Are you expecting a package to be delivered by DHL, then there are chances that you might have seen the ‘Forwarded to a Third Party‘ on your tracking status.
Do you know what it means? Sadly, not much information is available about it on the internet, so here we have put together all the information and compiled a detailed article that explains everything related to ‘Forward to Third Party Agent’. Just stick on to the blog post and you are all good to go.
What’s the meaning of “Forwarded to a third party agent” DHL?
‘DHL forward to a third party’ means that your courier shipping partner aka DHL has handed over your package to another shipping partner to make the final delivery to the recipient address.
This usually happens in those areas where the DHL has limited or little to no infrastructure, in these cases, they handed over the package to another third-party agent to make the final delivery on time.
This can also happen when DHL is experiencing a high volume of packages and has a lot of packages already piled up in their facility, so to make the delivery on time they usually outsource the package to third-party agents, so that DHL(technically) can make the last-mile on the scheduled delivery time.
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Why does DHL forward a Package to a Third Party Agent?
There are many reasons why DHL forwards a package to a third-party agent and a few of them are listed below.
- Remote delivery Location: If the recipient of the packages lives in a remote area then it does not make any sense for the DHL to deliver the package themselves instead they can hand it over to a third-party agent that will make the final delivery on behalf of DHL thereby saving significant time and money of the courier companies.
- Lack of Infrastructure: DHL cannot make its sorting facility everywhere in the world, so it uses these third-party agents as a solution to bypass the hurdles of Infrastructure and make the last mile delivery on time.
- Economical Feasible: Handing over the packages to a third-party agent is more economically viable and cost-effective rather than making every single delivery by themselves.
- Compliance: In some countries, the rules and regulations might be restricted for foreign carriers to operate directly. To comply with local laws and governing bodies, DHL might tie up with a local partner to handle the final delivery in that country.
DHL Tracking Status Stuck on Forwarded to a Third Party Agent
As the package/parcel is handed over to a third-party agent, the tracking status won’t work anymore because now DHL is not responsible for making the final delivery of your package.
The thing that really sucks is that as you contact the DHL to know about your package they will provide you with a tracking number with doesn’t tell you which third-party agent has been assigned to deliver your package. Keep in mind that, the tracking number will only work on their agent’s website, not on the DHL tracking status.
In this situation, the best you can do is just wait for the agent to make the final delivery. So, if your tracking status shows that your packages have been “forwarded to a third-party agent” then there is nothing to worry about, it’s totally normal.
The tracking status will be updated to “Delivered” when the third-party agent has delivered the package to the recipient’s address.
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What To Do When DHL Forwards Your Package to Third Party Agent?
- Identity the Third Party Carrier: Contact the DHL and they will provide you the Tracking number and the name of the other agent so that you can track your package.
- Track your package: Now you know the name of the third-party carrier who is handling the final delivery of your package, so google their website to track your parcel.
- Know Estimated Delivery Time: The delivery time of the package changes slightly when handed over to another carrier. To know the updated estimated delivery date, you need to track the package information on the website of the third-party agent.
- Contact DHL: If you have any concerns about the forwarding of the package, then consider contacting DHL customer service. They will clarify the reason for the handover and provide information about the third-party carrier that will make the final delivery.
- Contact third-party carrier: If you facing to long delay in your final delivery, you can also contact the third-party carrier’s customer service for assistance and to know what’s wrong with your package.
Am I allowed to Pickup My Package from the Third Party Agent?
In most cases, you are not allowed to pick up your Package for the Third Party Agents unless they contact you to do so. As the DHL hands over the parcel to the Third Party Agents, it’s the responsibility of the agent to deliver the parcel to the doorstep of the recipient.
However, if your package is taking way too long to get delivered then there are chances that your package might be stuck there for reasons like incorrect address or a delivery Issue. In this case, the third-party agents will contact the recipient so that you can pick up the package from one of their nearby facilities.
FAQ’s
Does the DHL Forwarded to a Third Party Agent mean the Package is lost?
Forwarded to a Third Party Agent means that your package has been handed over to another carrier partner to make the final delivery on the scheduled time. The package is not lost, it’s on its way to the recipient’s address for the final delivery.
How can I Track my DHL Package After being Forwarded?
In this case, you can contact DHL and find out about the third-party agent that will be delivering your final package. Don’t forget to take the Tracking Number as it will help you to navigate your package during the whole delivery process.
How much delay to expect in DHL forwarded cases?
In forwarding cases, you can expect to have a delay of about a week till the third-party agents make the final delivery.