You paid extra for signature on delivery. The tracking says "delivered," but nobody at the address signed for it. Now the customer is asking where their order is, and you're stuck between them and the carrier.
This happens more often than most brands expect. Here's how it actually works, and what to do the moment you spot it.
Why signature-required exists in the first place
When you pick signature required, you're paying the carrier for one extra promise: don't hand this parcel over unless a real person takes it. Think of it like a registered letter. If nobody's home, the driver should try again later or hold it at a pickup point.
There are usually three levels:
- Signature required: any adult at the address can sign.
- Adult signature: someone 18 or 19+ (depending on province) must sign with ID.
- Direct signature: only the named person on the label can sign.
Each level costs a bit more. Each one shifts risk from you to the carrier. That last part is the piece most shippers miss.
What "shifting risk" really means
Normal delivery is like dropping a pizza at the door. Once it's there, the carrier's job is done. If a porch pirate grabs it, that's usually on you.
Signature delivery is different. It's more like handing someone the keys to a rental car. The carrier can't just leave the keys on the seat. If they do, and something goes wrong, the carrier owns that mistake — not you, and not your customer.
That's why signature service matters for:
- Orders over a certain dollar value
- Alcohol, vape, or age-restricted goods
- High-theft neighbourhoods or apartment buildings
- Anything you can't easily replace
What to do the moment you find out
Move fast. Most carriers have short windows to file a claim, sometimes as little as a few weeks from the delivery date.
Step 1: Get the proof of delivery (POD)
Log in to the carrier's portal and pull the POD. This shows:
- The exact time of delivery
- Where it was left (front door, mailroom, "with neighbour")
- Any signature captured, or a note like "COVID release" or "driver release"
If the POD shows no signature, or shows a signature that clearly wasn't your customer's, you have your evidence.
Step 2: Ask your customer for a short statement
You need one simple email from them saying:
- They did not receive the parcel
- They did not sign for it
- They did not authorize anyone else to sign
Keep it short. A screenshot or forwarded email is fine. This is what the carrier will ask for.
Step 3: File the claim yourself, not through the customer
This is the part shippers get wrong. The carrier's contract is with you, the shipper. Not your customer. The customer can't file a claim because they didn't pay for the shipment.
So you file. Your customer's job is just to give you the statement above.
Who pays the customer back in the meantime
Don't make your customer wait for the carrier claim to close. Claims can take weeks. Sometimes months.
Refund or reship your customer right away. Then chase the carrier on your own time. This keeps your reviews clean and your support inbox quiet.
Think of it like a credit card chargeback. The bank pays you back first, then goes after the merchant. You should do the same for your buyer.
What the carrier owes you
If signature was required and the driver skipped it, the carrier has broken their part of the deal. In most cases you can claim:
- The declared value of the goods (up to the carrier's limit)
- The shipping cost you paid
- The signature service fee
The declared value part matters. If you didn't declare a value on the label, the carrier's payout is capped at a low default amount. For higher-value orders, always declare the value and pay the small extra fee. It's cheap insurance.
Common carrier pushback, and how to answer it
Carriers will sometimes try to close the claim quickly. Here are the usual replies and what to say back.
| Carrier says | Your response |
|---|---|
| "Driver marked it delivered." | Delivered is not the same as signed. Show the POD with no signature. |
| "There was a signature waiver on file." | You did not authorize a waiver. Signature required overrides any account default. |
| "Customer must file the claim." | The shipping contract is with the shipper. Point them to your account. |
| "Claim denied — delivered as addressed." | Escalate. Ask for a supervisor review and cite the signature service you paid for. |
Keep your tone calm and factual. Attach the POD and the customer statement every time.
How to prevent this from repeating
A few small changes cut the problem down a lot:
- Always declare value on parcels above your comfort threshold.
- Use adult signature for anything a driver might be tempted to leave.
- Add a note on the label for apartments: "Do not leave in lobby."
- Track signature exceptions weekly so you catch bad drivers or routes early.
- Pull PODs on any "delivered but not received" ticket before refunding blind.
That last one is worth building into your support workflow. Most "lost" parcels aren't lost — they're sitting somewhere the POD will point you to.
The practical takeaway
If a carrier skipped a signature you paid for:
- Pull the POD right away.
- Get a short written statement from your customer.
- Refund or reship the customer first.
- File the claim yourself, with your account, within the carrier's window.
- Push back if they deny — the signature service is a paid promise.
At Shipply, this is the kind of thing our 3PL team handles for the brands we ship for — catching the exception, pulling the proof, and filing the claim so the brand can keep selling instead of chasing paperwork. But whether you outsource it or run it in-house, the playbook above is the same. Know your rights on the label you paid for, and don't let a "delivered" scan be the end of the story.