DPD lost the parcel. Claim what it was worth.
A parcel "delivered" to a doorstep, a safe place that wasn't safe, a box that arrived crushed — and an offer that doesn't come close. A county court claim is how you ask for the real value. First: whose contract was it?
Who you're actually suing
It usually depends on who paid DPD. If a shop sent you something and chose DPD, your contract is with the shop. If you booked and paid DPD yourself — through its site, an app or a marketplace label — your contract is with DPD. Get this right first; it decides the name on the form.
You booked the delivery yourself. DPD's terms limit what it pays for loss or damage unless you bought extra cover, but a limit in small print has to be fair and clearly brought to your attention to bind a consumer — a court decides that, not the courier.
- Name on the form
- DPDgroup UK Ltd
- Company number
- 00732993
- Address for service
- Roebuck Lane, Smethwick, West Midlands, B66 1BY
You ordered from a retailer and they sent it by DPD. Under the Consumer Rights Act the goods usually stay the shop's responsibility until they reach you, so a lost or damaged parcel is normally the shop's problem to fix — refund, replacement or redelivery — and the shop, not DPD, is usually the one to name. Tell us who you bought from and we'll point the claim the right way.
DPD and DPD Local are trading names; the company is DPDgroup UK Ltd in Smethwick. Use the registered name and address on the claim form — a claim addressed to "DPD" at a depot can be argued to be badly served.
Checked against Companies House on 2026-08-24. Registered details change — the wizard re-checks before anything is filed.
Alongside the money itself, courts may award simple interest on money you have been kept out of — commonly 8% a year under the County Courts Act 1984 — and the court fee is typically added to a successful claim. Interest is discretionary.
How people describe it when they reach us
The sorts of things people tell us. Illustrative, based on patterns in the cases that reach us.
Your legal rights when a parcel is lost or damaged
In England and Wales a paid-for delivery is a contract, and the Consumer Rights Act 2015 usually governs both the service itself and any small-print term that tries to limit what the courier pays. Which Act sections bite depends on whether you were the courier's customer or the shop's.
ActConsumer Rights Act 2015, s.49A paid-for service must generally be performed with reasonable care and skill.
Where a consumer pays a trader for a service, section 49 usually implies a term that it will be performed with reasonable care and skill. A service that fails, is repeatedly not delivered as promised, or is carried out carelessly may be treated as a breach, depending on the facts.
Read it on legislation.gov.uk ↗ActConsumer Rights Act 2015, s.29Goods you buy usually stay at the retailer's risk until they reach you.
For consumer goods, risk usually remains with the trader until the goods come into the physical possession of the consumer or someone the consumer nominated. If a parcel was lost before that point, the trader may find it harder to rely on dispatch alone — which is why the retailer, not its courier, is normally the right defendant for a buyer.
Read it on legislation.gov.uk ↗ActConsumer Rights Act 2015, s.62An unfair term in a consumer contract is generally not binding on the consumer.
Section 62 usually provides that a term is unfair if, contrary to good faith, it causes a significant imbalance in the parties' rights to the consumer's detriment. Caps on compensation, exit fees and one-sided small print may be examined against this test; courts typically look at how prominent the term was and whether the consumer had a real chance to see it.
Read it on legislation.gov.uk ↗Case lawContract law — breach of contractFailing to deliver what was paid for may amount to breach of contract.
A purchase or subscription is typically analysed as a contract. If one side does not perform a central promise — goods not delivered, a service not provided, money not refunded as agreed — a court may find a breach and will then consider what loss flowed from it. The measure is normally the money you are out of pocket, proved with evidence.
This is general information about the law in England and Wales, not advice about your case. Which provisions apply, and how, depends on the facts.
Four things you'll hear. None of them end it.
Their record, not the last word. DPD's own photo of a wrong door, or a "safe place" you never nominated, is evidence for you. Courts typically weigh what actually happened.
A cap is a term, and terms can be challenged. Under the Consumer Rights Act a term limiting a trader's liability generally has to be fair and transparent to bind a consumer.
Sometimes right — and this page says when. If a shop chose DPD, the shop is your defendant. If you paid DPD, the contract is yours.
Only if it really was — and they have to show it. An assertion in a rejection email is not evidence. Photos of the packaging and the damage usually settle it.
Five things worth gathering now
Three steps, done for you
Your side, your words
What happened, what was agreed, what you are out of pocket. We ask what a court would ask — starting with who the defendant is.
A formal demand
A letter before action to DPDgroup UK Ltd's registered office in Smethwick, with a deadline. Many disputes end here.
Court claim, prepared
If they will not engage: a small claim drafted, checked and filed. We do the paperwork; the decision is the court's.
What JustClaim is: we prepare and file the paperwork for your claim, for a fixed price shown before you pay. We're not a law firm, this isn't legal advice, and no outcome is ever guaranteed — what you get is the strongest honest version of your case, properly made.
Questions people in this exact spot ask
DPD says my parcel was delivered but I never got it. Can I claim?
Yes, this is one of the most common situations. Their tracking and photo are evidence, not the final word — a court typically looks at where it was left and whether that was a place you nominated. If you paid DPD, you claim against DPDgroup UK Ltd. If a shop sent it, the shop is normally the one to claim against.
Do I sue DPD or the company I bought from?
Usually the company you bought from, if they chose DPD: under the Consumer Rights Act your goods normally stay at the retailer's risk until they reach you. If you booked and paid for the delivery yourself, DPD is your defendant.
What name goes on the claim form?
DPDgroup UK Ltd, company number 00732993, Roebuck Lane, Smethwick, West Midlands B66 1BY — checked on Companies House on the date shown above. "DPD" on its own is a trading name.
DPD only offered the delivery charge back. Is that all I can get?
That is what their terms say, not what a court has to award. A term limiting a trader's liability generally has to be fair and clearly brought to your attention to bind a consumer; whether this one was is for the court on the facts.
How much does it cost to take DPD to small claims court?
The court fee depends on the amount: £35 up to £300, £50 up to £500, £70 up to £1,000, £115 up to £3,000. If you win, the fee is normally added to what the other side is ordered to pay. Our fixed price is shown before you pay anything.
Lost parcel, lowball offer?
Tell us what happened. If DPD is the right defendant we say so — and if it's the shop, we say that too.
Claim what you're owed →