to think that if you are a couple who both work long hours every day, you should have parcels delivered to your work address rather than home and rely on neighbours constantly taking in parcels!

[Mintyy]

Well?

I click & collect where possible or give instructions to "leave near bins" though this can be a bit dodgy on bin day.

Today though, I arranged to work from home as I knew something was being delivered. The delivery man knocked once and I was at the front door in less than 15 seconds. He was already down at the bottom of my drive and said he was going to leave the parcel with a neighbour When I asked him why he didn't wait for me to answer the door, he said he thought I was out because there was no car on the drive!

So, the moral of the story is, your neighbours might have even been sat there waiting for their parcels.

Even if you don't work or work at home there are no guarantees you will never have your neighbours disturbed - I'm home a fair bit but couriers still have a knack of delivering during the school run. I'm sure they hide round the corner until they see me leave.

Its one of those things. We all help each other out a bit. I'd assume that if a neighbour had a problem they'd have a word with me and ask me what I can do to ensure they don't get disturbed - in which case I guess I'd put a sign in my door saying "please don't bother number 16 for parcels" or whatever, and presumably "number 16" or whoever might want to back it up with a sign of there own. That's the only way really. Have a word with your neighbour, ask them to put a sign up excluding you, and if that doesn't work put one up of your own.

You can't stop them ordering online and they have little control over what happens once they do. There are such a lot of much worse things your neighbours could subject you to that I feel a little perspective is needed?

To add, I get the rage with people putting through Avon/Bettaware etc catalogues. I don't want them, nor do I want them in my porch waiting to be collected, nor do I want them knocking on my door.

So I have a sign up. If they choose to ignore it, they can't expect to get their catalogue back, and have no real cause to complain.

i think as internet shopping is only increasing, and people tend to be out of hte house at the same hours as deliveries, we're going to see more click and collect (in store or to local convenient place), or online shops are going to have to start getting their delivery companies to deliver during evenings/weekends, or slots like supermarket shopping

I can't have parcels delivered to my workplace. Fortunately DH can so most go there wherever possible. Some places won't deliver to anywhere bar the invoice address. I don't expect anyone to take in my parcel though - I assume they will go to the depot and leave me a card so I can pick it up from there.

I am happy to take parcels in for neighbours but I do expect them to come and collect them from me. I don't go looking out for them to take it to them.

"But some places will only deliver to the address the credit card is registered too"

well, if that's the case its not a problem for me as the neighbour 5 doors down!

I think you're a big fat meanie, Mintyy. My DH and I are both home based, but we often work long days away from home. We don't know when deliveries will come, and we can't make them come on a day when we are both there. The Law of Sod dictates such things.
Fortunately most of our neighbours also work in less normal patterns so we all help each other out with our parcels. And water each others house plants when we are away. Well, I'm not asked to do that so often as I clearly forget to look after my own.

My mum lives with us, is in all day and takes in parcels for the whole street. She has a lovely chat to the delivery drivers (she knows them all by name now) and the neighbours are always grateful. She's been having cancer treatment this last year and the response from our neighbours has been wonderful. It's all just part of living in a community, isn't it?

Get your point that you are working, my Dad was self-employed for many years, but you have to be proactive; you can't expect delivery drivers to know that. Put a sign up saying you are working and not to be disturbed. There's no point whinging about being disturbed if you won't take even the most basic step to stop it happening. I'm sure most people would specify, if they could, a time when they would be home for parcel delivery, they're not trying to annoy you specifically.

I think you like being disturbed really, it's a distraction from work and then you get to impress your friends with your martyrdom by exaggerating lying about how many parcels you have taken in.

The people who live across the road from my ils put a note on their door asking for all parcels to be delivered at pils house if they were out.
Never bothered to ask pil.
Now pil are lovely and didn't mind taking the parcels occasionally and tis neighbourly thing to do.
She only got suspicious when more were being delivered and the people were in.
Mil went across and saw the note. Bare faced cheek of it, so mil refuse to take them now so parcels returned or left on the step.
I have started doing with our neighbours they are always bloody working it was beyond a joke in the end.
Just say no you've had enough if you are asked to receive for others.

I don't put a sign on my door - luckily here we each take in one another's parcels anyway. But I still wouldn't - I don't want to advertise that I am not in and my house is stood empty!

Where available, in the comments box, I add a note of a safe place to leave or to take to depot for me to collect.

Is it the same delivery company most times? If so, next ime, just ask them not to bring parcels to your house in future unless addressed to the household and for them to note it on their records.

Asos are brilliant, think it's dpd they use - they text you the 10 minute slot they will deliver within, and if you're not going to be in, you just text them back to deliver tomorrow, neighbour or later.

you are just assuming that someone will take your parcel in for you

No, I'm assuming that I'll get a "while you were out" card and have to go to the sorting office, as that's what happens most of the time.

I click and collect where possible, Amazon stuff goes to DH's work and any other delivery I miss always seems to get chucked over the back gate (Hermes, Yodel etc) or back down to the PO depot, it never goes to neighbours houses.

Also I think YABU. Most people don't mind, and it's the system you're annoyed at, not your neighbours. I suspect they'd be mortified if they knew you felt and obligation to take them and that the obligation weighed so heavily upon you.

If possible, yes. However, some offices don't allow this (DH's doesn't) and some parcels would be much too heavy to carry home.

We order quite a lot online and it very much varies how they deliver. Quite often I'm in, but if I'm not sometimes it goes in the porch, sometimes round the side gate, in the recycling bin or occasionally with the neighbour. I don't think it bothers the neighbours.

Not allowed where I used to work, but I think it should be. Companies should accept that people who work full time need some support services, and accepting parcels on behalf of staff would be very helpful.

I loathe the 'system' of leaving things with neighbours. I don't know my neighbours and don't want to. Local areas should have drop-off/collection services.

sainsburys are going to deliver to my house between 9 and 10pm tomorrow night. We'll see how that goes.

I wasn't allowed to get parches delivered to my old workplace because some people took the utter piss and one woman got a sex toy delivered despite knowing they'd be scanned ffs

I do try to get things delivered when we're in, or a I work from home. If all else fails, DP can get stuff delivered to his work. (I'm split site, so not so great for me).

However:

• That didn't stop one company ignoring the delivery address (DP's work) and using the billing address
• Another company ignoring the agreed instruction (leave with neighbour X) and instead woke a random neighbour who was sleeping off a nightshift
• I've also had instances of delivering a day early / late

Overall if you're taking in a shedload of parcels YANBU to be annoyed. If you think the neighbours are relying on this, the best course of action would be to stop taking parcels. In most cases you can arrange re-delivery of pick up from the depot.

YABU though to assume everyone can easily get stuff delivered to their work / delivered outside office hours.

No doubt they now hate me.

why? I am really failing to see what the big deal is. I live on a terrace and we all collect parcels for each other from time to time. I think my right neighbour is the biggest online shopper, and I am next. it saves a trip to the post office.

could someone explain what the big deal is?

Omg! 250 deliveries? All for the same person? In a week! That's an average of 50 per day, no wonder you're pissed! You must have been up and down the stairs ever 20 mins! I'm so glad I don't have you're neighbour....

Where we live there are only 6 houses. I work from home so inevitably take parcels in for the other houses who's occupants are all out at work for the day.

I don't mind at all although I always ask the delivery driver/postman to put a note through the neighbours door to let them know it's at ours. This way I don't have to keep watching for everyone coming home and the onus is on them to collect.

Just because your neighbours aren't going to be, doesn't automatically mean they expect a neighbour to take their parcel in.

If you are not happy to continue then just put a note on the door saying you don't take in parcels.

A cautionary tale about accepting packages for neighbours here.

The family were bundled into a police van and taken away in their pyjamas, the 19 year old boy was arrested and held by police, their home was taken apart and their garden dug up.

Because a friend of the neighbours had had a dodgy package delivered to them, instead of to her own address, and when they were out, the 19 year old signed for it.

A different cautionary tale about taking in packages

DH and I aren't allowed to receive parcels at work. If we're out when the delivery arrives, my expectation is that we'll have to collect it from the.post office / delivery depot. Our neighbours do sometimes take.in our parcels and vice versa, but we certainly aren't relying on them doing this. And even when I'm not at work, the delivery men have a knack of turning up when I've gone out to the corner shop for 10 mins or suchlike.

If you don't want to take in other people's parcels, then you should put up a sign saying so. You'll be less likely to be disturbed then.

My neighbour has installed a kind of secure box in her garden. Apparently all delivery firms have the code as it is on a national register so they leave stuff there.

I'd take in her parcels but I'm at work all day too

Is it not illegal to sign on behalf of someone if it states for the person only.
We have had such parcels, is it recorded delivery?
Unless you know the people well you shouldn't sign anyway.

Written

That's nice if you are all doing about the same, but some people take the piss and know you are the only one at home and practically expect you to take their deliveries. My neighbours were up to 10 parcels a day and xmas was ridiculous. It is disturbing the bloody bell going every 5 mins.