About neighbours taking in deliveries for us?

[Plateofcrumbs]

DH and I both work full time, often long hours. We do a large chunk of our shopping online (clothes, stuff for the house, books) which often results in courier/Royal Mail deliveries whilst we are out being left with a neighbour.

There are a few people on our street who are often in during the day so packages don't always end up with the same people - maybe once a month is the most any neighbour gets.

We always collect packages as soon as we can but because of long hours this is sometimes not the same day, sometimes a few days. And we've had a couple of occasions where couriers have not left cards so we haven't known about parcels until the neighbour has come round to us.

One neighbour is always a bit pointed with us when she takes in deliveries, particularly if we are not straight over to pick them up, and makes us feel like we're being a bit of a nuisance.

AIBU to be so reliant on neighbours goodwill, or is she being unreasonable to make a fuss?

I get deliveries made to work. It means I have to carry them home, but that is a burden that falls on me rather than my neighbours.

I think YABU to order things for delivery when you know you won't be there to collect them.

Have you asked your neighbours? I am perfectly happy to take in parcels, but my neighbours know that- it is an ongoing arrangement we have. I don't think I'd be very pleased if a new neighbour assumed without checking that it was OK. I still wouldn't be hugely bothered, but I'd think it was a bit rude.

Why do you think it is unreasonable to get them delivered to either yours or your husbands work?

I'm lucky that my neighbours don't mind taking in parcels but some people feel uncomfortable doing this. Why not just say to your neighbour to refuse your parcels in future to save her having to take them in?

also most supermarkets have collection points
there are also companies which will hold on to your delivery on your behalf

If you have somewhere safe to leave them such as a porch or back gate then stick a note on your door and sign it. That's what I do if I'm going out.

She's bu as she doesn't have to take it very passive aggressive to be snippy about it after tge fact.

But yabu a little, you say your neighbours regularly have to take things in for you. Are you grateful when they do? Are you a good neighbour?

Ah well I am chief parcel taker in here too and on the one hand I don't mind at all as I hate going to the depot myself BUT I am amazed at a couple who live next door, work full time, order a lot of home deliveries that they are unlikely to be home for then take a couple of days to fetch them or wait for us to take them round. Actually it's not really OK though I would never refuse a delivery as it seems churlish. I wouldn't order something for home delivery if there was no chance I'd be home to receive it so I think yabu really.

Your neighbour may have a very real reason for being annoyed at being interupted during the day to take in parcels...for you. She is doing you a favour. She is also likely to be taking in parcels for other neighbours too.

In your shoes, I would pop over with a thank you box of chocolates & thank her for taking them in so far. However, you could also say that if she wants to refuse packages for you, that you completely understand.

My experience is that the different delivery drivers know who will take in packages...my door bell is often rung. If someone in my street was ordering alot & not particilarly polite when picking up/not picking up quickly or...you know, if I just don't like the cut of their jib, I would refuse. Maybe she just needs to know this is an option for her. Once the delivery drivers know she wongt take them, they will stop knocking on her door.

i would ask work whether you can get parcels delivered.

i take in a lot of parcels for my neighbours and i'm happy to do it. BUT it is a pain so i don't think you should take it for granted. if you didn't come round to collect it i would be annoyed because i then have to keep coming round to see if you're in and deliver it to you myself. quel pain. i have better things to do..

i think you should give your kind neighbours a little sign of appreciation - flowers / card. just to show you do actually appreciate it.

Depends how big it is. If it's small enough to keep somewhere unintrusive I don't really care if it's left or how long. If it's huge it's a right pain in the arse and sometimes the postie says 'will you take a parcel for no.9?' And then when I agree s/he's hidden an enormous box round the side of the house so you can't refuse it first.

Depends how big it is. If it's small enough to keep somewhere unintrusive I don't really care if it's left or how long. If it's huge it's a right pain in the arse and sometimes the postie says 'will you take a parcel for no.9?' And then when I agree s/he's hidden an enormous box round the side of the house so you can't refuse it first.

My neighbour has a note on her door telling delivery people to leave her parcels with me if she's not in. It doesn't bother me but i know her very well, I can see why having parcels hanging around for days on end might annoy people though. So I think YABU to rely on various neighbours to take in items then not collect them for days. Loads of people work long hours, if you're at work most of the time have parcels delivered there.

YABU, not in the relying on neighbours to take in parcels, but on the not collecting ASAP. I don't mind taking them in but I get annoyed when people don't collect them when they get home from work. You say you are mostly home at 8pm, do you then hang around, put your dinner on, eat dinner, watch TV, and then- oh look , it is 10pm, much too late? You need to collect the parcels as soon as you come home. She is actually doing you a favour, so you need to co operate with her as much as possible.

I already live in fear of my postman's insanely loud knocking, as his route always seems to bring him here at nap time! If my baby was woken up and its not even for me but for someone who knowingly used me as storage I'd be furious!

Most companies have policies about not having personal mail/ parcels delivered at work. I'm really surprised so many of you have suggested it.

I'd also ask my neighbour first if it was ok if they could take something in. My Mum is disabled & housebound & she is always having to take stuff in for random people. It drives her mad & she has to struggle to the door to take stuff in. But she's too nice to refuse. Even my ex-husbands, new wife's bother (who shed never met) arranged to have a massive parcel delivered to her house (sorry I've gone a bit off topic there! Lol)

Your a bit cheeky ordering things knowing you won't be home!! At least once a month makes me feel u expect them to take it in!!!! If u can't be home for delivery then don't order!!

I don't understand why you think its unreasonable to have them delivered to work? Because you don't want to annoy the people who employ you? So annoy the neighbours instead...

Really Mia? I'm shocked. At my office we all have deliveries all the time. No one minds. Even when I had a tub of worms delivered!!

But if you know you are out all day, surely you understand that you may have to pick up the parcel from the parcel depot or arrange delivery for when you WILL be in. Once a month is quite regular, and if each of your neighbours are taking stuff in once a month, then you ARE taking the piss. Get your parcels delivered to a family member's house or your work FFS. Your neighbours are not parcel delivery people or collection offices!

(Can you tell I was the one asked to take parcels in on a daily basis as I was at home due to baby/disabilities?)

I stopped taking them after a while - and used to get abuse off delivery men when I started refusing. They get paid for the deliveries, regardless of who they actually deliver to. If nobody on the street accepts the delivery, they don't get paid.

However, I got pissed off because they would ring my doorbell and wake my baby even though I had a sign on the door STATING "please only ring bell if parcel is for THIS address". So the delivery people were ignoring my polite request off peace and ringing anyway. Some days I would have 3/4 delivery men ringing the bell!

FGS, how ridiculous to tell people not to order online if they work full time .

I have lovely neighbours that take in parcels. I do stress to them that they don't have to and I am happy to arrange redelivery when I get the card or go to the depot to collect.

We're not allowed to arrange deliveries to my workplace.

Seriously just send them to your work. Our post room and reception have no trouble at all in just popping an email saying parcel for you. Job done.

The neighbours can refuse to take it. The delivery company won't write in the card they leave you that you neighbours refused, just that you weren't in.

I suggest that the next time you have to go round to collect a parcel, you acknowledge how annoying this is for them and suggest that they refuse to take anymore parcels and it would be completely understandable if they did.

On getting deliveries at work: I do ring the changes myself, but we only have one receptionist working quite a big office and I know she gets can get a bit harassed dealing with people's personal deliveries. DH works somewhere with high security and personal deliveries are highly discouraged - to be honest he's the big online shopper and the source of most of the deliveries to neighbours!

You're probably giving of an attitude of 'when I'm good and ready' wrt collecting them too, seeing as you leave it for days!

Gladvent, we used to be allowed to arrange deliveries to my workplace, but the post room guy was spending time delivering amazon parcels to people's desks or they were piling up in the mail room. So they stopped it.