A damaged parcel claim depends almost entirely on evidence gathered in the first hour. Photograph everything before unpacking further, and note the damage at delivery if you can.
ContactDetails.co.za is an independent directory. We are not any of the companies listed here and cannot act on your behalf. Everything on this page is a routing aid so you reach the right official channel with the right information in hand.
Who actually handles this
The courier for damage in transit, and the retailer for the order if you bought online. As with a loss, the retailer’s obligation is to deliver goods in the condition you paid for.
What to do, in order
- Photograph the packaging before you open it further, including the labels and the waybill.
- Photograph the contents and the damage clearly.
- Note the damage on the delivery record at the time if the driver is still there. This is the single strongest piece of evidence.
- Report it to the courier in writing the same day, with the photographs and the waybill number.
- Tell the retailer at the same time if you bought online.
- Keep the packaging until the claim is settled. Couriers frequently ask to inspect it.
What to have ready before you make contact
- Photographs of the packaging, the labels and the damage.
- The waybill or tracking number.
- The order number and retailer.
- The value of the goods and proof of it.
- The delivery date and, where possible, a note of the damage on the delivery record.
Verified courier customer care routes
Every route in this table was taken from the organisation’s own official contact page and checked on 21 August 2026. Contact details change, so confirm on the official site before relying on one for anything urgent.
| What it is for | Contact |
|---|---|
| The Courier Guy customer support | 086 120 3203 |
| RAM customer care | 0861 726 726 |
| RAM parcel tracking | 010 494 8223 |
| DHL customer service (shipment queries) | 0860 345 000 |
| PostNet call centre | 0860 767 8638 |
| PAXI customer enquiries | 086 000 7294 |
| DSV national contact centre | +27 31 310 6000 |
Who owns what when something goes wrong with a delivery or a journey
- The retailer, if you bought online, is who your contract is with. It owes you the goods, in the condition you paid for, at the address you gave. Which courier it chose is its arrangement, not your problem.
- The courier physically carries the parcel and is the party that can trace it. It works from the waybill number and generally caps its liability unless extra cover was bought.
- The operator, for a journey, runs the service and holds the booking, unless you booked through an agent, in which case the agent holds it and is usually the only party that can change it.
- A consumer body such as the Consumer Goods and Services Ombud takes unresolved consumer complaints, free of charge, once the supplier’s own process has been exhausted.
The most common dead end is being sent back and forth between a retailer and a courier. If you bought online, say plainly and in writing that your contract is with the retailer and that delivery is its obligation.
Common mistakes that cost time
- Unpacking fully before photographing. The packaging is the evidence of how the damage happened.
- Throwing the packaging away, when couriers commonly ask to inspect it.
- Signing and walking away without noting the damage on the delivery record where the driver is still present.
- Reporting days later. Same-day reporting is what makes a damage claim straightforward.
If it is not resolved
The Consumer Goods and Services Ombud handles unresolved consumer complaints against participating suppliers, free of charge to the consumer. It also expects you to have gone through the supplier’s own complaints process first.
Escalation works on evidence. Keep a short written log of every contact: the date, the channel you used, the name of the person you spoke to and the reference number you were given. Every formal complaints process asks for exactly that history, and having it ready is usually the difference between a fast resolution and starting over.
| What it is for | Contact |
|---|---|
| CGSO consumer complaints call centre | 0860 000 272 |
| CGSO WhatsApp | 081 335 3005 |
| CGSO general email | [email protected] |
Related contact pages
- Damaged Parcel Claim Contact Details
- Transport
- Small Claims Court Contact Details
- First For Women Claims Contact Details
- Auto And General Claims Contact Details
- First For Woman Claims Contact Details
- Legalwise Contact Details
- The Unlimited Claims Contact Details
- How to verify a contact number before you use it
- How to Claim for Damaged Parcel
Frequently asked questions
I signed for it before I saw the damage.
Signing does not extinguish a claim, but it makes it harder, which is why photographing immediately and reporting the same day matters so much.
Should I keep the packaging?
Yes, until the claim is settled. Couriers commonly ask to inspect the packaging as part of assessing how the damage happened.
Who pays, the courier or the retailer?
If you bought online, pursue the retailer: it owes you goods in the condition you paid for. It will recover from the courier if that is where the fault lies.
The contact routes on this page were checked against each organisation’s official source on 21 August 2026. Where a detail has changed, the official source is always the authority.