Is the Royal Mail tracking not working for your package? Don’t worry. You are not alone.
In fact, in October 2023, thousands lamented how they could not track down their packages, and as it seems, the problem is far from over.
I know how disheartening it feels when the tracking page doesn’t work and you are awaiting a time-sensitive package or a special gift for someone.
Not to worry, though, as you can do a couple of things to keep Royal Mail on their toes.
But first things first…
Why Is My Royal Mail Tracking Not Working?
There Is A Technical Issue
Technical glitches happen all the time, and Royal Mail is no exception.
Whenever there is a technical issue, you can rest assured that your Royal Mail tracking page won’t work as expected.
While Royal Mail deliveries will still happen as expected, technical glitches are a major cause of concern and it’s undoubtedly worrying when you expect a package that you can’t track when it’s out for delivery or where it has been kept for you to pick it up.
The Package Hasn’t Been Handed Over To Royal Mail Just Yet
While the sender may have created a tracking number, they might have not handed over the parcel to Royal Mail just yet.
An important fact to note is that for each Royal Mail Tracked 24 or 48, the recipient can only start using the tracking tool when the order has been dispatched.
If the tracking page doesn’t work just yet, it’s crucial to note that your order might have not been dispatched.
Skipped Scanning
Royal Mail sometimes skips scanning packages in transit to save time, especially during peak holiday times.
The packages end up showing anyway, but this shouldn’t be a thing in this century. The anxiety it causes is unexplainable.
In other scenarios, the cause for a missed scan might not be intentional. Provided there is no scan, though, the tracking page won’t work as Royal Mail has no update for you.
The Tracking Number Is Invalid
When there are missing digits, incorrect keying formatting, or mistyped characters in the Royal Mail tracking page, that page won’t work.
It might just show a Black screen or display words in the form of “Incorrect tracking details.”
What Should I Do When Facing The Royal Mail Tracking Not Working Problem?
Call Royal Mail
When the tracking page doesn’t work, I find calling Royal Mail to be the best course of action to take.
On their end, they have other screens that we won’t see on the standard tracking pages we use.
According to what I found while contacting Royal Mail, too, calling them at 8:30 AM or 2:00 PM is best. Those are relatively quiet hours or there are not as many long waits.
While the tracking number only updates on the system when the sender has delivered the package to Royal Mail, RM has more details about the package. Call them and you will be duly informed.
Again, you will have created awareness for them that there is a problem with the tracking.
Let The Sender Know
Since you are the sender’s client, they are responsible for ensuring that you receive your package most seamlessly.
As expected, it isn’t anything seamless when you can’t know about the status of your package and just waiting for luck at whatever time your parcel ends up showing.
Letting the sender know that the Royal Mail tracking is not updating is a great course of action to take as they may follow up with Royal Mail and give you a more concrete update on what has happened.
We mostly advise contacting the sender in this situation when calling Royal Mail didn’t yield as meaningful fruits.
Re-check the Tracking Details
The problem you might be facing is that you could have keyed in the wrong tracking details.
Tracked 24 and 48 might sometimes have a different number of characters and digits, so ascertaining that those details are correct is a fantastic way to see if the Royal Mail tracking page might start working correctly for you.
Our Key Takeaways
- The easiest fix to make the Royal Mail tracking work perfectly is by ensuring that you feed the correct tracking details
- Issues such as technical tracking issues, a package that hasn’t been handed over to Royal Mail, incorrect tracking details, and lack of scanning are the leading reasons why the Royal Mail tracking page doesn’t work as expected
- Calling Royal Mail at around 8 in the morning or 2 PM concerning tracking details that don’t work is the most convenient time
- Let the sender know when you can’t find your tracking details.
