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?

If it was the odd one-off delivery I don't think it would bother me and I'd be happy to take it. If it was all the time though and the neighbour expected me to drop it to them rather than collecting it themselves, I'd probably stop taking them. I think one of the problems with this method of delivery is that all the couriers from the various companies quickly learn who is most likely to be at home (SAHM, elderly etc) and go straight to them without even trying the intended address. If one neighbour becomes the default depot for the whole neighbourhood, they should start paying him/her

The problem is with saying "just refuse to accept the delivery" is that you obviously still have to stop what you are doing, go and answer the door and then refuse the delivery.
So it's still disturbing you just as much as if you took the parcel IYSWIM.
And, everyone who says they aren't expecting a neighbour to take the parcel but instead get a card through the door must live in a different place to me.
Because delivery drivers here will go up the entire street to find anyone willing to take a parcel.
I use click and collect/Amazon lockers or pay for a specific timed delivery so I know I will be home.
My neighbour however seems to have a parcel delivered every time I have a day off, it's very odd :)
Also their deliveries seem to increase at half term etc when my teenagers are home.

Speak to the neighbour. Tell them you're working from home and it disturbs you keep answering the door.

I've always wondered this actually, why people bother shopping online and having it delivered to their home when they know they'll be out all day and definitely miss the parcel! It's a terrible waste of the couriers time really if you think about it... Also with certain courier companies yodel we all know their fondness of shoving possibly fragile packages over the back wall or leaving them in the dustbin etc so why take that sort of risk?

Agreed completely with you. If possible get it delivered to work or a friend who works from home/doesn't work and doesn't mind taking them in for you. OR get a safe place of some sort or fork out for weekend/named day delivery when you know you'll be home. It's definitely not the neighbours responsibility to take them. I have taken a few for neighbours in the past but only because it's a rarity, if it happened every week I wouldn't.

You can't blame the neighbours. I have had parcels left on the doorstep (when it's raining?), in my dustbin, at the local PO, at the local sorting office, at various local courier depots, at a less local courier depot, and with either neighbour.

One parcel was left with a neighbour, but I didn't get a card, and was actually taking it up with the supplier, to question where it was, when my neighbour popped round to ask if when I was going to collect it - I'd have already been, had I known. I was a bit annoyed, as I'd actually needed it a couple of days previously, but it was entirely down to the courier not leaving a card.

Many companies don't give the option of special instructions or the option of saying, if I'm not in, please leave...

I don't get the ones (like last week) which I have to sign for, which go to neighbours. It's fine, because my neighbours are fine, but if they were dodgy, them signing it is not the same as me signing it to day I've received it. It's been delivered and signed for, but not for the signature they're meant to get - surely I should definitely have to go to the sorting office in that case? If there were problems, it's difficult to follow up, because you get the response it's been signed for, so it must have been delivered successfully (this happened with the parcel I didn't get a card for.)

I do take parcels for neighbours when asked - but on one side, they work from home and the other are retired. I only work from home occasionally, but have sometimes arranged to do so when I am expecting a delivery.

I had a neighbour actually put a permanent note on their door saying if they were out to take it to my house... without asking me... when I was heavily pregnant and had to go up and down stairs to answer the door!

I told the postman not to knock again when he told me about the sign (I hadn't noticed it) and told the neighbour (who was bonkers) to remove the sign.

I've moved now and have a lovely postman and a kind My Hermes courier and don't mind at all taking in the odd parcel for neighbours and they do for me. It seems to work out roughly evenly.

I think the key thing is what else could the neighbours do. Given they do this a lot, I don't think neighbourliness can be expected to cover it.

We don't know that they can't get parcels at work. That's the first option.
If they can't, then they have to shell out for weekend delivery, or buy a secure locker for their garden.

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.

what place gets such frequent mail service?

every 5 mins seems like an exaggeration to me.

yeah, it makes sense to object if you are getting 100 parcels a week. but it sounds like some people simply can't take going down two flights of stairs in their own home.

Did you say anything mintyy?

I have nowhere for parcels to be left, as the back of the house can't be accessed from the front.

I have either had parcels delivered to my parents house, or lately I've used the delivery services to local shops where I can collect when in town. Click and collect from supermarkets is useful too.

I'm not actually sure if parcels can be delivered to work, but as I work 30 miles away from home I haven't bothered risking it.

Small items that will go through the letterbox are okay for delivery.

The key phrase there is "their own home", writtenguarantee. Why should you have to galumph up and down your own stairs at your neighbour's convenience? If your neighbour was ringing the doorbell in person several times a day, every day, I'll bet you'd be having a word. I certainly would.

Most delivery companies are good about leaving notes saying rearrange delivery or putting parcels where requested rather than going round to all the neighbours.

A couple absolutely delight in ignoring the 'please leave in garden / please take back to depot' polite instruction on the order and knock on a dozen doors. I've watched them do it - Royal Mail is one of the worst for this where I live. I understand they're strongly discouraged from taking the parcels back to the depot or for redelivery as it creates more work for them.

I work from home one day a week and get most of my stuff delivered then - the least hassle. And I have a rule for myself when I'm working - I don't answer the door unless I'm expecting a delivery or I'm at a point in my work where I'm happy to be interrupted.

That said, if I'm not working or am feeling ready for a break, then I'm very happy to take in parcels for the neighbours, whether I know them or not.

I love MN!!

Ordering online was a boon because it saves schlepping around the shops and having to lug heavy parcels home. It also means that often you can buy stuff that you haven't seen locally.

When did it morph into disturbing/bothering your neighbours? Especially when you don't even bother to check if they mind?

Yes, most people wouldn't mind taking in a parcel every now and again, but even monthly, when you work at home, or you're trying to get a baby to sleep or, frankly, you're just sitting down relaxing, watching Loose Women - it's just too much!

And it shouldn't be down to the Person-at-Home to be disturbed and then have to turn the driver away.

You know you've ordered something. Make sure you've made arrangements when you know you're not going to be there.

I've only read your OP, Mintyy (didn't take long!) but some workplaces don't allow this. I wish my husband would have his tools and other assorted crap delivered to work but they won't have it.

I work from home (when I'm there) and it's a huge distraction for me having to keep going tot the door. I hate it.

I would MUCH prefer that nobody delivers to my neighbour. She's very nice and doesn't mind at all but I've asked post office not to do this. To no avail. Also, ad hoc couriers do it. I'd like to say that it's because I'm considerate (she's quite poorly with a bad cough at the moment) but really, it's because I would be there for half an hour to pick anything up as she loves to chat. The disclaimer doesn't work for me actually, I'm just horrible. :(

I really don't see the problem here. Just say no and your neighbours will get a card through the door telling them where to pick up the parcel from or how to rearrange delivery. Even if your neighbours expect you to take parcels in (which they shouldn't), how would they know you weren't out anyway? We are a couple who both work long hours, out from 7am to 7pm. We get some parcels sent to work, some to a collect plus newsagent near our office, some to my mum. Any large or bulky items we try to arrange at weekends or work from home. Sometimes we pick things up from the post office at weekends, sometimes our lovely neighbours do take things in for us and we are happy to do so for them. We have recently moved and were very aware of not annoying our new neighbours with lots of parcels. Just say no.

Why should you have to galumph up and down your own stairs at your neighbour's convenience?

to be nice? neighbourly? I know people who work/be at home during the day may not recognize how much of a slog commuting is, but a few seconds thought might clear that up.

as I said, frequency matters. is it 100 times a week, or a few times? makes a difference.

I get annoyed by one set of our neighbours doing this constantly. They've even left a note on their door saying to leave them with us or our downstairs neighbour. Just because I am at home all day, doesn't mean I want to keep taking their stuff in and then knocking on their door because their too lazy to come and get it. It's irritating. I've even said no to the postman and got a barrage of questions about why can't I take it in.
I'm too much of a coward to say to the neighbours that I'd rather not take it in, but it is annoying that it is just assumed that I'm ok with it.

I have put a sign on the door saying I will accept parcels for three doors up and three doors down on each side (these are neighbours that I actually know and speak to and in a couple of cases would go so far to say am very good drinking buddies friends with) but not any others.

The worst offenders (the ones referred to in my op) live 5 doors away and have never even spoken to me, except to say "I've come to collect my parcel". I wouldn't recognise the woman if she was stood right in front of me, it is always the man who comes to the door, usually at about 8pm.

Let's hope that works.

"I know people who work/be at home during the day may not recognize how much of a slog commuting is, but a few seconds thought might clear that up."

What?

I have put a sign on the door saying I will accept parcels for three doors up and three doors down on each side (these are neighbours that I actually know and speak to and in a couple of cases would go so far to say am very good drinking buddies friends with) but not any others.

Very precise. Delivery drivers love precision. And counting doors.

I'm sure that will be an end to the matter.

Not read to see if someone else has suggested this but you could let them know about

mybybox
Amazon locker

And there's another one I can't remember name of which uses local shops. So maybe approach local "open all hours" store and ask if they'd be interested in doing this. (I think pubs would be great for this too!)

I try to time my parcels to arrive when I'm wfh or the weekend but sometimes the parcel guys don't bother to ring the doorbell, so still have to pick up from neighbours or more annoyingly pickup form delivery point.

Lets hope its an end to the matter, eh pumpkin .

Just incase you are wondering, I have actually put the door numbers, so they won't have to count .

What delivery drivers like or don't like should be my concern ... why exactly? Can you remind me?

indeed.

What?

it's obviously not your job to handle their mail. But they are out and it's a nice thing to do. As I said, how often matters to how reasonable it is. But what I hear people say is that "it's annoying". Of course it's annoying. It's not supposed to be fun. it's taking in mail. But it's a neighbourly thing to do. Do you have to do it? of course not. But just realize that to many people it's going to sound petty if you say you simply can't be bothered to go downstairs to help someone out.

Quite, Mintyy, what is written on?