What To Do In The First 60 Minutes After A Delivery Goes Missing

If you are a dispatch operator in Lagos… you know this call already. It is 3:18 p.m. A vendor gave you a ₦450,000 phone at 9 a.m. It has not arrived. She calls. "Where is my package? Your rider is not picking up." You call the rider. It rings out. You check WhatsApp.

The last message came three hours ago: "I dey go drop am." That is your whole record. No job reference. No pickup photo. No price written down. No idea where he is. Now do the maths. At ₦7,000 a job, replacing that phone costs you the full revenue of 64 deliveries.

And the vendor is already asking around for another dispatch company. This guide shows you how to handle the next hour, who carries the loss, and how other operators settle the same call in five minutes.

First, Is He Late or Is He Missing?

Riders move through Lagos traffic. Batteries die. Networks drop. A tyre bursts. The receiver is not at home. The problem is not always theft. The problem is that without records, you cannot tell the difference. Treat it as missing when one of these is true:

• The rider is 30 minutes past the promised time and has ignored three calls.

• The job is marked delivered but the receiver has nothing.

If one is true, start the clock. Facts are still fresh. People are still reachable. And the vendor is deciding whether you get her next job.

Minutes 0 to 10: Get the Job File Straight

Do not argue with the vendor about price or package size. Start with facts. Write down:

1. What was collected, and its value.

2. Pickup point and destination.

3. Which rider took it and what time he left.

4. The price agreed.

5. The receiver's name and number.

6. The last update, and the time of it.

If you cannot answer one, say so. Do not fill gaps with guesses. A vendor can forgive a delay. She will not forgive a confident lie. If you have any tracking on the bike, record the last location and the time. A location without a time is weak evidence.

Minutes 10 to 25: Reach the Rider Properly

One WhatsApp message is not an attempt.

• Call three times with a short gap between each.

• Call his second number, his guarantor, or his group leader.

• Call the receiver. Ask if anybody has come or called.

When you reach him, ask one question: "Where are you now, and what happened to the delivery?" Get the answer in writing. If he says "I am at Ojuelegba," record it with the time. If his battery is low, get one location pin before the call ends.

Keep your tone firm. No insults. You need facts, not a fight. If there are signs of an accident or a safety emergency, deal with that first. The rider is a person. The package comes after.

Minutes 25 to 40: Call the Vendor Before She Calls Again

This is where operators lose the account. They wait. They hope. They pick up only on her third call. Call her first. Tell her what you know, what you are doing, and when she will hear from you next.

Your package was picked up at 9:05 a.m. The rider's last confirmed update was at 12:10 p.m. I have called him three times and I am now on his second contact. I will update you by 4:00 p.m., even if there is nothing new.

Do not say "Don't worry, it will arrive soon." Do not promise same day delivery you cannot prove. Promise the next update, not the result.

Minutes 40 to 60: Put Your Proof In One Place

Before the hour ends, gather everything into one folder:

• The vendor's order message and your price agreement

• Any photo of the package

• The rider's full name, photo, plate number, and guarantor details

• Call logs and every chat screenshot

• The last location and its time

If this takes you forty minutes of scrolling, note that. It is the real problem, and we will come back to it.

When the Rider Finally Answers

Silence is only one version. Here are the other four. He says an accident, robbery, or the police seized the bike. Ask for proof now. A photo. The station name. The hospital. A real incident leaves a trail.

The receiver was not at home. Ask where the package is this minute. Have him bring it back or hold it at a named point. Tell the vendor at once. He asked the vendor or receiver for more money. That is your company's name he is spending. Get his reason in writing and correct the price with the vendor yourself.

He marked it delivered but the receiver said no. Ask who collected it, what time, and at which gate. "I dropped it" is not a handover.

After the First Hour: Who Carries The Loss?

You do. That is the honest answer. The vendor comes first. She gave the item to your company, not to a rider. Within 24 hours, agree a settlement with her and give a date. Dragging it past one day costs you the account and your name in her WhatsApp groups.

Then report it. If there is no trace by the close of day, file a police report with the rider's details and get a report number. Then go to the rider and his guarantor. What you can recover depends on what you can prove: that he collected it, in what condition, on which job.

Know what the vendor can do. Lagos runs Small Claims Courts for claims up to ₦5,000,000, and the process is designed for people to represent themselves. A vendor with a tidy folder can file. If she has records and you have "I dey go drop am," you already know how that ends.

If your whole operation lives in WhatsApp and your head, the first hour is not recovery. It is damage control.

Why This Keeps Happening

The job was accepted on a voice note. The price was agreed on a call. The rider was whoever was free. Nothing existed before the bike moved. It works on a smooth day. On a bad day you find the holes.

Six Things Every Job Needs Before The Rider Moves

1. A price locked before pickup. No rider telling the vendor at the door that fuel has gone up.

2. A named rider on the job. A person you can hold to account, not a forwarded number.

3. A photo at pickup. It shows what was handed over and in what condition.

4. A photo at drop off. The job does not end with "I dropped it."

5. An OTP from the receiver. Stronger than a rider typing "Delivered."

6. A date and time on every step. Attached to the job, not buried in an old chat.

Six things. Every job. No exceptions.

The Same 3:18 p.m. Call, With A Record

The vendor calls. "Where is my package? Your rider is not picking up." This time you do not call anybody. You open the job. You used to rely on a three hour old voice note. Now the price was locked at intake, the rider is assigned by name, and the pickup is time stamped.

You used to ask the group chat who saw him last. Now you see his last tracked location and the time. You used to argue about whether it was delivered. Now delivery closes with proof from the receiver. No proof, no "delivered."

You send the vendor the rider's name, the last location, and your next update time. She still wants her package. But she can see you are working with facts. Nothing has been lost except time.

That is what Go SendAm is built for. It is a dispatch operating system that documents every job before the rider moves. It also logs the cash each rider is holding in the field, so the money question has an answer too.

One honest point. Go SendAm does not carry packages or pay claims. It gives you the record. What you do with it is still your business.

What To Do Today

Start your next job with a record, not a voice note.

• ₦10,000 free starter credit when you sign up

• No deposit. No subscription.

• The delivery money is yours, 100%. You run jobs on wallet credit bought in advance: we charge 10% of the job charge from that credit when a job is created or an offer is accepted, and riders earn 2% back when they deliver in under 5 hours the same day.

Compare that small credit charge with 64 deliveries of revenue gone on one missing phone The next 3:18 p.m. call should take you five minutes, not your afternoon.

Quick Checklist

Questions Operators Ask

Who pays when my rider loses a vendor's package?
Your company does. Settle the vendor, then recover from the rider with your records.

How long should I wait before telling the vendor?
Do not wait. Call her inside 40 minutes, before her next chase.

Can a vendor take my dispatch company to court?
Yes. Small claims in Lagos covers up to ₦5,000,000. Your job records are your defence.

How do I stop riders going quiet?
You cannot stop batteries from dying but you can make sure every job has a record before the bike moves.