Overview

We handle each individual parcel with care but sometimes unfortunate events can happen.  This guide is to help you understand how to make a claim in the unlikely event of a lost or damaged parcel.

This guide is intended to serve as an overview of the process to help guide you through it, it does not document every specific step and action involved. For our terms and conditions, please refer to our Conditions of Carriage.

• Before making a claim, you must first lodge a query for that item. Queries for missing/lost items must be completed within 14 days of despatch and queries for damaged items within 7 days of delivery. If you do not lodge a query with us within these time frames, we will be unable to accept your claim.
• New Zealand Couriers will pay claims to a maximum value of $2000 NZD ('Send a parcel' - $500) (GST inclusive) for items travelling in New Zealand, and US$20 per kg up to its declared value for international items. This does not include prohibited items.
• Your claim will be actioned in conjunction with our Conditions of Carriage.
• Payments will be direct credited to your account.

Things to know before making a claim

• Before making a claim, you must first lodge a query for that item. Queries for missing/lost items must be completed within 14 days of despatch and queries for damaged items within 7 days of delivery. If you do not lodge a query with us within these time frames, we will be unable to accept your claim.
• Please include your courier ticket number with your claim. Without the ticket number, we cannot accurately trace the parcel and subsequent claims will be denied. 
• The person who sent the goods must be the person making contact with us to make the claim, not the receiver of the goods.
• Our maximum claim value is $2,000 ('Send a parcel' - $500) per consignment including GST, regardless of the value of the goods.
• If a claim is made for second-hand goods, you will be entitled to claim for the depreciated value of the goods (not the cost of a brand new item), excluding items that we don’t carry such as the examples given in the above section. 
• In the case of damage claims, if we deem that the packaging on the item is insufficient, your claim will be declined.  For advice and guidelines on minimum packaging requirements, please refer to our packaging and labelling guidelines.

Items we don’t accept claims on

Under our Conditions of Carriage, we do not accept claims on items that are on our Prohibited Items list. These types of items should not be sent through our network and you will not be able to make a claim for them if something happens. Our list to of prohibited items includes: 

• Bullion, cash, coins 
• Dangerous Goods 
• Negotiable instruments (such as vouchers) 
• Perishable items 
• Securities or bearer securities 
• Credit cards, uncrossed cheques, traveller’s cheques  
• Fragile goods, particularly glass  
• Passports 
• Secondhand car parts 
• Items over 1.8m in length 
• Antiques, paintings, or any works of art 
• Precious stones, jewellery 
• Stocks, bonds

How to make a claim

If a parcel is missing or lost 

1. Lodge a query with us within 14 days of despatch so we know the parcel has not been delivered. 
2. We will then contact you with a progress report and provide regular updates until the parcel is located. 
3. We undertake an investigation to determine what happened 
4. In the event that your parcel cannot be located, you will need to complete a Claim Form. 

If a parcel arrived damaged 

1. Lodge a query with us within 7 days of delivery so we know the parcel has been damaged.
2. We will arrange for the parcel to be returned to the New Zealand Couriers branch it was sent from. We will need to sight the parcel and the packaging it arrived in. If we are unable to sight the parcel and the packaging, your claim may be declined. The parcel must be returned to us in its original packaging directly from the receiver so we can determine how the damage could have occurred.
3. If the goods are salvageable or repairable, they will be returned to you for assessment. 
4. Once the appropriate course of action has been determined, we will pass this on to our Claims Department to begin the claims process. 
5. Complete the Claim Form and send it to your nearest branch (a hard copy claims form will be dispatched to you within 7 working days if you don't wish to fill out the online version).

Completing a claims form 

• The NC number that you received from customer services or when making an online query will be needed on the claim form for it to be processed. 
• Ensure the information you provide is clear and complete - spaces or "not applicable" (N/A) are not accepted. 
• Sign and date the form. 
• Attach a copy of the original invoice to your client for the item/s. 
• A tax invoice charging New Zealand Couriers Ltd at the price it cost you to acquire or produce the item/s. 
• A copy of the original invoice for the item/s missing or damaged from your supplier. 
• Include proof of purchase, receipts, bank statements, original packaging, manuals or even photos, etc. 

What next? 

Once either the Loss Claims or Damage Claims process investigation has been worked through, our Claims Department will start by sending you a letter. This letter will ask you to supply us with the following information:  

• A copy of the invoice for the item from your Supplier (as we pay at cost) 
• An invoice to New Zealand Couriers charging us the cost price for the goods on the claim

Once we have these documents, we will process them as quickly as possible and, depending on our investigations, inform you whether the claim is accepted or declined.