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Original poster

Strange parcels being delivered.

78 replies

Strangeparcels · 14/10/2022 18:44

Firstly, I've name changed for this, because I have mentioned it to several people in real life.
About a month ago, while I was out, my husband got a delivery of a box of 3200 paper towels for a paper towel dispenser. Unfortunately it was left on the doorstep, or he would have questioned it at the time. The address was ours, but said to Emergency Personnel. He looked up the sender to report it, but the seller went out of business 2 years ago.
An hour later, another much larger parcel arrived. Fortunately, this one required signing for and since it was also our address, but not for us, he refused it at the door. He did notice that this was from a different company, however.
We left the parcel unopened for several weeks (after having asked our neighbours if anyone was missing a big box of paper towels), just incase anyone contacted us about it.
Eventually, I opened it in case it actually contained a million pounds, but it was just paper towels.
It's been sitting on our landing ever since.
Unfortunately, yesterday another identical box of paper towels arrived - same closed down business address!
I have a horrible feeling that this is a monthly order that is just going to keep turning up, but there is no one to contact to stop it!

What do I do?????
I don't want thousands of paper towels 😭

OP posts:
Original poster
Strangeparcels · 14/10/2022 19:33

Anyone got any suggestions?

OP posts:
Keyansier · 14/10/2022 19:50

This reads like a stealth boast/a promotion to sell. But in case it's not my advice is: I would call the police and tell them what's been going on just in case it's something more serious.

Left · 14/10/2022 20:28

I’d probably offer up the towels to any local businesses on Facebook who can collect… and if I had the name of the previous seller would see if I could find them online to see if they knew why their closed business was sending me random paper towels (they might have sold the stock bulk to a diff company and be able to tell you who)

FlippertyGibberts · 14/10/2022 20:30

Keyansier · 14/10/2022 19:50

This reads like a stealth boast/a promotion to sell. But in case it's not my advice is: I would call the police and tell them what's been going on just in case it's something more serious.

It really doesn't 🤣.

Luxurysleuth007 · 14/10/2022 20:33

Surely just tell the courier to return to sender as it’s not your order? It’s got to have come from somewhere

Adultchildofelderlyparents · 14/10/2022 20:35

You need to catch the delivery when it arrives. Whoever delivers it must know where it comes from!
Meanwhile, use a local facebook group or somewhere to offer up the paper towels locally to whoever is willing to collect.

Sparklingbrook · 14/10/2022 20:35

Keyansier · 14/10/2022 19:50

This reads like a stealth boast/a promotion to sell. But in case it's not my advice is: I would call the police and tell them what's been going on just in case it's something more serious.

Please explain this, what's the stealth boast and who is selling what?

HighlandPony · 14/10/2022 20:36

redirect them here. I could do with them 😃

Potat0soup · 14/10/2022 20:37

Who boasts about having lots of paper towels? Do you know what boast means?

Potat0soup · 14/10/2022 20:38

I'd just give them to a nursery or school

Original poster
Strangeparcels · 14/10/2022 20:42

Boasting about paper towels?? 🤣 Seriously, why would I do that?

Yes, we need to catch the deliverer, but so far they have turned up when we are out and the labels don't have any delivery indication of who it is.

Good point about another business selling them on, but surely it would have their business name and address.
Unless they are operating from the same premises I suppose.

Unfortunately, it's no where near us, so I can't go and check.

OP posts:
Keyansier · 14/10/2022 20:43

I just mentioned stealth boast because that's how it came across as in the OP. But more importantly I said OP should contact the police just in case it's something more serious as if it's true, it sounds highly suspicious.

Original poster
Strangeparcels · 14/10/2022 20:45

Really, really not boasting!
And I'm not contacting the police about paper towels, they have far more important things to worry about.
I assume that someone, somewhere has put the wrong address into an automated form or something. Although you would have thought they would have contracted the company to check where their paper towels are....

OP posts:
NaiceLeftie · 14/10/2022 20:45

Put up a big sign outside your door saying: “Don’t leave paper towels here!”

Sparklingbrook · 14/10/2022 20:54

Keyansier · 14/10/2022 20:43

I just mentioned stealth boast because that's how it came across as in the OP. But more importantly I said OP should contact the police just in case it's something more serious as if it's true, it sounds highly suspicious.

How though? What's the boast? i mean if it was during lockdown when nobody could get any kitchen or loo roll it could have been boasting and selling.

Reporting paper towel delivery to the Police, not sure about that.

@Strangeparcels Could there be a stash of drugs in the middle of them all like on that border control programme?

pocketvenuss · 14/10/2022 20:55

Keyansier · 14/10/2022 20:43

I just mentioned stealth boast because that's how it came across as in the OP. But more importantly I said OP should contact the police just in case it's something more serious as if it's true, it sounds highly suspicious.

Are you on crack?

Keyansier · 14/10/2022 20:58

@Strangeparcels Really, really not boasting!
ok that's fine, that was just my initial thought

I assume that someone, somewhere has put the wrong address into an automated form or something. Although you would have thought they would have contracted the company to check where their paper towels are....

That wasn't my personal assumption at all. But you are willingly accepting large packages of unknown items into your house, by your own admission you don't know if the package: "contained a million pounds" or if it had contained a million pounds of cocaine, until you opened it. I would be contacting the police because repeat orders like this could mean your house is being purposely targeted for whatever reasons. If it turns out to be nothing, then there is nothing lost, apart from your time contacting the police.

Original poster
Strangeparcels · 14/10/2022 20:59

Sparklingbrook · 14/10/2022 20:54

How though? What's the boast? i mean if it was during lockdown when nobody could get any kitchen or loo roll it could have been boasting and selling.

Reporting paper towel delivery to the Police, not sure about that.

@Strangeparcels Could there be a stash of drugs in the middle of them all like on that border control programme?

Show quote history

That's why I checked the first parcel, just in case. To be fair, I haven't checked the second one.

OP posts:
Original poster
Strangeparcels · 14/10/2022 21:02

If they did turn out to contain drugs/a million pounds, then I would definitely contact the police.
They are paper towels. I think the parcel that my husband refused was probably the dispenser that fits them.

OP posts:
LemonDrizzles · 14/10/2022 21:03

Check every label for clues to the shipping company name. Keep opening boxes in the hopes theirs a delivery note

Celeryfavour · 14/10/2022 21:05

What's the name of the out of business seller? There are good detectives here!

ladycarlotta · 14/10/2022 21:05

Are both the businesses closed down then?
this happened to me once - an Italian publisher who once sent me one book seem to accidentally have changed some other address for mine, and kept sending me random Italian translations of books intended for an agency. I was eventually able to contact them to get it changed but it's harder if you really don't know who to contact! Maybe keep rejecting the parcels and see if that sends any kind of message.

ThirtyThreeTrees · 14/10/2022 21:07

Are they being delivered by courier? If so wrong the courier company, they will have contact details for their customer and can contact them sating all future parcels will be refused.

Original poster
Strangeparcels · 14/10/2022 21:08

Celeryfavour · 14/10/2022 21:05

What's the name of the out of business seller? There are good detectives here!

It feels a bit wrong to put the name on here, but it is (was) a sign manufacturer from Rayleigh. It has Onetouch written above the address.

OP posts:
justcantchoose · 14/10/2022 21:52

They were advertising jobs 8 days ago. Is it this company?

Strange parcels being delivered.