There are tons of Royal Mail tracking statuses and one of the most recent ones is, “Ready for delivery.”
Under this tracking status, Royal Mail goes further and tells you “We normally expect to deliver to your address between 7:30 am and 7:30 pm.”
Why such a long time difference? What does this update even mean?
For these, and other finer details, let’s get to it ASAP.
What Does “Ready For Delivery” Mean On Royal Mail?
When Royal Mail says that a package is “Ready for delivery,” it means that that item has been prepared for delivery that day, and within the provided time slot.
However, we have had instances where packages claimed to have been ‘ready to be delivered today’ took several days after that update before the actual delivery occurred.
Why Is My Package Stuck On “Ready For Delivery” For Several Days? 3 KEY Reasons
Wrong Scan
One of the leading reasons why a package that had been claimed to be ready ends up not getting delayed is because it was wrongly scanned in the first place.
Due to a wrong sca, we have seen packages that were said to be delivered at a specific date and within a time slot end up getting delivered up to 4 days after this update.
Again, we gathered that the timeframe provided when Royal Mail expects to complete delivery is computer-generated and not guaranteed.
See, it doesn’t make any sense when Royal Mail tells you that they normally expect to deliver to your address anywhere between 7:30 am and 7:30 pm. No way they can expect you to stay at home a whole day waiting for a package. That timeframe just doesn’t make the cut.
The Postie Ran Out Of Time
Since Royal Mail posties operate within timeframes, they may not make it to complete all deliveries within their slots.
When timeframes cut them off, they must arrange delivery for the next day. The problem is worse when the following day is a weekend or the postie who delivers to your address is on leave.
It doesn’t take as long, though before your package goes “out for delivery” once again. The most we have seen is 4 days after we had initially seen the “ready for delivery” update.
The Package Was Lost In Transit
Package losses happen all the time in transit.
While yours might have left the Royal Mail facility heading to you, unexpected things such as getting delivered to the wrong address, having the tracking label damaged, or it was simply misplaced are some of the leading reasons why the posties can’t find it.
As they work on retrieving it, the tracking status will always show that it is ready for delivery even when it’s clearly not.
In some circumstances, packages that were lost in transit end up not getting retrieved, which means you will have to look into how you can get a replacement parcel or a refund.
What Do I Do When My Package Is Stuck On “Ready For Delivery” For Days?
Get In Touch With The Sender
Since the sender should ensure that you receive your package as seamlessly as it can get, we recommend that you contact them should your package stay stuck past the estimated delivery date.
By so doing, they will be able to keep Royal Mail on its toes to look at the right status of your package.
If the sender finds that the package was just delayed due to transit problems, they will let you know. From there, you can be a little more patient.
If they find that Royal Mail lost your package, you can then agree to have a replacement package or a refund.
We don’t recommend contacting Royal Mail when you are the recipient, though, as you aren’t contracted to them. The chances of them helping you get your package are slim.
Check With Third-party Package Tracking Apps
While Royal Mail might have said that your package was “ready for delivery,” it might have been an issue with the wrong scan, especially if such a package took so long before showing up.
Using free Third-party Apps such as 17Track and Parcelsapp offers finer details about any movement a package makes.
For example, such sites might show you that a package is just sitting in the Delivery Office, which is great for you to know, as instead of the hassle of having to keep on waiting, you can go and pick it up at your convenience.
