How to Report a Late Delivery for a Canada Post Xpresspost Item to Claim Your Refund and Get Free Delivery

As I wrote in a previous article, I watch closely when I send an item by Xpresspost to see if it is delivered on time; if it’s not, I apply for a refund and get free delivery!

How to Apply for a Refund for a Late Delivery by Canada Post Xpresspost

  1. Go to the Canadapost.ca website.
  2. In the Track box on the right side of the screen, in the text box underneath the heading Tracking number, type the bar code number on your receipt.
  3. Click on the magnifying glass icon to start the search.
  4. Check the Track Results to see when your item was delivered.

If it was not received by the Delivery Standard Date you can apply for an investigation and a refund.

How to Report a Late Delivery or an Item that Was Not Delivered by Canada Post

You can report your late delivery or an item that was not delivered yet after the Delivery Standard Date. An investigation will be made and if the item was not delivered on time, you will receive a refund.

Go to the Canada Post web address
https://www.canadapost.ca/web/en/kb/details.page?article=item_not_delivered&cattype=kb&cat=receiving&subcat=maildelivery

On that webpage, if your item was sent by your business and you need to report a problem, you should click on the link to Create a business service ticket and follow those instructions. This article is for items sent personally by mail.

The Ticket details Page

  1. Under the Personal, Delivery Information heading, from the drop-down list, select Sender. (Only a Sender can report a late delivery for a refund.)
  2. In the Sender’s postal code text box, type your postal code.
  3. From the drop-down list, select the Receiver’s country.
    For example, I selected Canada.
  4. In the Receiver’s postal code text box, type the postal code to which you sent the Xpresspost item.
  5. In the Tracking number field, type the Tracking number from your receipt.
  6. Click on the Continue button.

The Delivery information Page

  1. From the drop-down list select the Product you purchased.
    For example, I selected Xpresspost Parcel
  2. In the Mailing date field, type the date you sent the item.
  3. In the Postage Paid field, type what you paid to send the item.
  4. In the Value of content field, type what the item was worth.
  5. In the Amount of Additional Insurance field, type the amount.
  6. In the Description of Contents field, if applicable, type what the item was. This is particularly important for lost items as it is possible the item’s packaging was damaged but the item is still housed at the Postal Office.
  7. Click on the Continue button.

The Sender Address Page

  1. In the appropriate text boxes, type your
    Street Number
    If applicable, Number Suffix; Unit/Suite/Apt
    Street Name
    City
    Province
    Postal Code
    First Name
    Last Name
    Email Address
    Phone Number
    If applicable, Extension
  2. From the drop-down list, select your Language Preference of English or French.
  3. In the appropriate text boxes, type for the Receiver you addressed your package to the Receiver’s
    First Name
    Last Name
    If applicable, Email Address
    Phone number
    If applicable, Extension
  4. From the drop-down list, select your Language Preference of English or French.
  5. Click on the Continue button.

The Additional Information Page

If you have any additional information to provide about the package or delivery, you will be allowed to submit the information.

The Review and Submit Page

Review the information and if it is correct, submit your request.

You will be asked to provide your full name and address to mail you the cheque if they agree your item failed to meet the Delivery Standard.

How Long Will It Take to Get My Refund for a Xpresspost Package That Did Not Arrive On Time?

It usually takes less than a month to receive re-payment.

For example, on

  • February 3:  I sent a package
  • February 5:  The package should have arrived.  It didn’t.
  • February 11: I reported the late delivery to Canada Post, online.
  • February 26: I received an email from Canada Post advising me that they apologized for the late delivery and that a cheque had been sent to me in the mail.
  • February 29: The date the cheque was issued by Canada Post.
  • March 2: The day I received the cheque.

Why Do I Use Xpresspost If It Delivers Items Late?

Most of the time, Xpresspost delivers the items on time. And almost everything I am mailing does not actually need to be received on the Delivery Standard Date. So I use Xpresspost as a “free” lottery to see if I can occasionally “win” free delivery of my non-urgent packages. If I send them by Regular Post, it costs only a dollar or two less, but I have no chance of getting free delivery.

I’ll play this game again in a few months. Wish me luck!

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Do you keep track of your Xpresspost packages? Have you “won” free delivery? Please share your experience with a comment.

Betting $2.62 to Try to Save $14.48 Or How I Like to Gamble By Using Xpresspost for Parcels

Recently, I had to mail back my radon gas detection kit to the lab to have the results analyzed. It was annoying to have to pay the postage to send the collection unit back but I understand that it wasn’t easy for the company to send it out prepaid: the test has to run for a year and postage rates can increase, and the postage rate will vary from different parts of Canada if the package is sent by Xpresspost and possibly by regular mail due to “fuel surcharges” and other peculiarities of the postal system. Anyway, when I went to the post office to mail it back the clerk offered me two choices: regular parcel post at $14.48 or Xpresspost at $17.10; I decided to gamble and use Xpresspost and here’s why.

Why is the Canada Post Fuel Surcharge Different for Regular Post VS Xpresspost Parcels?

One thing I noticed when I priced my options is that the fuel surcharge for regular delivery from Ontario to BC is $0.47 and for Xpresspost is $1.28. Given the distance is the same, that was a bit puzzling. I decided that maybe, and only maybe, the Xpresspost option puts the package on a plane and the regular post option puts the parcel on a train and that changes the amount they want to zing me with for “fuel.”

I was curious, though, so I checked sending the same package within my same city.
Ack! The fuel surcharge within the same city is also different! It’s $0.29 for regular parcel and $0.77 for Xpresspost. Do they use jet fuel to run the van with Xpresspost and diesel or gasoline in the one that the regular parcels are delivered by?

I checked the Canada Post website. It clearly explains that a different rate is charged for the Express Services than for the Non-Express Services. It explains what percentage is used for the fuel surcharge depending on the price of diesel fuel. But it does NOT explain why the percentage is different for Express vs Non-Express!

Do Canada Post Fuel Surcharges Ever Change and Decrease?

Well, according to their website, yes they do. (I was surprised too.)

It was a good thing I waited till February 1 to mail my parcel, because the fuel surcharge rate dropped from 9.25% to 8.5% on February 1 from January 31 for Express Services.

Who knew a day when the price of stamps did not change, could make such a difference to the “postage” to mail a parcel?

What Do I Mean When I Say I Gambled By Using Canada Post Xpresspost to Deliver My Parcel?

I discovered this quirk in the past. Canada Post Xpresspost parcels usually have an On-Time Delivery Guarantee. (You should check when buying this service for any exceptions in your case.)  If the parcel does not arrive on time, you should get “replacement service or credit equivalent to the shipping charges.”

I’m paying slightly more for Xpresspost than for Regular Post. $2.62 more to be exact. For that extra money, I can track my parcel to make sure it eventually gets there. That alone is worth something to me. But more importantly, I can have fun gambling.

If the parcel is delivered on time, I’m out the $2.62. But if they are late, I will get all of my cost refunded, if not in cash, then at least in stamps or a credit note to pay for my next parcel.

Sure, it’s not like winning LOTTO MAX. I won’t be able to retire on $14.48. But it’s not a $5 bet either and the odds of Canada Post delivering my parcel late are much, much better than of me picking a hugely winning ticket.

Did I Win My Canada Post Xpresspost Lottery?

Well, it’s getting really suspenseful. According to the Canada Post tracking website, my parcel was in Vancouver on the day it should be delivered but so far it doesn’t say if it made it to the destination or not. Until the date of delivery gets posted, I won’t know. I’ll update this article when I find out.

I have won this lottery in the past so I’m hoping to do so again!

Related Reading

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Do you ever play the Xpresspost or Priority Mail odds? Have you won any free deliveries? Please share your experience with a comment.