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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To wonder when the neighbours will give me my parcel?

104 replies

peugotgringo · 03/05/2012 16:22

Been waiting for delivery of an out of stock item.

It came on Monday whilst we were both out so it was delivered to a neighbour. We got back pretty late Monday evening so presumed they'd call over on Tuesday with it.

It's now Thursday and they still have it. YES I know I could have called across for it and will be sending DH for it this evening but I just thought it would be interesting to see how long it would take them to give it to us. In the 2 years we have been living in our house they have never spoken to us, despite our efforts to be nice, friendly and neighbourly. They don't appear to speak to anyone so don't think it's just us.

If I take a parcel for a neighbour I always take it to them - I know I have it, they may not know it's been delivered, card telling them so could have gone astray, not been posted etc. In fact the only reason I know the neighbours have my parcel is because I retrieved the card from the dogs mouth in time!

What do you do if you take a parcel for a neighbour?

OP posts:

Kellamity · 03/05/2012 17:20

Hmmmm now it's got tricky!

landofsoapandglory · 03/05/2012 17:22

I still don't understand, if the second bit is true, why you haven't been round since to get it. You ordered something, that you obviously want, that is stuck in your neighbour's house, so why not get off your arse and go and get it?

CrispyCod · 03/05/2012 17:24

Personally I think your neighbours sound a bit crap tbh. I know it's your responsibility to collect it from them but if they were nice neighbours wouldn't they have popped over with it by now?

A courier delivered something to my house last week. He pushed a card through the door saying it was in the paper bin at the back of the house. I wasn't expecting anything and when I retrieved it it was for a house in the next street, same number as mine. Now, had I been dishonest I could have kept it but I took it round to the other person's house.

ZZZenAgain · 03/05/2012 17:25

If you are there, I don't understand why you haven't been round to ring the bell. If you're not at home and dh is, why can't he go over now and get it? It always sounds as if going across to the neighbour's house involves forging white water rapids or something. So they aren't nice, what is the worst that can happen? Either they refuse to open the door or they open and complain about having your package delivered to them. It won't be hugely stressful.

CrispyCod · 03/05/2012 17:26

The reason the OP hasn't collected it yet is because she's playing the 'honesty' game with the neighbours. When she really wants it she'll go and get it or ring the company up to claim non receipt.

ThreadWatcher · 03/05/2012 17:34

Why did you ask your dh to get it? Why not just get it yourself?
I'd be on the doorstep repeatedly till I got my parcel.

FWIW I take in parcels quite often and always deliver them as soon as the neighbour comes home. Weird not too. But equally weird of you not to fetch your own parcel.

BananasInBloomers · 03/05/2012 17:37

In the hour and 10 mins that this thread is running could you not have ran over yourself?

NoraHelmer · 03/05/2012 17:38

We don't take parcels in for the neighbours on one side - complete bastards - hate them , but would take parcels in for the people on the other side. I've always delivered a parcel if I've taken one in for a neighbour (simply because I wouldn't want someone knocking on the door whilst I was changing DS's nappy etc or was in the loo and then have them thinking bitch wouldn't give me my parcel :o).

The bastard neighbours (major issues - we don't speak to them any more) took in a parcel (present for DS's birthday) and then went away on holiday. We had to wait two weeks to get it. In this instant, I think it would have been fair to have refused to take it in.

WorraLiberty · 03/05/2012 17:40

I can't believe you expected her to come and deliver it.

I just wait til they knock, otherwise I'd have to stand there curtain twitching every 20 mins to see if they're home.

Arion · 03/05/2012 17:43

I always drop round when I get a parcel if I see neighbours come home, and generally they do the same, or text me to et me know. Out of the last four parcels delivered only one had a card put through my door. One of the deliveries was a Dyson as well (in clear packaging) so not a cheap item to go astray!

Original poster

peugotgringo · 03/05/2012 17:50

I've been at work all week and DH works shifts, he's on his 'off' days at the moment so is in the house. He tried on Tuesday and then forgot about it until I reminded him. He can't get it now, they are out.

Unusually, this week i've ended up getting home much later than normal, combination of working late, bad traffic etc so as much as a lazy arsed bitch i've been I didn't think it all that appropiate to knock on their door late at night when they have a child in bed.

Didn't actually intentionally set out to 'test' them either, it's just I've always taken parcels and then delivered them myself for other people and thought very wrongly it seems that others did the same. And since they didn't do what I would have done, through circumstance i've left it to see what actually happens - can i get away with calling it a social experiment pretty please????

So I decided to ask what other people did about it.

OP posts:

Dunja · 03/05/2012 17:52

Why not call the sender of the parcel that the neighbour says he knows nothing of the parcel, and demand the money back, or that they resend the item?

NatashaBee · 03/05/2012 18:16

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

baboos · 03/05/2012 18:30

Honestly... just go over there and ask for your parcel that you know they accepted since you have the delivery notice.

I often take parcels in for our neighbours, who all work, and would expect them to come get them from me. I certainly wouldn't do it if they expected me to deliver them as well.

That said, your neighbours do have a choice... they could have just refused to take it, if they didn't want the hassle.

TheMonster · 03/05/2012 18:31

I would do what Dunja says.

Mutt · 03/05/2012 18:34

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

ExitPursuedByABear · 03/05/2012 18:48

Well, if you (or your DH) has been round and left a note, then that does put the ball back in their court a bit. If it was inconvenient for them to take it in they should have refused.

As I said much earlier in the thread, I heard two of my neighbours having a real humdinger of a row in the lane about a parcel, with threats of police involvement and all!

JustFab · 03/05/2012 18:51

If someone has been kind enough to take a parcel in for you then it is totally down to you to go and get it. You sound rather childish at this see how long it takes plan.

tantrumsandballoons · 03/05/2012 18:52

Oh just go and get it.
Maybe they are crap neighbors, maybe they don't like you, maybe they are rude, does it matter?
They have the parcel. You want the parcel.
Go and GET it already.

JustFab · 03/05/2012 18:53

I also tell the postman to put a card through the door to say I have it so there is no issue.

SarahStratton · 03/05/2012 18:58

My neighbours do this. They work all day, and never bother coming round to collect them. I am always taking in parcels for them. At Christmas I got so fed up with their parcels littering my hall (I had 8 at one stage) that I decided to see just how long it would take them to collect.

A fortnight.

A whole bloody fortnight of their 8 sodding parcels taking up my hall. They came round eventually, and were not happy that I 'hadn't bothered to bring their stuff round'.

We Had Words.

I think their understanding of what is acceptable may be slightly clearer now.

HandMadeTail · 03/05/2012 19:03

How rude not to collect the items! Why should they bring it to you? It's your parcel!

NapaCab · 03/05/2012 19:06

It's your responsibility to go and get it because you were given the card saying that it was delivered to their address. Why did you wait so long? I can understand if you were busy but just waiting to see if they'd bring it over is a bit weird...

Maybe they're just quiet people who keep to themselves. Also, they did accept the parcel for you and they don't have to do that so that was nice of them.

SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius · 03/05/2012 19:11

Have you collected it yet, OP?

RoxyRobin · 03/05/2012 19:33

Sure there was a thread very like this a few months ago about a stand-off between the parcel addressee and an odd neighbour, also with spousal involvement to complicate matters.

Must be a lot of it about. Not round here, I'm glad to say. Didn't realise I had so much to be thankful for.

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