Shipping and Handling Policy

Packages presumed to be lost

• Order issues for packages presumed to be lost by the carrier (where the status is not “delivered”) must be filed no sooner than 7 days after the last tracking update for United States domestic shipments (20 days for international shipments, including Canada unless a Canadian merchant is shipping within Canada in which case the 7 day domestic shipment timeline applies) and within 30 days from the last checkpoint.

Invalid address or delivery barriers

• Sometimes carriers cannot deliver the customer’s package due to an invalid address or other unexpected delivery barriers. At this point, the carrier might return the package to the sender/retailer. The customer’s package is not actually lost, thus Route does not cover this. In instances where the item is being returned to the sender and is reusable, customers will be referred to the retailer.
• The exception is retailers that ship perishable items (e.g. food, a mattress that cannot be reused).

Only part of the order delivered

• If the customer ordered several items in one package but only part of the order arrived and there is no evidence of tampering, Route does not cover the order issue. The customer will be referred to the retailer.
• If a single order is being shipped in multiple packages and one package does not arrive, Route will cover the order issue and reorder or refund the value of the undelivered package.
• If the retailer forgets to ship an item from the customer’s order, the customer needs to reach out to the retailer to have the missing items fulfilled.

Packages labeled “return to sender”

• Route does not cover packages labeled return to sender because the order has been sent back to the retailer. Items are returned to sender when a customer provides an invalid or undeliverable address or refuses a delivery.
• At our discretion, we may cover the order issue if the returned item is perishable or if the retailer is unable to reuse it.*
• Route covers the customer’s order if the package gets lost in-transit back to the sender.*

*Please note: Route Package Protection timeframes for filing apply.

Order stuck in customs

• Route cannot cover when a customer’s order is stuck in international borders/customs.
• The customer’s next step is to pay the customs fees in order to receive the package.
• If Route replaces something the customer has already paid customs on, under Route’s discretion, Route can approve and pay customs the second time.

Order marked as unfulfilled or unshipped

• If the customer’s order is marked as unfulfilled or unshipped, the order hasn’t been fulfilled yet by the retailer (retailer could be low on inventory of the items, internal delays with the fulfillment center, etc.).
• Route does not control how quickly the retailer ships the customer’s order. Route Package Protection is not yet in action because the order has not shipped.

Order issue filed too soon

• If the customer is filing an order issue the same day that the package was marked as delivered, at our discretion Route may ask you to wait 5 business days. Carriers (FedEx, USPS, UPS, DHL, etc.) sometimes prematurely mark the package as delivered when it’s still in transit.

Delivered but missing package

At our discretion, Route requires a police report when the customer’s package is marked as delivered.

1. Customer files the police report and includes an explanation that Route is a package protection company that has protected the customer’s package that has been stolen. To process the order issue with Route, Route is requiring a police report.
2. Send Route the police report PDF & number in the order issue.

Upon request, Route can require additional documentation (e.g. proof of identity, address, etc.).

Note: Depending upon the jurisdiction, a false police report may be charged as a misdemeanor or a felony

**Order issues for packages marked “delivered” yet not received are considered by Route as stolen and must be filed 5 days after “delivery date” but no longer than 15 days to ensure it was not misdelivered or easily found around the premises.

Filing a police report

• On orders over $100, Route requires evidence of the police report
• Customer files the police report and includes an explanation that Route is a package protection company that has protected the customer’s package that has been stolen. To process the order issue with Route, Route is requiring a police report. Once filed, the customer sends Route the police report PDF & number in the order issue.
• Upon request, Route can require additional documentation (e.g. proof of identity, address, notary, etc.).

Delivered to wrong address

• If the customer input the correct address at checkout and the package was delivered to the wrong address, Route considers this as stolen and we will replace the order on behalf of the customer.

Broken items

• If the customer received a broken item and needs to dispose of it (i.e. shattered glass), the customer needs to check their city ordinances and dispose of it properly.
• The customer does not need to ship it back to the retailer (unless the retailer indicates otherwise).

Damaged items

• A damaged item is considered to be a broken product that is unusable, clearly fractured, shattered, bent (if not bendable), crushed, etc.
• Route does not cover cosmetic damage (scratches, dents, etc.), manufacturing damages, packaging errors, or unsealed items. At our discretion, we may offer a 15-30% refund depending on the severity of the cosmetic damage.
• Route requires further evidence of the customer’s damaged item (i.e. more photos, videos, etc.).

Subscription items

• For existing subscriptions where your customers have purchased Route Package Protection, if any of your customer’s items in the subscription were lost, stolen, or damaged in transit and can be purchased individually, Route will reorder them. If the items cannot be purchased, then Route will refund the items.
• Route cannot reorder and create an entirely new subscription because Route would be paying for the customer’s monthly subscription.

Customized items

• Route cannot reorder customized items for the customer because of the additional liability of ordering the customer’s custom item incorrectly. Route can offer a refund instead.

Out of stock

• Route doesn’t have visibility to the retailer’s inventory or when they will have the customer’s item back in stock.
• Route can offer the customer a refund for the item that is out of stock. The customer can always use that refund to order the item when it’s back in stock.

Input wrong address

• If the customer entered the wrong address at the time of order, Route does not cover this.
• The customer needs to reach out to the retailer to remedy the incorrect address.

Quality control

• If the customer is unsatisfied with their product, Route is not a product replacement plan and the order issue cannot be approved.
• The customer needs to reach out to the retailer. This request may be covered under the retailer’s return policy.

Too late to file

• Route can action an order issue that is filed within the bounds of our domestic/international timeline policy. If an order issue is filed outside of this timeline, Route will deny the order issue according to these policies:
  • Order issues for packages marked “delivered” yet not received and where there is no evidence of “porch piracy” must be made 5 days after “delivery date” but no longer than 15 days to ensure it was not misdelivered or easily found around the premises.”
  • Order issues for packages presumed to be lost by the carrier (where the status is not “delivered”) must be filed no sooner than 7 days after the scheduled delivery date for United States domestic shipments (20 days for international shipments, including Canada unless a Canadian merchant is shipping within Canada in which case the 7 day domestic shipment timeline applies) and within 30 days from the last checkpoint.

Expedited shipping hasn’t arrived 

• If the customer’s package is delayed for whatever reason, Route will not cover it.
• Carriers update their website with expected delays due to inclement weather or other barriers to expected delivery.
• If the customer paid for expedited shipping but the package arrives outside of the expected window, Route will not cover it.

Payment installment companies

• For payment installments (Sezzle, Afterpay, etc.), it is the customer’s responsibility to pay the payment installment company directly.
• Once Route refunds the customer for their order, the customer must pay their installments to the payment installment company directly.

No tracking information

• Route reserves the right to deny order issues where no tracking number/information is available. In these instances, Route will reach out to the retailer to see if one can be provided.

Package in Pre-Shipment

• Route reserves the right to deny order issues where package tracking is marked as “pre-shipment”.

Non-sanctioned shipping address

• Route is based in the United States of America. Due to shipping policies in the US, Route will not cover order issues for items shipped to countries that are not sanctioned by the US. List available here

Closed order issues

• If a customer does not respond within 5 days, Route will automatically close the order issues. Customers can open the order issues back up by responding to the original thread.

Didn’t want Route

• If the customer’s package has not shipped, Route can refund the Route premium.
• If the item has shipped, Route is already protecting the package and cannot refund the customer.

Checkout requires ID verification

• Route doesn’t upload our employee’s proof of ID to replace the customer’s order.
• If the customer ordered from a store that requires the extra ID verification step, Route can offer the customer a refund instead to protect each party’s identity.