Old house owners being a pain

[Moaningturtle]

We completed on our house in mid November. It started in the day of completion when she was still in the house 3 hours after completing moving stuff out, and then left a load of stuff in the garden to come and collect another time. It was annoying, especially as the clutter in the garden made our moving in harder, but it we were accommodating and polite.

Then the packages started arriving all the way up to Xmas, including a few which we missed delivery of that weren’t named so we had to go to the collection office to get packages that turned out were not for us! This got a bit more annoying. Then her partner (who wasn’t even joint owner) messaged me informing me that UPS will be delivering a very important package that day and could I make sure I sign for it!! On that occasion I told him no, I was sleeping and can’t get up to answer deliveries (I work nights). It happened to come while I was awake though so I dutifully took it to a requested neighbours house.

Then he messaged me asking me to contact Virgin Media and take over his contract!! I said no thank you very much, we have our own broadband sorted. He seemed a bit miffed as I assume he now has to pay for the remainder of the contract.

All a bit annoying but we put up with it. But the latest instalment is that we’ve had Virgin media knocking on our door demanding we give back their equipment. Now, they did leave a router plugged into the wall which I assumed they didn’t want as why would they leave it in a house they had sold? So I put it straight in the garage….I think? It’s possible it went to the recycling centre with other electronics we were getting rid of. If it is in the garage it’s way way way back there behind all the stuff we haven’t yet unpacked/general garage crap. And now the previous owner is WhatsApp-ing me about finding it for her as I assume she’ll be charged.

I know it all seems like small stuff and I should probably just do it, but I work at night then sleep for 4 hours before picking the kids up from school and the whole clubs/dinner/homework/bath time/ bed time routine. Then I’m back at work!

At what point can I stop being obliging and just block them from my phone? Or am I being petty here?!

Here is your assertiveness course!

Block them, tell Virgin to do one, refuse all further parcels, return all mail to sender - every time you do one of these difficult things you are gaining power and developing assertiveness skills, even if it feels dreadful to be doing it in the moment.

They are not nice people. You are not their skivvy.

[quote FinallyHere]@Skeumorph

Or follow Havilland's excellent suggestion and forward all communication to Yoko Ono. She will rip them an (avant garde) new one!

I'm a bit late to the party here so thank you, I've got it now. Just assumed Yoko Ono was an autocorrect error. 😆

Yup, that's the way to deal with CF [/quote]
I speed read Havilland's post and thought for a moment, ahang on? What does Ono Lennon have to do with it!?

It could be the way forward with all CF. 'right, that's it. I'm reporting you to Yoko Ono'

Just tell them you have looked and can't find it. You are not responsible for their property. Then block them.

The people we bought our present house from tried to stick us with most of their final energy bill, by providing false readings to the energy provider. The energy provider was keen to go along with this (hundreds of pounds, I might add), demanding that we pay it until I quoted case law to them and they backed off

Dear ex owner.
As per our contract you took all your items from inside the house. We have no knowledge of the Virgin item. Please redirect all postage, as from Sunday all items will be marked return to sender, and handed in at the post office.

I’m definitely going the Yoko Ono route(r)

Then her partner (who wasn’t even joint owner) messaged me informing me that UPS will be delivering a very important package that day and could I make sure I sign for it!!

Good jesus, why would he have just put his actual address on it. I'm not usually suspicious but that would ring alarm bells for me!

Perhaps leave Yoko Ono out of it as the woman is knocking 90 and deserves som peace

@Moaningturtle

Is there anyway that virgin can come after me for the equipment, as technically I do possibly have it, somewhere?!

You were never in any contract with Virgin. Your house sellers responsibility. Therefore any default is by them. Absolutely nothing to do with you. Bit surprised re router actually I’ve always been sent a bag to recycle because companies haven’t wanted them back. May people probably Chuck. But that’s not been Virgin. Any loose ends for anything are previous owners responsibility. Actually if you had chosen to you could have had a clause put in purchase contract requiring absolute empty possession. Some do. Block them on every level !! Put any stuff left by them in a place and time limit for collection then bin if not done . Any parcels return to sender. Can’t believe their behaviour. Some people!!!!

If they didn’t take it with them, then you have every right to dispose of it

I would respond be more time telling them you dont have the equipment, that you assume they took everything they owned with them, that moving forward all parcels, post etc will not be accepted and that you will leave then to deal with virgin direct as you don’t have the equipment, or a contract with them, and block them

Send final message and block. You don’t need to be helpful to them. You can’t be charged for their equipment.
If 4 hours a night sleep is your norm though it’s not sustainable - hopefully you get more sleep some days.

I feel for you OP. I had something similar with our move and I was being too nice as the previous owners had difficult personal circumstances. They were a pain in the buying process too so it was completely unreciprocated. I still had them coming round for post 2 years later. The sooner you put a stop to it the better.

Refuse any further parcels , and block their number - if they have to repay for a router that’s their problem , you bought the fixtures and fittings and they should have removed it. If the stuff is still in the garden tell them they have 28 days to be removed or you will be instructing your solicitor to bill them for removal and disposal

@Dixiechickonhols

Send final message and block. You don’t need to be helpful to them. You can’t be charged for their equipment. If 4 hours a night sleep is your norm though it’s not sustainable - hopefully you get more sleep some days.

It’s 30 hours/3 nights a week so I do get to catch up. Preferably without digging through the garage

@Moaningturtle

I did tell the Virgin man at the door that I didn’t have it and was the new owner and denied all knowledge. I don’t even have a forwarding address for them.

But today she messaged saying that I needed to put it in the bag provided (I have no idea what she’s on about, I have no bag) and leave it at the door for collection. And the thought of going out to the garage and searching through all the crap for something that isn’t mine and was left behind (so technically sold to us with the house?) and might not even be in there is the last straw!! I have enough shit going on!!

Yes a lot of assertiveness is much easier said than done! ... We had similar for 2 years from an old tenant... It's only when I got really assertive the parcels stopped. It was just too convenient for them to let us act as a post drop off.

I'd do a once and final message to the old owners...

Something like...

Dear Annoying old owners,..

Final comment on this to you. No further communication...

We've been more than accommodating in the months since you sold your house to us, re accepting your misdirected parcels, and even collecting them from the post office at great inconvenience to us.

By now x months after you left, it is MORE than reasonable that ALL your delivery should have been changed to your current address.

We are no longer helping.

I am not responsible for sending stuff on, acting as a delivery point for your parcels/or dealing with your suppliers.. This is YOUR responsibility.

Therefore we will refuse delivery and anything that comes through the door I'll rts/ignore.

This has been massively inconvenient as I am often sleeping as I work nights.

I have no idea about any virgin équipment, I am not dealing with them.

Any plugs /equipement you must have taken when you were supposed to have emptied the house when we completed.

As I said we had no intention or responsibility for taking over your old contract, as I said to you on thr nth of whenever, we have our own separate contract.

I expect this to be the last I hear of it.

Mianingturtle that’s good and don’t even think about digging in garage

YANBU. At all.

I suspect they think they've found themselves a little parcel elf who will collect, sign for and store their parcels at their convenience. Why wait in for your own couriered delivery when you can get a minion to do it for you?

Well, bollocks to that. I would send them one last message saying that you will not be accepting any more parcels, any which arrive will be declined or returned to sender. Any items left behind by them, including the router, have been disposed of and you will not enter into any further dialogue with them on this or any other subject.

Then block. Block, block, blockety, block. And put the router in the bin for good measure.

No. It’s their equipment. They abandoned it in someone else’s house. You rightly assumed it was unwanted. Tell virgin not your contract and not your problem

I’m bad at being assertive. I recently blocked someone after months of prevaricating. God it feels good.

You've been more than accommodating. Don't respond to them again. Don't accept any parcels for them and move on.

Also I’m a landlord who previously lived in the house I let. No way would I expect the current tenants to run errands for me!

Ps I would ask the EA to send them a brief message explaining that yin are under no moral or legal obligation to help out and you will be returning to sender or redirecting all post

@Moaningturtle

I don’t know why I feel the need to always be nice and helpful, especially at my own detriment for complete strangers.

I’m 40 years old now and need to learn to say no. Is there some sort of assertiveness course I can go on?!

Don't worry about...the menopause will hit in a few years time and the you'll take absolutely no shit from anybody .

I bought from a vendor that didn’t redirect their post and expected to collect it. Turned out they were running up debt everywhere and claiming HB against the address via a relative.

Don’t get involved!

I would also message saying "we don't have the Virgin Media equipment here so please don't tell them come here looking for it. Could you please set up a redirection for your mail and ensure all parcels go to your new address. Any post arriving for you here will now be sent back to the sender." And then block.

Don't phone Virgin Media, they won't speak to you as you are not the account holder and even if they did you'd be on the phone at your expense for hours waiting to get through.