Steps to refund a damaged package
Refund of a damaged package
We will explain here what conditions you must meet to obtain a refund of your goods when sending or receiving a parcel to or from Switzerland and what steps you must take. We will first discuss the refund of goods with the Swiss Post and then with carriers such as DHL, FedEx, UPS or TNT.
Refund of a damaged parcel
Shipments with the Swiss Post
If you have made an IMPORT from abroad, the table below tells you how much you will be refunded for loss or damage:
In principle, the amount of the refund is paid to the SENDER of the package and not to the recipient. If you wish to obtain the reimbursement of the damaged or lost package yourself, the sender must indicate in a written and signed document that he is assigning the amount of compensation to you. You can present this document to the Post Office afterwards.
Caution, there are conditions under which you will not be able to obtain a refund for the goods you have imported, they are as follows:
- In case of force majeure (accidents, attacks, events, weather conditions, etc.)
- When no proof of the damage can be attributed to the Post Office
- Where the damage was caused because the consignor was negligent (e.g. poor packaging) or the nature of the consignment makes no refund possible (e.g. illicit goods)
- Where no claim has been made for the refund of goods within six months
- If the packaging is not suitable for the goods
If you have made an EXPORT from Switzerland to other countries Swiss Post offers you the following solutions:
If you are an INDIVIDUAL and that your parcel is less than 2kg you can insure your goods and be reimbursed for a maximum amount of 150 francs. If your parcel weighs more than 2kg, your merchandise is automatically insured for a maximum amount of CHF 1’000. In order to obtain a refund for your goods by post, you will need to provide proof of the value of your shipment.
If you are a COMPANY and you use the services of the Post Office, you can take out insurance for a maximum insured amount of CHF 3’000.
Please note that certain goods are not insurable, in particular anything relating to electronic materials such as mobile phones or computers.
Refund of damaged packages
shipments with carriers such as DHL, FedEx, UPS, TNT or Aramex
Refund of a damaged parcel: you have not taken out transport insurance
If you have made a shipment with a carrier such as DHL, FedEx or UPS and you have not taken out transport insurance, and they accept responsibility for it, then you will be refunded according to the weight of your package. The Warsaw Convention(link) sets the price of the compensation amount at 33 francs per kilo, but with a minimum of 100 francs.
To prevent this from happening again, here is a link to an article that explains how to pack a parcel in order to limit the risk of damage as much as possible.
Refund of a damaged parcel: you have taken out transport insurance
Generally, with carriers such as DHL or FedEx, the cost of insurance is 1% of the declared value and the maximum amount you can insure is CHF 50,000 per shipment.
When your goods are damaged or lost and you have taken out transport insurance, you must provide the carrier with a number of documents and proofs that attest to your shipment and the value of your goods. Here is a list of the main ones:
- Reimbursement of a damaged parcel: you have taken out transport insurance
- Generally, with carriers such as DHL or FedEx, the cost of insurance is 1% of the declared value and the maximum amount you can insure is CHF 50,000 per shipment.
- When your goods are damaged or lost and you have taken out transport insurance, you must provide the carrier with a number of documents and proofs that attest to your shipment and the value of your goods. Here is a list of the main ones:
- The Airways bill that you filled out manually or electronically.
- A copy of the commercial or proforma invoice that was attached to the shipment
- Proof of the value declared to the insurance company
- Keep the package packaging
- Pictures of the damaged goods and the packaging
- A written statement from the delivery person that the package was damaged at the time of delivery.
- The claim must be made as soon as possible to the carrier and the consignee must be at the disposal of the carrier’s expert
There are many limitations on the types of goods you can insure, which are specific to each carrier. We advise you to be aware of the limitations that the carrier imposes on transport insurance.
Would you like to insure your goods with much more freedom?
Book your shipment from Expedismart
If you wish to take out insurance directly with the carrier, then here are the maximum amounts covered per carrier:
- UPS: 500 francs
- FedEx: 1,000 francs
- TNT: 25,000 euros
At Expedismart, we have negotiated conditions with an insurance company that allow you to, among other things :
- To insure merchandise up to 100’000 francs against 50’000 francs in normal times.
- To send works of art with insurance coverage of up to CHF 25,000
- To insure documents to the value of 5’000 francs
You can insure documents on Expedismart. This insurance specifically covers the reproduction of the document in question (e.g. the reproduction of a lost passport).
The cost of insurance on Expedismart is the same as that of the carriers, i.e. 1% of the value of the goods declared and the documents required to claim a refund are the same as those of the carriers. Here is the link to our general conditions.
Finally on Expedismart, in addition to a transport insurance on the merchandise that will allow you to be reimbursed in case of damage or loss, you can in a few clicks:
- Compare prices and delivery times of Express carriers such as DHL, FedEx, UPS or TNT.
- Book their services online at attractive prices (which we have directly negotiated with the carriers for our clients)
- Benefit from a customer service department available to help you and answer all your questions.
How do I report a damaged package?
To declare a damaged parcel you have to fill in the form on the Swiss Post website that you can find by clicking on this link.
If the claim concerns the carriers, you must contact the carriers’ customer service department, they will send you a form to fill in and return to them. Here are the telephone numbers of the carriers in Switzerland :
- DHL : 0848 711 711
- FedEx: 0848 133 339
- UPS: 044 200 41 00
- TNT: 0800 555 555
- Aramex: 022 717 85 00
If the claim concerns a shipment with carriers but the shipment has been booked on Expedismart, we will take care for you to make the claim with the above mentioned carriers.
