at almost $4.29 billion, India’s courier and parcel delivery services have managed to make a mark in the entire world of being connected via postal services. But with this rate of growing numbers also comes certain discrepancies, which many times go unnoticed but some even become a topic of discussion.

Like every other service being offered, postal services have also had some minor and major mishaps making people angry over the services like items missing in the package, late deliveries, sometimes no deliveries at all and many more to count. Below is a little comprehensive list as to under what category your grievance might lie if you are to file complaints regarding inadequate or unsatisfactory service by the courier companies in your area.

1. Items missing
With local, national and international deliveries beyond and across the country, people have experienced items missing from their packages raising concerns regarding security and safety of deliverables. Dealing with such a grievance becomes a task in itself because sometimes you as a customer do not get precisely what is missing or might be missing in the package and end up complaining late.

2. Package stuck in customs
Handling of packages at customs has always been a concern with several mishaps coming in the news like un-traceable shipment, mishandling, rude behaviour of people at customs, issues of delivering sensitive packages across the border and many more. But parcels stuck at customs is something which is entirely not under one’s control and managing a track of the same is again a tedious job. Even big courier companies like FedEx and BlueDart have got such complaints registered in the past.

3. Late deliveries
This is a persistent issue, especially with Indian postal services - not getting deliveries on time. Late delivery is like a cherry on the cake of receiving the wrong post. When sending one package from one place to the other, you expect to get it delivered and thus might be taking a buffer for the same. But what if you get to know that you sent it on time, but it got delayed midway? If this has happened to you, then you are not alone as it has been and is a persistent issue with many.

4. Non-cooperative customer support
This is the most common grievance of customers that the customer support is rude and non-cooperative. People in the past have also complained about the lack of availability of the support staff or information regarding shipment. Not getting enough cooperation on post-delivery issues often keeps issues hanging midway and thus delays the resolving process.

5. Wrong products delivered
Wrong delivery is again a most common courier complaint that has been raised in the past by customers. This persistent mistake has refrained many people from using Indian postal services and might not even gain people’s trust if it persists in future as well.

6. No delivery
Not getting your package at all can be frustrating, and such frustrating customers often knock doors of their regional post offices in hopes of getting issues resolved. But to the absolute dismay, either not getting a satisfactory response or often, rude behaviour of support staff increases the pain of the consumers. They end up filing complaints against this issue but usually get delayed justice.

7. Damaged products delivered
Most people complain of mishandling of their packages despite instructions of “handle with caution” being communicated explicitly. No compensation for the same is another issue people face pretty commonly under this category. It is always very frustrating to first receive a damaged parcel and then getting no compensation for the loss from the courier companies.

How to file a complaint against the post office or the postman?

Public grievance portal is an initiative started by the Central Government for addressing the grievances of the general public. If you have any complaint regarding the behavior of the employees of the post office, you should contact the Postmaster in charge. You can even call the superintendent under whose jurisdiction the Post Office falls and express your dissatisfaction regarding the services of the Post Office.

1. Register a complaint at the customer care number of the Indian Post Office i.e. 18002666868.
2. Go to pgportal.gov.in (Public grievance portal) and get yourself registered.
3. Select lodge public grievance and then enter all your details and select the department.
4. If the complaint is not resolved, approach the Chief Postmaster General here : https://www.indiapost.gov.in/VAS/Pages/CustomerSupport/Guidelines-on-Complaints.aspx

How to resolve courier complaints or postal complaints?

So if you also have had a bad experience in the past with postal services, pretty much above listed possible grievances could be one which you might have faced or might face in future.

To resolve these complaints, you can always call or send an email to them on customer care. If the case goes worse, you can always take them to the consumer forum and file a complaint against them.

1. File support ticket/send an email:
You can always contact courier companies through their official website by going to their contact us section and by sending them an email. The websites and customer service emails of some leading courier companies are:

Delhivery - www.delhivery.com customer.support@delhivery.com
FedEx - www.fedex.com india@fedex.com
DTDC - www.dtdc.in customersupport@dtdc.com
Trackon Courier - www.trackoncourier.com
India Post - www.indiapost.gov.in
XpressBees Logistics - www.xpressbees.com customercare@xpressbees.com

2. Call Customer support:
One of the perfect ways to directly come in contact with the postal company is by contacting it through a phone call for customer support. All these well-known courier companies have a 24*7 working customer care number which helps in resolving complaints as they value customer feedback. The customer care number of some of the leading postal companies in India are :

Ecom Express Customer Care Number - +91-8376888888
FedEx India Customer Care Number - 1800 419 4343
DTDC Customer Care NUmber - +918025361410, +913340329819, +912233004444
Trackon Courier Customer Care Number - +918023417774, +914446617710, +918334043012, +911145593500, +912228510056
XpressBees Logistics Customer Care Number - 020-49116100

3. Send Legal Notice:
A consumer can send legal notice to Courier company in case it is unable to resolve his complaint. It is one of the efficient ways to handle the issue legally. Check below to know how to send a legal notice to a Courier company?

Step 1: Firstly, get a legal notice drafted by a lawyer.

Step 2: Check it properly and make sure it is signed by a lawyer.

Step 3: Keep a copy of it for future purposes.

Step 4: Send the legal notice to Courier company by registered post.

Step 5: Keep the slip or delivery report for evidence.

4. File consumer forum case:
Consumer forum deals with consumer complaints and you should approach the consumer forum if you feel that your rights as a consumer have been violated.

If the courier company is not responding to your complaints even after sending legal notice by a lawyer then you should file a case against it in a consumer court.

Here is how you can file a case in the consumer court?

Step 1: Intimate the aggrieved party via legal notice.
Step 2: Draft the consumer complaint.
Step 3: Attach all the relevant documents and proofs to support your complaint.
Step 4: Select the appropriate court or consumer forum for filing the complaint.
Step 5: Pay the prescribed court fee that is required to be paid along with the complaint.
Step 6: Submit the case along with the affidavit & fees in the court.

If you are looking for quick help then File a Complaint at Voxya to resolve postal complaints or courier complaints. We take legal action by sending legal notice to the courier company addressing the issue. If the issue remains unresolved after sending Legal Notice then we help you in approaching the consumer forum. We generally receive about hundreds of postal complaints every month.

Most Common Issue Reported for Postal Complaints

Delay in delivery

Package stuck in customs

No delivery

Item missing

Wrong delivery

Bad customer support

Wrong product was delivered

Cheater Frauds Ajio Delhiveryfraudcourierservice (AJIO Reliance Retail Ltd) ^Open

I had ordered a wollen W Kurta on *th Sep with Order ID:FL**********, which was not fit to me so I ordered exchange. The exchange arrived very soon and its been almost ** days I have received exchnage of this order and trying to place Return fo...

Oct 10, 2020 by Prachi

Package missing and not traced for more than 60 days (Fedex Express Transportation And Supply Chain Services India Private Limited) ^Open

Commercial shipment sent to my customer in rwanda by using fedex service. they received only one package the another package was not belong to them, And our package sent to some other place. Complaint registered on Aug *rd to trace the missing ...

Oct 08, 2020 by Mohammed Irshad

Financial Loss due to Delay in Package delivery by DTDC (DTDC) ^Open

Documents related to LIC and Mutual Fund was couriered on *nd Oct via DTDC from Nizampet, Hyderabad for Jamshedpur Pincode: ****** with a charge of Rs ***. DTDC was preferred over Indian POST, as Parcel was supposed to reach by Tuesday to dest...

Oct 08, 2020 by Ashish mishra

Courier package lost stolen worth (Delhivery) ^Open

On *nd August **** I chose Delhivery to deliver my Laptop to my relative. I have booked the delivery on Delhivery website and paid the amount Rs. *** for the delivery charge. On *th August, Delhivery executive arrived to pickup the package and...

Oct 05, 2020 by Ashutosh Paliwal

Package and goods not delivered (Vrl Packers And Movers ) ^Open

Actually i wanted to shift my house hold items from bengaluru to kurnool (Andhra pradesh ). I browsed through internet and found VRL PACKERS AND MOVERS .As VRL is a good company i thought to contact them and kept a request. i got a call ...

Oct 03, 2020 by rajesh

Package not delivered (Flipkart) ^Open

Issue: Courier Team Did not Deliver the Product saying that they do not deliver to my area But They Flipkart Team says they will Deliver the Product till Estimated Date but Even After the Estimated Date, The Product was not delivered and ord...

Oct 03, 2020 by Pravin Chaudhary

Packers and movers fraud (Leo packers and movers) ^Open

We wanted packers and movers service for relocating from bitragunta to rourkela. Leo packers and movers (this is not leo P& M India its a cheap hyd baed company I'll share the GSTIN) called me and we discussed about the requirement. They told m...

Oct 03, 2020 by Satnam kaur

My Product not working (Radiantinternational) ^Open

My name is Vika Ram, I ordered a power bank, and a wireless headset free And they are not working at all. So I want to refund them after rewriting them.Par complant ke bad bhi koi action nhi. My order prize *** hai or order AWB number-*********...

Oct 03, 2020 by Vika ram

Fraud Movers and Packers (Kuber Logistics Packers & Movers) ^Open

Have shifted belongings from Mumbai to Hyderabad. The company had charged Rs ****/- for insurance of Rs * lacs . TV has been damaged beyond repair and company has not taken insurance and not paying amount of damages...

Oct 01, 2020 by Pushpesh Shintre

Documents not delivered (The Professional Couriers) ^Open

I had booked a courier to send to ALIBAG (MAHARASHTRA)on **.**.**** from The Professional Couriers, Nana Chowk(Mumbai). I was told it will reach within *-* days. I checked the status on **.**.**** and to my shock it was showing as despatched to...

Oct 01, 2020 by Anupa D Gharat

Package not delivered (Delhivery) ^Open

i had sent courier on *-**-** through delhivery and till **-**-** they have not delivered my package and neither do they reply to any emails properly ,they just kept showing me because of corona package is not delivered ,afterwards told it will...

Sep 30, 2020 by R P Enterprise

CHARGED ME WAY MORE THEN ACTUAL PRICE (Delhivery courier) ^Open

I had booked delhivery for the shipment of my luggage from Delhi to Ramgarh(Jharkhand) on **nd Sept ****. They took my stuff and weigh it in their office and told me that it is **kgs. I couldn't believe at first because ** kgs was really a big ...

Sep 29, 2020 by MEGHA RANI

Vehicle damaged during delivery (Bharat Packes And Movers) ^Open

I hired this company for transporting my vehicle, Bajaj Avenger Cruise, from Pune to Kolkata. I was promised that my vehicle would be delivered with utmost care. They charged my Rs **** for the service. The pick-up date was *st September, ****....

Sep 25, 2020 by Satadal Ray

FRAUD SNATCHING (Delhivery Logistics) ^Open

sir/mam, I hope definitely you help me i try many time on call to shiprocket, & many times delhivery but all denied me ! On the date **aug i create a shipment by on my shiprocket panel AWB no. ************* (samsung Galaxy s* plus) this packet...

Sep 24, 2020 by DEEPAK

Package not delivered and deliverer told he will not deliver my item to my address and he told me i (Ecom Express) ^Open

I am a person who have been purchasing items from online and getting delivered to my home address even during the pandemic. But when I ordered a pull up bar item from Amazon, the item reached to the courier service near my locality and was out ...

Sep 24, 2020 by Muhammed Pk

Package not delivered (Maxwell Packers) ^Open

Booked my fridge with Maxwell Packers and movers (Contact person - Ajay Bhati, ****** *****, Address - ***, Shyam Vihar vistar, Dhawas, Near st Thomas school, Girdharipura, Heerapura, Jaipur) on * sep, **** which was packed and taken away from ...

Sep 24, 2020 by Aman Tyagi

FRAUD (LT Online Store) ^Open

This has reference to my Order# **-**-****** confirmed on **th June ****. Despite repeated email reminders, the Logitech C*** for which I paid Rs ****.** has not been received, nor has the money been refunded. No one answers you phone, all emai...

Sep 23, 2020 by Rajiv Mehrotra

Bikes not delivered (Gati Safe Cargo Movers) ^Open

I had booked to transfer my bikes from Chennai to Coimbatore using Gati safe transport. After picking up the bikes they have stopped responding. I don't even have a picture of the bikes with them despite asking repeatedly. I'm scared if the bik...

Sep 23, 2020 by Abishekar Chandrashekar

Package Not Delivered (Professional Couriers) ^Open

I'm Pavan, I have sent my CCTV Hikvision DVR Box through Professional courier tracking number WGL****** on **-AUG-**** from Warangal Telangana to Sirsa Haryana. When I called to sirsa branch his number *********** he said delive...

Sep 22, 2020 by Pavan Kumar K

Package not delivered (DTDC) ^Open

Booked a parcel from Bangalore to Imphal it’s been a while still showing in transit dtdc courier they are really worst I must say no proper response nothing ...

Sep 22, 2020 by Rajkrishna Paul

Courier not delivered (DTDC) ^Closed

The invoices valued *****₹ are courier to Mumbai address. The recipient did not receive the courier. Consignment no Z********....

Apr 29, 2019 by Kiran

Courier not delivered (Akash Ganga ) ^Closed

My article was couriered from Bandra Mumbai on **nd April with Shipment no. ********* through Akash Ganga courier. However, after * days there was no tracking update except " In transit". Frequent call made to Mumbai RO for Akash Ganga did not ...

Apr 27, 2019 by Shailendra

Bike not delivered on time (Gati Safe Cargo Movers) ^Closed

I sent my bike from Chennai to Gurgaon on March **th through Gati safe cargo movers. They have told me to pay **** on March **th. But the bike didn't deliver to Gurgaon yet. We tried calling and WhatsApp to them but they are not responding at a...

Apr 18, 2019 by Karthick kannan

My Courier has not arrived (Professional Couriers) ^Closed

My courier was dispatched from Mumbai on */*/**** and this had my passport. I was travelling to make a business deal worth of *******. But because my passport is stuck in the courier which I'm still waiting for it in Bangalore. I need sincere h...

Apr 17, 2019 by Muhammad Syed

Package not received (The Professional Couriers) ^Closed

My friend from Delhi sent a package to me (Bangalore) on *th April ****. The status shows in tracking app as delivered whereas I have not received the parcel yet. I don’t know where the parcel is. The courier boy didn't call me. I don’t kno...

Apr 15, 2019 by Arshiya fathima