El Corte Inglés order tracking: delivery and problems

Where does El Corte Inglés sell online?

El Corte Inglés has two online shops, each with its own help and customer service:

• elcorteingles.es (Spain). It delivers across Spain: the mainland, the Balearic and Canary Islands, Ceuta and Melilla. Abroad, its shipping help lists only five EU countries: Germany, France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Ireland. Delivery there generally costs €5.90 for up to 10 items (€7.90 from 11) and takes up to 10 working days; bulky items, wine, spirits and refurbished items aren't sent. Import duties aren't included and the recipient pays them in cash, and a return goes back to its warehouse in Valdemoro, near Madrid, at your cost, customs and local taxes included.
• elcorteingles.pt (Portugal). A separate shop. Its online-shop customer service answers on 213 532 020 and at [email protected], and you can collect an order ("Click & Collect") at its Lisbon or Gaia store. An item bought there can't be returned in mainland Spain, and the Spanish shop sends you to it for deliveries to Portugal.

If you live in Ireland, you can order from elcorteingles.es. The UK, the US, Canada and Australia aren't on the list: the site's legal terms speak of shipping to "más de 100 países" (more than 100 countries), but its shipping help names only those five. Same-day delivery and El Corte Inglés Plus don't work outside Spain.

The rest of this guide uses Spain as the worked example, with El Corte Inglés's Spanish labels and a translation.

Which carrier delivers my El Corte Inglés order?

It depends on how you receive it and who sells it. El Corte Inglés doesn't say which company delivers to your home: its pages speak of "la agencia de transporte" (the delivery agency). It does name Correos, Spain's postal service, and Celeritas as pickup points.

Each product page shows its delivery options. Celeritas is a parcel network with "almost 9,000 pickup points in Spain and Portugal", according to its website, which has its own tracking.

A Marketplace product is, in El Corte Inglés's words, "sold and shipped directly by an outside seller through our website". The product page marks it "Vendido por" (sold by), with the seller's delivery times and return conditions, and the order's tracking emails say "VENDEDOR EXTERNO MARKETPLACE" (outside Marketplace seller). The El Corte Inglés Plus delivery pass doesn't cover these items.

1. El Corte Inglés or an outside sellerTells you when the order is on its way
2. The delivery agencyWrites to you by email or text
3. Store, Supercor, Correos or CeleritasAn email tells you when to collect
4. YouAt home, or the same day in 54 cities

Where is my El Corte Inglés tracking number?

Look in these places:

• The confirmation email. It has "a summary of your purchase, the order number and the estimated delivery time", and its link shows the order's status, even if you checked out as a guest.
• "Mis compras" (my purchases). In your account, on the website or in the app, you see each order's status "in real time", from "Confirmado" (confirmed) to "Enviado" (shipped), "Entregado a agencia" (handed to the delivery agency) and "Entregado" (delivered).
• The delivery agency's emails and texts. Once the order is "entregado a la agencia de transporte" (handed to the delivery agency), the agency sends its instructions by email or text message.
• "Documento de venta" (sales document) emails. They confirm that the order is being shipped, delivered or collected.

The El Corte Inglés order number is for talking to El Corte Inglés and collecting in store, not for tracking the parcel on a carrier's website. For a pickup at a store or at Supercor, that number or the QR code is all you need: you wait for the email saying the order is ready. For other shops: find your tracking number.

If the order goes to a Correos post office, Correos numbers look like this (the digits are made up): PR, 15 digits and C, as in PR123456789012345C, or 2 letters, 9 digits and ES, as in RR123456785ES. Celeritas parcels are tracked at celeritastransporte.com.

Not sure whose number it is? Type it here:

Why is my El Corte Inglés order late, or why isn't tracking moving?

The estimated delivery time is in the confirmation email. Standard home delivery takes up to 10 working days on the mainland, in the Balearic Islands and in the EU, 10 to 15 in Tenerife and Gran Canaria, 16 to 21 on the other Canary Islands and up to 21 in Ceuta and Melilla; many items can come in 24 or 48 hours. El Corte Inglés emails you when it hands the order to the agency or if it's delayed, and tells you when the order is on its way or ready to collect. If the tracking isn't moving, it's usually one of these:

• It hasn't left the warehouse yet. Until then, El Corte Inglés can still change the address: ask its customer service.
• It's with the delivery agency. Once the order is "entregado a la agencia de transporte", the agency is in charge: you can only change the address within the same province, following the instructions in its email or text. Once it's "en reparto" (out for delivery), the address can't change and you deal with the agency.
• Several items. They don't always arrive together: El Corte Inglés's help has a question on why not all the products came at once. Check each one in "Mis compras".
• An outside seller. The seller's delivery time applies, as shown on the product page, not El Corte Inglés's.
• Same-day delivery. It comes on the day and at the time you picked, and El Corte Inglés sends the tracking by email.

If you didn't agree on a date, Spanish consumer law gives the shop at most 30 calendar days from the order to deliver. When waiting is still normal: why tracking isn't updating.

Delivery options and costs

The estimated shipping cost shows in the basket before you pay. These are the prices El Corte Inglés publishes:

Same-day delivery. "More than 300,000 products in 2 hours, or whenever you like", in 54 cities and their surroundings, including Madrid, Barcelona, Seville, Valencia, Bilbao, Zaragoza, Las Palmas and Santa Cruz de Tenerife. You pick the day and time, between 10:00 and 22:00, Monday to Sunday.

Store pickup. An email tells you when you can collect. At Supercor you collect at any till. Show the order number or the QR code from the email or the app; someone else can collect for you with it. At an El Corte Inglés store you have 7 calendar days from that email; after that, the order goes back to the warehouse and you're refunded. With Click&Car you collect for free in a reserved area of the store's car park, where staff put the order in your boot, and you can combine items from every department with supermarket items.

El Corte Inglés Plus. The delivery pass costs €35.90 a year, or €4.90 a month according to El Corte Inglés's help, with a 30-day free trial. Home delivery is then free from €20 (€100 at the supermarket), pickup at Supercor or Correos is free, same-day delivery is free from €50 and returns are free. It works on the mainland and in the Balearic and Canary Islands, not in Ceuta, Melilla or abroad, and doesn't cover outside sellers' items, gift cards, flowers or the wine club. It renews itself unless you cancel it in "Mi cuenta" (my account).

Orders sent abroad: customs.

El Corte Inglés parcel not arrived or marked delivered: what to do

In this order:

1. 1Check the trackingOpen the order in "Mis compras" or through the confirmation email's link, and read the delivery agency's emails and texts, including your spam folder. If you ordered several items, check each one: they can arrive separately.
2. 2Look around and askLook around your door and ask whoever was home, your neighbours and the concierge. For a pickup, check in the email which store or point holds your order.
3. 3Contact El Corte InglésIn the order, tap "¿Alguna duda con tu compra?" > "Habla con nosotros" (any question about your purchase? > talk to us) to open the chat, from 7:00 to 23:00 every day, once you're signed in. You can also call 900 363 900 for free or write to [email protected] with your order number.
4. 4File a complaintIf it isn't solved, complain to El Corte Inglés by email at [email protected] or on a "hoja de reclamaciones" (complaint form) in one of its stores. If the answer doesn't satisfy you, El Corte Inglés is a member of Confianza Online, where you can complain for free about an online purchase made less than a year ago, once you have complained to the shop.
5. 5Refund or new itemSpanish consumer law says the shop bears the risk of loss until you, or someone you named who isn't the carrier, has the parcel. If it doesn't arrive in time, you can give the shop a further period; if it still doesn't arrive, cancel the order and ask for a refund, or ask for it to be sent again.

If the parcel looks damaged or tampered with when it arrives, El Corte Inglés asks you to refuse it there and then and to tell it as soon as possible: write to [email protected] with the order number or use the chat. If the item is faulty or isn't what you ordered, go to "Mis compras", choose the order and tap "Gestiona tu compra" > "Devoluciones" (manage your purchase > returns), giving the reason. More: parcel marked delivered but not received, lost parcel and damaged parcel.

Returning an El Corte Inglés order

The return period runs from when you receive the item and depends on what you bought: 60 calendar days for fashion, shoes and accessories; 30 for furniture, kitchenware and home textiles; 15 for electronics, appliances, perfume, cosmetics, toys and sports equipment; 14 for Marketplace items.

You can return an item for free at any El Corte Inglés store, with the app's QR code or the receipt, or at Supercor if you collected it there; at Correos or Celeritas for €3, up to 3 kg, on the mainland or in the Balearic Islands; or with a home collection booked in "Mis compras", for €7.90 up to 15 kg or €30 above. Returns are free with El Corte Inglés Plus. Items over 15 kg and Marketplace items can only be collected from your home, and an order collected in store goes back to a store.

An El Corte Inglés store refunds you on the spot; after a home collection or a Correos or Celeritas drop-off, the money comes within 14 days of the collection, to the same payment method. Where the return's tracking number is and when the money arrives: returns tracking.

Can I track an El Corte Inglés parcel in Peek?

Yes, when you have a carrier's tracking number. Copy it from the delivery agency's or Correos's emails or texts and paste it into Peek. Peek recognises the Correos numbers above by their shape alone. For a shape several carriers share, Peek asks the likely carriers and shows the one that knows the number. If several know it, press "Choose"; if it shows the wrong one, press "Change" and pick the carrier the email names. Peek doesn't recognise Celeritas numbers by their shape: press "Change" and pick Celeritas.

An outside seller's item comes with the carrier the seller picks: if the shipping is tracked, Peek detects it among more than 3,500 carriers. If a parcel changes carrier on the way and the first carrier names the one taking over, Peek keeps the history from the start and follows the new carrier. The El Corte Inglés order number and a pickup's QR code aren't tracking numbers: Peek can't follow them.

Peek shows what the carrier publishes. Complaints, refunds and returns stay in your El Corte Inglés account.